Justifying The Mirror of All Christian Kings Henry V does justify ‘The mirror of all Christian Kings’ He is a great military leader, a good politician, a strong public speaker, a religious man and therefore a ‘mirror of all Christian kings’ He is a very strong Christian king and does what he has to do as a king. This does make him look heartless however it was his duty. When we look at Henry as a king we have to look in the context of the situation. Kingly qualities required now in 2004 are different to the ones in 1415 and indeed in Shakespeare’s time. In 1415 a king had to be ruthless, a strong leader of men, a religious man, a good politician and liked by his people. Nowadays being a statesperson and a bridger of gaps is a head of states main role. This is very different. Henry had added problems his father Henry IV had deposed Richard II and Henry needed to solidify the Bolingbroke line. A number of events take place in the play revealing Henry as a great king. Looking at these scenes helps us see the true Henry and judge whether he is the mirror of all Christian kings or not. At Henry’s entrance we see true character. In his dealing with the Dauphin’s ‘gift’ we see his true colours. In this scene he emerges from his youth. Before that he was seen as callous youth following ‘courses vain’ with bad company such as Fallstaff ‘companies unlettered, rude and shallow’. The Dauphin still believes Henry is like that. However as Ely says ‘wholesome berries thrive and ripen best Neighboured by fruit of baser quality.’ This is very true ‘never came reformation in such a flood’. Henry’s reply to the French ambassador is powerful an... ... middle of paper ... ...se God. It seems as if he uses him for his own end. Not really believing. He seems to use the church and God. However he does ask for Gods for help. Before the Agincourt. The only time we seem to see Henry for himself is when he is alone. He seems to stop acting and let himself go. Here we see he really is religious. We see that even under his supposed acting he isn’t. Henry is the mirror of all Christian kings. He is a great king. He is cutthroat he is calculating he is measured and makes tough seemingly heartless decisions. However he needed to make those decisions. It was tough being a king and you had to be tough. Your first loalty was to your country not your friends. You had to be calculating and measured. All in all Hal the callous mislead youth transformed into a great king the mirror of all Christian kings.
in real life. Like when Henry has barely any relationship with his Dad. And when he befriends Mr.
Henry VIII was not raised to become king; his brother was. When Henry took the throne, he had a great education, but no clue about what to accomplish as king and how to do it. Henry was more concerned with his image – he would throw lavish parties to show his luxurious lifestyle, and made few decisions himself concerning governing, instead relying heavily on his councilor...
honorble ruler. Henry IV was king of France between 1589 and 1610. He was supported
start, but in real life he was apparently not as good a king as is
Henry V is not a simple one as it has many aspects. By looking into
From the beginning of his life as a warrior to the end as a king, he gains and develops glory, responsibility and courage, all vital to his reign as a successful king.
King Henry IV is saddened and ashamed of Harry’s drinking and stealing and wonders if he will ever become a capable leader. King Henry IV even questions if some...
Henry V, like most characters created by Shakespeare, is very complex, and cannot by defined in black and white or as good or bad. However, he is the sum of his actions, and his actions and decisions during the campaign during the campaign in France lead him to be classified as a war criminal. A politician who works for his own good and through that, the good of his country, Henry’s decisions are often cold and calculated, designed to manipulate those around him.
...der to maintain success. King Henry showed that he is restricted to one language which resulted him to not gain the lower class power and it then lead him to focus on his political status. On the other hand, Hal presented himself to the viewers as a friendly character, yet he sustained to manipulate and lie to others to achieve his goals. Henry IV n, Part 1 presents the idea of political power and the different characteristics leaders follow. The lesson for audiences, then, is to develop relationships with different people who will expand one’s area of inspiration and the ability to advance success. One can learn from the mistakes of King Henry and remember to be visible and properly positioned, so society can see one’s strengths and talents.
be a great king, but a journey within himself to find who he truly was
In the play Henry V written by Shakespeare. Henry was presented as the ideal Christian king. His mercy, wisdom, and other characteristics demonstrated the behavior of a Christian king. Yet at the same time he is shown to be man like any other. The way he behaves in his past is just like an ordinary man. But in Henry’s own mind he describes himself as “the mirror of all Christian kings” and also a “true lover of the holly church.
King Henry was once young and seemingly uninterested in his role as a future King of England. Many of Henry’s legendary and heroic traits did not originate in Henry V; instead, they appeared in previous Shakespearean plays including Henry IV. As the British heir apparent, young Henry was known as “Prince Hal, Henry, Harry, Prince Harry, Harry Monmouth, and the Prince of Wales” (Britannica). In Henry V, King Henry is this play’s main protagonist. Shakespeare’s audience briefly witnesses the gradual transformation of Henry from a youthful hell-raiser and playboy to a dignified King. Henry’s immature reputation is described by the Bishop of Canterbury when he says that “a heady currance scour[s] his faults” (I.i.36). In Henry IV, the audience is first introduced to Prince Hal, at his apartment in London and a cheap tavern called the Boar’s Head in Eastcheap, where the future King mingled and formed networks with drinking buddies. There he pla...
He was a human that had emotions, he experienced grief with the multiple miscarriages and deaths of his sons and the betrayals of his wife’s, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. Also the death of Jane Seymour, the only wife to give him a male heir, brought him into a depression. These events changed Henry’s perspective of his own self, that he was without a legal heir, his health was horrendous and he was being betrayed by those closest to him. Lipscomb describes the transformation of Henry from the popular prince to the tyrant king know today. As shown, “the last decade of his reign, Henry VIII had begun to act as a tyrant. The glittering, brilliant monarch of the accession, toppled into old age by betrayal, aggravated into irascibility and suspicion as a result of ill health and corrupted by absolute power, had become a despot”. Henry is not thought of as the good Christian, but Lipscomb writes throughout this book that Henry was very serious about his religious affiliations. Lipscomb portrays Henry VIII as, “a man of strong feeling but little emotional intelligence, willful and obstinate but also fiery and charismatic, intelligent but blinkered, attempting to rule and preserve his honor against his profound sense of duty and heavy responsibility to fulfil his divinely ordained role”. In other words he was an emotional mess that did not know what to do with his feelings, so he bottled them up and south to seek
I side with Loades on this as despite resentment from the nobles, after the Perkin Warbeck imposture there were no more serious uprisings which strongly support the success of Henry’s policies. Whilst most nobles would see his methods as unjust (especially the wide of use bonds and recognisances) Henry succeeded in increasing the crown’s standing at the expense of the nobility, securing his position whilst weakening the nobles. Through most of his policies Henry was successful in limiting the powers of nobility. Henry sought to restrict the noble’s power and yet at the same time needed them to keep order and represent him at local levels, therefore Henry sought not to destroy the nobles but to weaken them enough that they did not pose a threat, he needed a balance of control over the nobles and strong nobility.
He is a king, was a prince, son of a king and was raised up by a king