The Three Captains In Shakespeare's Henry V

It is interesting to see how people change when they are suddenly given large amounts of money or power. Henry V changed when he became the king of England, however, it is hard to tell how much of the change was real. Henry’s early life was full of drinking and running around town with his friends doing less than reputable things, he knew that if he changed his ways and became a more respectful person the shift of character would be much more pronounced. Henry’s strange manipulations of his own character make the reader wonder where the acting starts and stops. Thankfully, there are certain points within Henry V, like the speech Henry gave outside of Harfleur, that show the real Henry. Shakespeare, in Henry V, characterizes his Henry

They are all from different countries; Jamy is from Scotland, Fluellen from Wales, and Macmorris from Ireland. Shakespeare gives each of these men a thick accent, maybe showing a bit of his own nationalism by making fun of them, and overall the three captains joke about how each nation is treated by the others. This further shows Hobson’s theory of brutality regarding jingoism because these men should not be fighting. Fluellen, Jamy, and Macmorris are all members of the same army and have a mutual goal, their nationalism brings them to a pretty condescending argument. Hobson proclaims that, “animal hate, vindictiveness, and bloodthirstiness lurks in the mildest mannered patriot, and surprises him by its occasional outburst.” (Hobson 31). This argument between the three captains is simply an example of their brutal patriotism. The war with France was heightening these captain’s patriotism and forcing them to recall past events between their nations, which resulted in

We see signs of his ability to rally his troops through speech at his famous “Once more unto the breach” monologue. Henry appeals to his soldier’s violent masculinity as well as love of family in his speech, while even appealing to the yeoman, saying “Let us swear that you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not” (III.1.28). This interaction with the yeoman shows why Henry was viewed as such an exceptional leader. In an article by Cogner and Konungo based on charisma and leadership, they say that the role of a leader is “consensually validated when followers recognize and identify the leader on the basis of interaction with him or her.” (Cogner, Konungo 639). Henry can get his men to follow him into almost certain death because he interacts with them in a way that they