Henry V by William Shakespeare

Henry V from Shakespeare’s play of the same name was a disappointment as a monarch. Although he was an intelligent man, he failed his people and himself by choosing to be unsuccessful as a true head of state. As the guardian of the people, the promotion of righteousness should be have been the first priority of Henry V. But what is righteousness, and how does it apply to a king?
The main priority of a king, throughout his entire rule, should be to promote virtue to the people through way of his own example, especially in considering laws and other affairs of the state. Henry V, however, did not promote virtue during his reign, and was, in fact, very prideful and self-centered, as shown by his message to the French prince, in which he boasted that he would “shine so brightly that even the Dauphin will be struck blind.”1 At the Siege of Harfleur, Henry V struck fear into the hearts of the French people by threatening violence if they did not surrender immediately.2 Henry V could have walked away from the battle and prevented the ensuing crimes, but because he valued what he perceived as honor and valor more than he valued the lives of the people, he chose to scare the governor of Harfleur into surrendering. He did this by announcing loudly the evils he planned to inflict on the people. Henry V even went so far as to say that the promised harm would be solely the fault of the governor of Harfleur.3
Without a strong sense of morality, a kingdom will fall into anarchy because when everyone is searching for personal gain, even at the cost of others, trust will dissolve and the people will destroy each other rather than risk being destroyed themselves. There would be a contempt for the law because no one would feel morally obligated ...

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...imary obligations of a ruler should be to strive to become a finer person, follow the will of God, and to promote peace. Henry V did not find the wellbeing of his people to be of great importance, which should have been his greatest concern. Thus, Henry V was not a good king.

Works Cited

1. St. Augustine, of Hippo. "Of the liberty proper to man's nature, and the servitude introduced by sin." City of God. Unknown: New Advent, Inc., 1997. 515. Electronic resource
2. Shakespeare, William. No Fear Shakespeare: Henry V. New York: SparkNotes, 2003. Print.
3. Gyetvai, Katia, “Princely Priorities”, in Angelicum Program, edited by Katia Gyetvai, Sandor Gyetvai, Gina Gyetvai, and Shelbie Boor, 3-4. Email: Great Books Graders, 2013
4. Knight, Kevin. "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Joan of Arc." NEW ADVENT: Home. Last modified 2009. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm.