King Henry V Summary
William Shakespeare

Everything you need to understand or teach King Henry V by William Shakespeare.

King Henry V Summary & Study Guide
4 Student Essay
2 Encyclopedia Article
59 Literature Criticism
...and more

30 King Henry V Lessons
20 Activities
180 Multiple Choice Questions
60 Short Essay Questions
20 Essay Questions
Pre-Made Tests and Quizzes
...and more

King Henry V Summary

Act I:

The Archbishop of Canterbury, in light of a bill that would confiscate half of the church's wealth, explains to the Bishop of Ely that he has made an offer to the king "upon our spiritual conviction" to make a substantial donation should the king decide to go to war with France, Canterbury and Ely then meet with Henry and several of his advisors to discuss Henry's legal claim to the French throne. Canterbury advises Henry to wage war on France and take back the crown which (according to Canterbury) legally belongs to Henry, and the king makes plans to attack France. His cause is strengthened when messengers sent by the Dauphin arrive. The French ambassador asserts that Henry has no claim over France and presents him with an insulting gift of tennis balls. Henry becomes angry and tells the ambassador that the war between France and England is now the... View more of the King Henry V Summary

Study Pack

The King Henry V Study Pack contains about 1,760 pages of study material in 71 products, including:

King Henry V Study Guide

Introduction

Plot Synopsis

Chapter Summaries

FREE Quiz

Characters

Conclusion

Overviews

Sources For Further Study

Encyclopedia Articles (2)

Henry V - William Shakespeare - 1599

10,905 words, approx. 37 pages

Henry V - William Shakespeare - 1599 Introduction The play Henry V by the great Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare was first performed in London, England in 1599. It may have been the first pl... Read more

Henry V

5,856 words, approx. 20 pages

Henry V by William Shakespeare By 1598, near the end of his first decade as a playwright, William Shakespeare had written a number of plays that dramatized England’s recent past. These plays... Read more

William Shakespeare Biography (5)

William Shakespeare

35,385 words, approx. 118 pages

Biography Essay"He was not of an age, but for all time." So wrote Ben Jonson in his dedicatory verses to the memory of William Shakespeare in 1623, and so we continue to affirm today. No other writer,... Read more

William Shakespeare

3,100 words, approx. 11 pages

The English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is generally acknowledged to be the greatest of English writers and one of the most extraordinary creators in human history.The ... Read more

William Shakespeare

2,568 words, approx. 9 pages

Considered by critics, scholars, and the theater-going public the most important dramatist in the history of English literature, William Shakespeare occupies a unique position in the pantheon of great... Read more

William Shakespeare

30,474 words, approx. 102 pages

"He was not of an age, but for all time." So wrote Ben Jonson in his dedicatory verses to the memory of William Shakespeare in 1623, and so we continue to affirm today. No other writer, in English or ... Read more

William Shakespeare

10,254 words, approx. 35 pages

William Shakespeare's reputation is based primarily on his plays. With the partial exception of the Sonnets (1609), quarried since the early nineteenth century for autobiographical secrets allegedly ... Read more

Essays & Analysis (63)

Critical Essay by Paul M. Cubeta

6,452 words, approx. 22 pages

In the essay below, Cubeta evaluates the secondhand account of Falstaff's death in Henry V (II.iii) with particular reference to fifteenth- and sixteenth-century religious writings on how one s... Read more

Henry V and the Chivalric Revival

10,777 words, approx. 36 pages

Robin Headlam Wells, University of Hull "O for a Muse of fire!" What more appropriate way to begin an epic celebration of England's greatest warrior-king than an invocation to M... Read more

Critical Essay by Anthony S. Brennan

5,829 words, approx. 20 pages

In the essay below, Brennan views the Chorus as representing one side of a dialectical argument about the nature of war and national leadership. The critic believes that the Chorus's definition... Read more

Critical Essay by Lawrence Danson

10,118 words, approx. 34 pages

In the following essay, Danson calls attention to analogies between king and Chorus, suggesting that both the play and its principal character require an impartial, even sympathetic appraisal. Henry a... Read more

Critical Essay by Anthony Hammond

7,286 words, approx. 25 pages

In the essay below, Hammond contends that the Chorus's description of the play and its protagonist is intended to contradict what we see in other parts of the drama. Duality is essential to Hen... Read more

Critical Essay by Günter Walch

3,331 words, approx. 12 pages

In the following essay, Walch argues that the Chorus helps us distinguish the political ideology represented in the play from the protagonist and the play itself Far from being an objective reporter o... Read more

Karl P. Wentersdorf

11,887 words, approx. 40 pages

In the essay that follows, Wentersdorf explores the reasons why none of the principals on stage in Act II, scene i refers to the real motive behind the Southampton conspiracy: to make Cambridge or his... Read more

Critical Essay by David Scott Kastan

8,653 words, approx. 29 pages

In the essay below, Kastan argues that Henry's moral certitude prevents him from questioning the justice of his cause or permitting anyone else to challenge it. The critic maintains that the ki... Read more

Alexander Leggatt

11,686 words, approx. 39 pages

Below, Leggatt considers possible readings of the play, its depiction of war, and its portrait of political authority. He invokes the need for audiences to be engaged as well as skeptical, particularl... Read more

Critical Essay by Graham Bradshaw

8,281 words, approx. 28 pages

In the following excerpt from a chapter in which he challenges historicist and materialist readings of Henry V, Bradshaw argues that members of an Elizabethan audience would have responded in a variet... Read more

Critical Essay by Jonathan Hart

12,506 words, approx. 42 pages

In the following essay, Hart contends that Henry V contains many aspects found in Shakespeare’s problem plays, most notably its unstable genre, which includes elements of tragedy, comedy, and s... Read more

Critical Essay by Lisa Hopkins

6,657 words, approx. 23 pages

In the following essay, Hopkins demonstrates that France's position as “the Other” is portrayed in ambivalent terms throughout Henry V, commenting that France and the French, whil... Read more

Critical Essay by Christopher Ivic

7,536 words, approx. 26 pages

In the following essay, Ivic contends that the conflicts portrayed between the Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and English characters in Henry V emphasized the fragmented nature of the nation, and explains th... Read more

Critical Essay by William Babula

8,005 words, approx. 27 pages

In the following essay, Babula studies the maturation process Henry undergoes in Henry V. The critic notes that as Henry progresses his language moves from artifice to honesty. E. M. W. Tillyard is ri... Read more

Critical Essay by Lance Wilcox

6,441 words, approx. 22 pages

In the following essay, Wilcox comments on Henry's character through an analysis of Katherine, demonstrating how Katherine's personality and role within the play are used to salvage Henr... Read more

Critical Review by Robert Lane

11,460 words, approx. 39 pages

In the following review, Lane attempts to show that Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film version of Henry V softened the elements of class conflict and concerns regarding the justifiability of war that ... Read more

Critical Review by Stephen M. Buhler

8,639 words, approx. 29 pages

In the following review, Buhler studies the treatment of Catholicism and British national identity in Laurence Olivier's 1944 film adaptation of Henry V. Buhler argues that in the film, Olivier... Read more

Critical Essay by Zdeněk Stříbrný

6,899 words, approx. 23 pages

In the following essay, Stříbrný maintains that while Shakespeare's depiction of Henry V reveals the king's hypocrisy and opportunism, Shakespeare nevertheless inten... Read more

Critical Essay by Karen Newman

5,495 words, approx. 19 pages

In the following essay, Newman analyzes the way language is used to represent social and gender differences in Henry V. At his departure in search of a northwest passage, the English explorer Martin F... Read more

Critical Essay by Katherine Eggert

12,313 words, approx. 42 pages

In the following essay, Eggert asserts that Henry V is an example of the way the Elizabethan stage was used to support patriarchal power. Within the last decade, Henry V has assumed a surprisingly pro... Read more

Critical Essay by David Womersley

9,328 words, approx. 32 pages

In the following essay, Womersley investigates the topical significance of Shakespeare's complex and ambiguous treatment of the French in Henry V. ‘Messires, what newes from Fraunce, can... Read more

Critical Essay by Paul Dean

5,340 words, approx. 18 pages

In the following essay, Dean suggests that the structure of Henry V is a combination of two dramatic forms (“chronicle” history and “romance” history), highlights Shakespea... Read more

Critical Review by Alvin Klein

740 words, approx. 3 pages

In the following review of Terrence O'Brien's Henry V for the 2002 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Klein praises Nance Williamson's excellent work as the Chorus, but otherwise... Read more

Critical Review by Markland Taylor

627 words, approx. 3 pages

In the following review of the 2002 Shakespeare & Co. production of Henry V directed by Jonathan Epstein, Taylor observes that gratuitous stage business, comic nonsense, and an overall lack of ... Read more

Critical Essay by Brownell Salomon

7,697 words, approx. 26 pages

In the following essay, Brownell affirms the unified design of Henry V by presenting a scene-by-scene analysis of the drama in relation to its theme of “private cause” versus “pub... Read more

Critical Essay by W. M. Richardson

2,531 words, approx. 9 pages

In the following essay, Richardson claims that Henry V features Shakespeare's depiction of a cynically modern and amoral state. By modern political criteria, the medieval world was confused and... Read more

Critical Essay by Richard Levin

4,532 words, approx. 16 pages

In the following essay, Levin argues that contemporary ironic readings of Henry V—those that generally suggest that Shakespeare's dramatic presentation of King Henry is unfavorableȁ... Read more

Critical Essay by Marsha S. Robinson

9,722 words, approx. 33 pages

In the following essay, Robinson examines Shakespeare's manipulation of English historiography in Henry V through a thematic evocation of fraternal conflict and reconciliation, and generic blen... Read more

Critical Essay by Joan Lord Hall

7,014 words, approx. 24 pages

In the following essay, Hall highlights the complexities of Henry V's principal themes: order versus disorder, the nature of warfare, and the requirements of kingship. Image patterns are often ... Read more

Critical Essay by Alison Thorne

10,490 words, approx. 35 pages

In the following essay, Thorne concentrates on the political world of Henry V, maintaining that the work demonstrates an ambivalent relationship to the traditional ideological tenets of the English ch... Read more

Critical Essay by C. W. R. D. Moseley

10,231 words, approx. 35 pages

In the following excerpt, Moseley describes the principal characters and plot structure of Henry V, emphasizing thematic elements in the drama associated with the heroic role of Henry. In Henry V ther... Read more

Critical Essay by Pamela K. Jensen

9,010 words, approx. 31 pages

In the following excerpt, Jensen presents an overview of Henry V from the point of view of politics, concentrating on Henry's rhetorical appeal to English audiences. The critic contends that wi... Read more

Critical Essay by Richard Corum

14,523 words, approx. 49 pages

In the following essay, Corum offers a “homosocial” reading of Henry's character in Henry V, analyzing phallic desire as a motivating force in the play. … not the physical ... Read more

Critical Essay by Camille Wells Slights

7,254 words, approx. 25 pages

In the following essay, Slights probes the historical context of Henry's conscience in Henry V, including his mediation between personal judgment and social obligation as King of England. Since... Read more

Critical Essay by Robert Shaughnessy

8,969 words, approx. 30 pages

In the following essay, Shaughnessy surveys stage and film versions of Henry V from the postwar period, evaluating the ways in which the interpretative principles of postmodernism increasingly informe... Read more

Critical Review by Ruth Morse

902 words, approx. 4 pages

In the following review, Morse comments favorably on director Jean-Louis Benoit's stylized, comedic, and nonpolitical 2000 French-language staging of Henry V. Although the imported films of Wel... Read more

Critical Review by Russell Jackson

1,225 words, approx. 5 pages

In the following review, Jackson details the somber wartime setting and cynical mood of Edward Hall's 2000 production of Henry V at Stratford-upon-Avon. Edward Hall's production of Henry... Read more

Critical Review by Kevin Nance

1,314 words, approx. 5 pages

In the following review of the 2001 Henry V at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada, Nance concentrates on stage and costume design, particularly its contribution to this production's m... Read more

Critical Essay by Louis B. Wright and Virginia A. LaMar

3,073 words, approx. 11 pages

In the following excerpt, Wright and LaMar provide an overview of Henry V, including its historical background, sources, stage history, and text. When Shakespeare presented King Henry V to London audi... Read more

Critical Review by New York Post

345 words, approx. 2 pages

In the following review of Mark Wing-Davey's 2003 Delacorte Theater staging of Henry V in New York's Central Park, the critic praises Liev Schreiber's “magical, subtle ... Read more

Critical Review by Ben Brantley

899 words, approx. 3 pages

In the following review of Mark Wing-Davey's 2003 Delacorte Theater staging of Henry V in New York's Central Park, Brantley dismisses Wing-Davey's “flashy, flabby” p... Read more

Critical Review by Michael Sommers

540 words, approx. 2 pages

In the following review of Mark Wing-Davey's 2003 Delacorte Theater staging of Henry V in New York's Central Park, Sommers lauds Liev Schreiber's portrayal of Henry V as a “... Read more

Critical Review by Mark Steyn

3,107 words, approx. 11 pages

In the following review, Steyn discusses both the 2003 National Theatre staging of Henry V directed by Nicholas Hytner and Mark Wing-Davey's 2003 Delacorte Theater staging of Henry V in New Yor... Read more

Critical Essay by Alexander Harrington

2,111 words, approx. 8 pages

In the following essay, Harrington contends that the moral ambiguity of Henry V lends itself to both pro-war and anti-war productions of the play. This past winter, as the debate over invading Iraq in... Read more

Critical Essay by C. W. Griffin

3,318 words, approx. 12 pages

In the following essay, Griffin analyzes three different film versions of Henry V and attempts to prove that “films can be just as plural, just as interrogative, as theatrical performances.... Read more

Critical Essay by David Steinsaltz

7,171 words, approx. 24 pages

In the following essay, Steinsaltz contends that in Henry V the English language is “intimately entwined with the life and honor of the English nation” and that the play is not merely &#... Read more

Critical Essay by Donald Hedrick

11,094 words, approx. 37 pages

In the following essay, Hedrick studies how Shakespeare masterfully joined history, politics, and love in Henry V, focusing in particular on the courtship between Henry V and Katherine in the play�... Read more

Critical Essay by Larry S. Champion

4,420 words, approx. 15 pages

In the following essay, Champion details the transformation of Nell Quickly in the Henry plays from a mere sketch to “a full-sized portrait.” One frequently encounters remarks extolling ... Read more

Critical Essay by Alice Lyle Scoufos

9,761 words, approx. 33 pages

In the following essay, Scoufos examines Falstaff's “undramatic and overly hasty demise” in Henry V. The undramatic and overly hasty demise of Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare�... Read more

Critical Essay by Judith Mossman

9,874 words, approx. 33 pages

In the following essay, Mossman examines parallels between Henry in Shakespeare's Henry V and Alexander in Plutarch's Life of Alexander. When Alexander's sarcophagus was brought f... Read more

Critical Review by Alastair Macaulay

723 words, approx. 3 pages

In the following review, Macaulay praises the 2003 National Theatre staging of Henry V directed by Nicholas Hytner, especially the production's “triumph of colourblind casting” an... Read more

Critical Review by Susannah Clapp

520 words, approx. 2 pages

In the following excerpted review of the 2003 National Theatre staging of Henry V directed by Nicholas Hytner, Clapp credits the production for breaking from Laurence Olivier's highly influenti... Read more

Critical Review by Katharine Goodland

1,228 words, approx. 5 pages

In the following review, Goodland praises the 2003 Jean Cocteau Repertory staging of Henry V, directed by David Fuller. Goodland examines the production's focus on the moral issue of war crimes... Read more

Critical Review by Anne Kane-Lavin

1,747 words, approx. 6 pages

In the following review, Kane-Lavin praises the 2003 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival staging of Henry V, directed by Terrence O'Brien. Kane-Lavin notes that the production demanded that the ... Read more

Critical Review by Brendan Lemon

378 words, approx. 2 pages

In the following review, Lemon offers a mixed evaluation of Mark Wing-Davey's 2003 Delacorte Theater staging of Henry V in New York's Central Park. Although Lemon praises Liev Schreiber&... Read more

Princes, Pirates, and Pigs: Criminalizing Wars of Conquest in Henry V

10,094 words, approx. 34 pages

Janet M. Spencer, Wingate University "The figure who exceeds the law as its master and the one who exceeds it as transgressor," Christopher Pye explains of Henry V and the traitors Cam... Read more

Critical Essay by Roy Battenhouse

5,832 words, approx. 20 pages

Critical Essay by Roy Battenhouse Battenhouse, Roy. “Henry V in the Light of Erasmus.” Shakespeare Studies 17 (1985): 77-85. In this essay, Battenhouse evaluates Henry V in terms of the ... Read more

Critical Essay by Dale C. Uhlmann

1,922 words, approx. 7 pages

In the following essay, Uhlmann analyzes the structure and style of Prince Hal's “I know you all” soliloquy in Henry IV, Part 1 (I.ii). He suggests that Shakespeare constructed th... Read more

Critical Essay by Derek Cohen

7,133 words, approx. 24 pages

In the following essay, Cohen studies the use of violence in Henry V, arguing that in this play, violence is used politically by a monarch "in the service of order and success." In Henry... Read more

Henry V's Treatment of Kingship

939 words, approx. 4 pages

William Shakespeare's historical play, The Life of Henry V, captures the essence of noble kingship during the Elizabethan era through the intelligent young King Henry who utilizes his uncanny rhetoric... Read more

Henry V: the Modern Day Hero

1,222 words, approx. 5 pages

Written by William Shakespeare for Queen Elizabeth during a time of Irish rebellion, Henry V serves its intended purpose of inspiring nationalistic passion. In the play, Shakespeare created an ideali... Read more

Henry V: the Perfect Leader for a Nation at War

1,165 words, approx. 4 pages

Rulers of a country can be influential in a country's success in war. A king or queen can instill tremendous amounts of confidence in any fighting force that can support the soldiers in overcoming... Read more

Henry: Noble and Heroic or Violent and Scheming?

3,522 words, approx. 12 pages

Historically, Henry V ruled his country with justice and diligence. He lifted England from the chaos of his father's reign to civil order and a high spirit of nationalism. He demonstrated military gen... Read more

King Henry V Summary
William Shakespeare

King Henry V Summary

Study Pack

King Henry V Study Guide

Encyclopedia Articles (2)

William Shakespeare Biography (5)

Essays & Analysis (63)

Lesson Plan

King Henry V Lesson Plans

King Henry V

King Henry V SummaryWilliam Shakespeare

King Henry V Summary

Study Pack

King Henry V Study Guide

Encyclopedia Articles (2)

William Shakespeare Biography (5)

Essays & Analysis (63)

Lesson Plan

King Henry V Lesson Plans

King Henry V

King Henry V Summary
William Shakespeare