King Henry V Essay | Critical Essay #1

King Henry V Critical Essay #1

Source: "Henry V," in Understanding Shakespeare, Cambridge at the University Press, 1962, pp. 144-71.

[In the excerpt below, Ludowyk praises Henry V as a celebration of an honoured and national hero of England. He contends that the play is a combination of fact and myth, and that it must be considered in relation to the Elizabethan audience, Ludowyk also reviews the structure of the play, the theme of war, and the character of Henry.]

The national hero

Henry V is Shakespeare's celebration of one of England's national heroes-the warrior prince, Henry of Monmouth, who defeated the French at Agincourt, a battle remembered and honoured nearly 180 years later. In 3. 7. 31-2 the Dauphin speaks of 'varying' (inventing variations on the theme of) the deserved praises of his palfrey. In this play Shakespeare, in dramatic terms, is 'varying' the deserved praise of Henry V. His story...
(read more)