Source: "Henry V," in Shakespeare's History Plays: The Family and the State, Ohio State University Press, 1971, pp. 225-40.
[In the following essay, Pierce analyzes the symbol of the family as an echo of political themes in Henry V. He contends that the traditional themes associated with family-inheritance of virtue, threat of political disorder to its unity, and need for companionship-are significant to the development of Henry's moral and political character.]
Among the history plays, Henry V is something of a paradox, It is good without being great, and that is not at all what one would predict following the Henry IV plays. One might expect to see the triumph of Shakespeare's historical vision, the capstone of his second tetralogy, with the ideal king appearing in action against France, England's traditional enemy. Or one would.....
