Introduction & Overview of King Henry V by William Shakespeare

King Henry V Introduction

It is widely agreed that Henry V was written in 1599. This date is based on what is generally perceived as a topical allusion in the play; Gerard Langbaine, writing in 1691, was the first to suggest that the reference to "the general of our gracious Empress" in the Chorus preceding Act V is an allusion to the Earl of Essex, who led an English expedition to put down an Irish rebellion in March of 1599. Essex and his men returned to London in disgrace on September 28 of that same year, for the Irish campaign was a humiliating failure. Most modern scholars endorse the thesis that the description of a triumphant general "from Ireland coming/Bringing rebellion broached on his sword" (Chorus, V, 31-2)-if indeed it is a reference to Essex would have been terribly inappropriate after the Earl's actual return; thus, they conclude that Shakespeare must have composed Henry...
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