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in historical England, for instance,
but in charged contemporary
situations, such as the war in Iraq.
Or they look to focus on the human
cost of war implicit in the play.
Many critics have gone further, and
suggested that Henry V has been
misread. Far from glorifying war,
they say, the play is a complex
exploration of the miseries of war
and the power of propaganda.
What is clear is that the play is
by no means a simple narrative of
Henry’s big moment. It tells the
story from at least four different
perspectives. Not only is there the
straight sequence of scenes that
places Henry at the thick of things;
there is also the Chorus, which
prepares us for each act; there are
the trials and tribulations of the
Eastcheapers; and there are the
tough experiences of the ordinary
soldiers. There is even a French
perspective. These multiple
viewpoints suggest there is much
more going on than merely Henry’s
heroism, as each interweaves with
the central Henry narrative.
THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S MAN
Proclaiming Henry
The Chorus that opens the play
puts the illusory theater experience
at the forefront, with its evocative
mentions of “this wooden O”—the
term often used for the round,
timber-framed playhouses of
Shakespeare’s time, one of which
has been accurately reconstructed
today in the form of the Globe
Theatre. The Chorus apologizes for
the theater’s limitations in staging
such an epic story, but the apology
is uplifting: “O for a muse of fire
that would ascend / The brightest
heaven of invention: / A kingdom
for a stage, princes to act, / And
monarchs to behold the swelling
scene” (Prologue-1–4).
The Chorus may be saying
sorry, but at the same time, he is
whipping up the crowd for the
coming event with no less fervor
than Henry will do when he later
rouses his troops with his famous
Crispin’s Day speech. “Can this
cockpit hold / The vasty fields
of France?” the Chorus asks
(Prologue.11–12). The words conjure
the same illusion as Henry will
when he, beginning with the
same false modesty, rouses his
men with the promise of great
memories for the future. ❯❯I see you stand like
greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The
game’s afoot.
Follow your spirit, and upon
this charge
Cry, ‘God for Harry! England
and Saint George!’
Henry V
Act 3, Scene 1Historical Agincourt
The focus of Henry V is
the Battle of Agincourt, a
landmark English victory in
a series of conflicts known as
the Hundred Years War, which
lasted from 1337 until 1453.
It was fought between the
English and French ruling
families, the Plantagenets
and the Valois, for control
of the French throne.
The battle took place on
October 25, 1415 near present-
day Azincourt in northern
France. Henry V did indeed
fight in the battle. The
outnumbered English forces
possessed both technology
and luck. Henry’s archers
could shoot up to six arrows a
minute using the longbow,
whereas the French possessed
the slower, heavier crossbow,
and, weighed down with
armor, had chosen a muddy
field for their attack.
The battle was not as
one-sided as Shakespeare
makes out, although the killing
of the prisoners did take place.
Neither was the impact of the
battle as decisive as the play
suggests. It took five more
years of war before Henry
reached a settlement with the
French. He died at the age of
35 before ever becoming king
of France.Would I were in an alehouse
in London. I would give
all my fame for a pot of ale,
and safety.
Boy
Act 3 Scene 2