Henry V Accuracy

Henry V is a famous play that was written by Shakespeare in approximately 1599. The play largely focuses on the events that take place before and after the battle of Agincourt, which took place in 1415, roughly 200 years before the play was written. The play chronicles King Henry the V and his conquest to take over France. Shakespeare primarily wrote the play to entertain the audience of the time and it is important not to forget this. While the play was not completely inaccurate, certain aspects and details were dramatized and tailored for the amusement of the audience. In specific, King Henry V’s character was dramatized and romanticized. In the play we see King Henry V how Shakespeare wants us to see him, and not how Henry V truly was.

Once he received the crown however, he become very serious. One example of how serious he became, is when he turned on his friend Falstaff and “broke his heart.” He believed that in order to be king, he must be cruel. It is thought by some scholars that Henrys younger days were not filled with rebellion. In contrast these scholars believe that even in his earlier years Henry was involved in both war and politics alike.

Although Shakespeare was actually pretty accurate, there were ways in which he exaggerated certain things. One of the ways in which he was able to create drama is by charter-building. Shakespeare could take certain events and manipulate them to fit his play. An example of this is when Henry learned of Scroop, Cambridge, and Grey's betrayal. In order to create an entertaining scene, Shakespeare had these three charters interact with each other, and gave them their own set of

At the siege of Harflew, Henry gives a fiery speech to convince the governor to surrender via threats and descriptions of unmerciful acts of violence and destruction within the city. When the governor ends up surrendering, Henry tells his uncle to "use mercy to them." Shakespeare shows here just how important Henrys actions and decisions are. His decisions are capable of affecting thousands of people. This reality seemed to weigh heavily on Henry, and an internal struggle is seen within Henry. There are certain deeds, such as treason and extreme acts of violence for which Henry thinks there can be no mercy. Therefore, Henry can be both merciful and merciless, depending on that for which the situation calls