Henry V Manipulation

Manipulation for the purpose of increasing personal agenda has been a practice done throughout history, be it kings, peasants or bishops. This practice could be seen on the first scene of Henry V where we have Canterbury and Ely discussing the manipulation of Henry to start a war with France so he would not cease property of the church. The relationship between the church and the monarchy deteriorates as the play develops and it’s seen through the setting, relationships, and quotes used by the main characters. Henry V takes place during the late 1300’s and based loosely on the victories of the real Henry V. The dominant religion in england during Henry’s V reign was roman catholicism but there were already showing signs of reformation due

The church seeks to get rid of legislature that will make them “lose the better half of our possession: For all the temporal lands which men devout By testament have given to the church Would they strip from us,” even if they acknowledge that Henry is a changed man and “a true lover of the holy church”. Canterbury and Ely seek to only influence the king into going to war to save the possessions of the church with no concern of what will happen to the country if they win or lose. On the other hand, Henry is still a young king who has to win the respect of the noble court and the english people even if he still represents a christian king. Henry having political knowledge has skepticism about the true intentions of the church, this is why he asks Canterbury for a religious reason in attacking France and cause bloodshed, doing so he shifts the blame into them for whatever

Both Henry V and Canterbury show strong significance and creates the distinction between religion and the monarchy. In Act IV Scene 1 Henry says “ What infinite heart’s ease. Must king's neglect that private men enjoy? And what have kings that privates have not too, … O ceremony, show me but thy worth!” Henry’s insight of being a king is different from the normal view of a king being close to a god. He hates the responsibility and trade offs of being a king for the reward of having unuseful ceremony or status. It demonstrates a contradiction to the common relationship between god and king. Later on Henry calls on the “God of battles, bolster my soldiers' courage. Don’t let them know fear. Rob them of the ability to count before the numbers against them overwhelm their courage.” Henry calls upon the gods for help in earning him victory, but most importantly he asked them to not punish him for what his father did to Richard. It shows that Henry doesn’t necessarily feel that god is in his favor, instead he feels fear of god and his divine punishment. What Henry feels here relates to Canterbury extended analogy of a beehive. Canterbury explains a monarchy like a beehive “Where some like magistrates correct at home, Others like merchants venture trade abroad, Others like soldiers armèd in their stings ...Who, busied in his majesty, surveys.” It states that