Machiavelli's Henry V: Literary Analysis

Power and political order are prevalent themes throughout sixteenth century works, and are addressed extensively in Machiavelli’s “The Prince,” and Shakespeare's “Henry V.” Machiavelli wrote “The Prince” as a guide to being a successful leader, and the qualities he explains are actuated throughout Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” Although the two works were written by different authors several years apart, they are both contemporary power and political order stories that exemplify the qualities of a good leader. The leadership that King Henry V demonstrates throughout the play parallels Machiavelli’s teaching about virtue in warfare, and the importance of being feared rather than loved, the two-body ruler.
For example, Machiavelli explains the importance

He states the human nature of man as being “ungrateful, fickle, pretenders, and dissemblers, evaders of danger, [and] eager for gain” (66). Machiavelli’s belief of human nature is accurate in Henry V, for he experiences such vices from his men. For instance, Canterbury and Ely, two clergymen of the church, share the vice of eagerness for gain and act as “pretenders” in order to persuade the King to invade France. Their goal is to redirect the King’s priorities from passing a bill that would take land and money from the church, and use it for Military strength, and the aid of the poor. Canterbury and Ely use rhetoric and convince the King that he has rights to land in France through bloodline, thus influencing him to invade. Their behavior demonstrates the human nature that Machiavelli defined, for they acted in their own self interest rather than the good of the state, and these are the vices that Machiavelli warns leaders about. Vices as such present the debated question on whether it is better to be feared or loved, and Machiavelli believes being feared is far safer because of human nature. Machiavelli believes that being feared helps maintain political order, for example, he states “those who for the sake of too much mercy allow

For example, Machiavelli believes strongly in War and that “a Prince must have no other objective(...)but that of war” (58). Machiavelli strongly believes in war to gain political power and suggests that a successful ruler must be a master of war. He mentions the vulnerability of being unarmed and how no matter the circumstance, a ruler should be armed and ready. One of the tactics that Machiavelli advises in order to be a master of war is to have strong fortifications of the homeland to prevent from attackers and the humiliation of a retreat. King Henry demonstrates strong fortifications in his homeland when he leaves a majority of his military in England to defend against the believed inevitable attack from Scotland. The decision to leave England fortified with a majority of the military assured the people of their safety and provided them with hope and a greater respect for the King. The idea is to have the people of your state convinced than any invasion would be very difficult and result in failure due to the strong fortifications and defense systems your country or state, which will also help maintain order amongst the