In Henry V, Shakespeare presents the king as an exceptionally skilled man in his use of language and politics. Henry conquered France in a relatively short time with a small army, and after his victory he declared: "Let non nobis et Te Deum be sung" (IV.viii.123), indicating his desire to give to God the whole country. the merit of having defeated the French. However, given Henry's Machiavellian mode of kingship, his true religious belief may be called into question. Since his power as King of England derives from the divine right of kings, he needs God on his side to maintain his legitimacy, and this concept is all the more important in his case since he inherited the crown of a depositor. In order to strengthen his legitimacy, Henry presents himself as a pious king and presents through his language the idea that God fights for England, but he only invokes divinity when it suits him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay From the beginning of the play, Henry uses religion as the basis for his desired conquest as he questions the clergy about the legality of their claims in France. When he asks, “Can I, in all conscience and awareness, make this statement?” (I.ii.96) the archbishop gives him a biblical reference from the book of Numbers as proof that his claims are lawful. Henry then goes on to subtly invoke God in his language of conquest as he calls for "God's help" (I.ii.222) and "God's grace" (I.ii.262) to accompany him in his quest for the throne of France. . After receiving the insulting gift from the Dauphin, Henry's determination to invade France becomes even stronger, but he still places God first in his language. He orders his nobles to mobilize their forces so that "God before / We will scold this dolphin at his father's door". (I.ii.308) With God set up as precursor, Henry is ready to fight his way into France as if it were a holy crusade. Men will be more willing to die for their king if his cause is favored by God and is not merely a boyish quarrel between rival princes. Henry plays on the religious conviction of his subjects in his rousing and charismatic battle speeches. The first verbal spark Henry uses to incite his troops is his speech before Harfleur when he tells his men to take on the appearance of war. After appealing to the warrior within them, Henry gives his men a battle cry that invokes God on his behalf: “Shout: 'God for Harry, England and Saint George!' » » (III.i.34). Henri chooses his words carefully. so that they have the weight and effect he desires. In this case, he wants his countrymen to believe that God is on their side, making their cause just, and he also wants to personalize himself to his laity by calling himself Harry instead of his royal title. From the soldiers' perspective, they are fighting a war divinely sanctioned by their friend Harry, and their leader knows how to boost their morale when necessary. Sick, tired and outnumbered, the small group of English soldiers begins to despair when Exeter declares the odds are "...five to one" in favor of the French who "...all are fresh" (IV.iii .4). Hearing Westmerland's desire for reinforcements, Henry is forced to motivate his troops, and he does so by sanctifying the battle scene. Although Saint Crispin is only the patron saint of shoemakers and is not part of the canon of great Christian figures, Henry uses his vacation to bring a sense of nobility to battle. The king told histroops that they will always remember Crispian's Day as a day when their courage was tested. Instead of remembering the battle as just October 25, the soldiers' memory will recall that they fought on a day that honors a Christian martyr, making their sacrifice all the more honorable because it has meaning. religious.consequences. This speech is essentially pure propaganda, because Henry evokes an outdated saint to sanctify his bloody conquest in the eyes of his supporters. Westmerland's change of heart is indicative of the success of the king's words as he flip-flops from wanting reinforcements to exclaiming, "The will of God, my lord, would you and I alone, /Without more help, we could fight this battle royale! (IV.iii.75). With his timely religious language, Henry motivates his beleaguered “band of brothers” to confront the massive French army with renewed vigor, fueled by the sanctity their king bestows on this day and their cause. Henry opens the scene with his last religious supplication: “And as it pleases you, God, dispose of the day! (IV.iii.134). This cry transforms the conflict into a trial of combat like that at the beginning of Richard II, in which the fighter who is right will be victorious because he has God on his side, and if the soldiers follow this logic, then their cause may be considered righteous because God chose the winner. Although these speeches are examples of Henry's public use of religion, he makes an important plea to God in a private monologue in the first scene of Act IV. At this particular point in the play, Henry recalls his father's ascension to the throne with a sense of foreboding as he begs God to "...think not of the fault/ My father committed in encompassing the crown !" (IV.i.294). Although this sounds like an honest prayer to heaven, this speech rings somewhat hollow. To begin with, it is in verse, which suggests that the language is deceptive, and Henry's efforts to exonerate Richard are constituted by a series of quantitative measures that lack moral quality and direct participation from the king himself. Henry declares: “I have five hundred paupers in annual salary, whom twice a day their withered hands lift up to heaven to forgive blood; and I have built two chauntrys, where the sad and solemn priests still sing for Richard's soul. " (IV.i.298-302) These efforts, while apparently sincere, are essentially an attempt by the shrewd king to establish a price for forgiveness for his father's transgression which Henry so dubiously characterizes as " encompassing", and even if this speech is made in private, all the laments he describes are visible to his subjects. Any Englishman who remembers Bullingbrook's usurpation of Richard will see that his heir made a costly effort to seek forgiveness. By manipulating the Christian doctrine of forgiveness, Henry once again seeks to establish a legitimate foundation for his kingship in the wake of his father's questionable actions. Despite his lack of honest religious conviction, Henry's prowess as a military king makes him a successful conqueror and the outnumbered English win France, and the king is quick to credit God for the victory. As soon as Montjoy tells Henry that he has won the victory. , he declares: “Praise be to God, and not our strength, for this! » (IV.vii.88), which leads to Henry's insinuation that the battle was a religious trial by combat in which the English were just. Throughout the play he has asserted the righteousness of his cause, and with a decisive victory it is easy for Henry to solidify his claim to divine legitimacy. Any ordinary Christian soldier would certainly have his faith strengthened by., 1997.