Michael Gorski
ERH 321WX-01
Short Assignment on Henry V
11 February 2015
Help Received: EasyBib to cite; Consulted Mr. Griffin concerning a citing issue
Part A.
Hodgdon provides a perspective concerning Shakespeare’s view of politicians and leaders and its connection with Niccoló Machiavelli’s The Prince. She focuses on the concept of self-concealment and “the assumption that politics is a deceitful practice (Hodgdon, 309).” The connection between actors and how politicians use deceitful tactics to ensure their audience or followers believe who they are is central to Hodgdon’s argument. She focuses on two excerpts from Machiavelli’s The Prince that highlight concepts central to her argument. Hodgdon utilizes these two excerpts to argue that Machiavelli’s The Prince has connections with Shakespeare’s cultural environment concerning politics.
Hodgdon provides a brief background on Machiavelli’s The Prince and his reasoning behind writing it. Machiavelli spent time as a government servant and The Prince is based on his observations while holding this position. He brings to light a cynical view concerning politics. Most people viewed their politicians and leaders as these great and flawless men, but in reality, politics was not always what the public viewed it as. Machiavelli argues that this deceitfulness was a necessity for any successful leader. Shakespeare adopts this policy in Henry V and seeks to enlighten people as to the true nature of their leaders. The concept of self-concealment during Shakespeare’s time period was very relevant. People in positions of authority during Shakespeare’s time were idealized and people did not understand the darker side of politics. People believed their leaders to be gods amongst men without any faults.
Machiavelli believes this cynical view of politics, in which leaders find it necessary to put on a fake persona, is not bad. He states that it is necessary for them to act this way. He goes on to highlight many of the things that Shakespeare highlights in Henry V. “For there is such a distance between how men do live, and how me ought to live, that he who leaves that which is done, for that which ought to be done, learns sooner his ruin than his preservation (Hodgdon, 310).” Machiavelli believes that these are necessary characteristics for being a good leader. He does not think that good leaders need to be completely evil but it is a tactic to be utilized at certain times.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, in which Shakespeare lived, the most leaders were viewed as the direct line to God. Particularly in England, their belief was that God directly appointed king or queen and questioning their authority was heresy. People revered their leaders and in reality they were normal people. Most politicians had bad habits and skeletons in their closets. The ability for them to project themselves as something they were not contributed heavily to how good or bad of a leader they were. Hodgdon is highlighting a reality between the writings of Machiavelli and Shakespeare’s culture.
Part B.
Shakespeare’s Henry V reflects the principles of Machiavelli’s The Prince throughout the course of the play. The character that illustrates this principle of the necessity of deceitful politics is King Henry. Shakespeare uses King Henry to enlighten the people of England of the humanity of their rulers. It was common knowledge during Shakespeare’s era that kings and queens were directly appointed by God. If anyone were to question the authority of the king or queen, it was viewed as questioning the authority of God. Another group of characters that accurately displays this perception versus reality concept are Nym, Bardolph, Pistol, and the Boy. The speech the boy makes concerning his superiors displays Hodgdon’s self-concealment argument. Shakespeare is revealing the humanity of rulers as well and arguing that utilizing deceitfulness is necessary for a politician through the example of King Henry.
In Henry V, King Henry provides the perfect example for this concept of politics being a deceitful business that requires dark tactics. Throughout the play, there are many specific instances in which Henry employs deception to achieve his goals. The first major instance is when he disguises himself as a regular soldier to wander the camp and discover the opinion of his own soldiers concerning himself. This example not only highlights the deception, but it alludes to the idea of self-concealment introduced by Hodgdon. In this scene, we see Henry convincing certain men that he is someone else to accomplish a task. Machiavelli identifies this as a necessary characteristic of being a good politician and Shakespeare uses it to reveal the reality of rulers of his era.
Along with deception being part of a ruler’s arsenal, Machiavelli also highlights the fact that most rulers have vices. No ruler is perfect and Shakespeare makes this very clear in King Henry’s speech to the governor of Harfleur. He gives the governor an ultimatum concerning their surrender. The option is surrender and they will be treated with grace and mercy or they do not surrender and he promises a darker outcome. Henry goes into great detail concerning the consequences of not surrendering. These consequences include placing dead babies on spits, raping women, etc. To the citizens of Shakespeare’s time, these consequences would have come across as barbarian in nature, but Shakespeare was revealing the reality of warfare and being a good ruler. This scare tactic led the French to surrender at Harfleur and it was an effective.
There are several instances that display Hodgdon’s self-concealment in the interactions between Nym, Bardolph, Pistol and the Boy. The speech made by the boy in Act Three Scene 2 accurately displays this self-concealment metaphor. He comments on how these three men that he has served under are all cowards and thieves that project themselves as noble heroes of the crown. There are other scenes where Shakespeare alludes to the lies of Nym, Bardolph, and Pistol.
Throughout the course of the play, Shakespeare displays this concept of self-concealment presented by Hodgdon. The ability for rulers to act deceitfully and utilize their vices was a reality for most politicians. Machiavelli affirms this in The Prince by explaining that politicians must adopts this false persona to be effective rulers. Shakespeare enlightens the people of his time period to this reality through many examples in his play. These include the actions of King Henry and Bardolph, Nym, Pistol, and the Boy. These all display the concept that reality is different from what people perceive it to be and Machiavelli’s idea that politicians and rulers are different from the how the public views them.
Works Cited
Machiavelli, Niccoló. “From The Prince.” 1513. The First Part of King Henry the Fourth: Texts and Contexts. By William Shakespeare and Barbara Hodgdon. Boston: Bedford, 1997. 309-13. Print.
Shakespeare, William, and Claire McEachern. The Life of King Henry the Fifth. New York, NY: Penguin, 1999. Print.