Michael Gorski
ERH 321WX-01
Short Assignment on Henry V
1 April 2015
Help Received: EasyBib to cite; Consulted Mr. Griffin concerning a citing issue; Teacher comments
Deception and Politics: An Analysis of The Prince
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 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. The divine right of kings stated the monarchy were stewards of God’s will. A major principle of this concept stated that questioning of a ruler’s judgment was criminal. It was believed that a person would be questioning the authority of God. Divine right of kings was often abused and this darker side of politics is Machiavelli’s central focus in The Prince.
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. 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 specific instances where Henry employs deception to achieve his goals. The first example is when he wears a disguise and wanders the camp to discover the opinion of the soldiers concerning him. 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. His goal is deceptive in nature, but his goal justifies the means according to Machiavelli. He identifies this as a necessary characteristic of being a good politician. Shakespeare displays the humanity of Henry through his fascination with his men’s opinion of him. A good leader should not be concerned with the thoughts of his subordinates concerning his style of leadership. Henry is using a disguise to cover his insecurities. This focus on disguises allows Shakespeare to display Henry’s humanity to the commoners.
Another example of Machiavelli’s end justifying the means concept is Henry’s speech to the governor of Harfluer. 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 detail concerning the consequences of not surrendering. These consequences include placing dead babies on spits, raping women, etc. Shakespeare is reinforcing Machiavelli’s principle by showing Henry is willing to conquer the town at any cost. Henry justifies the murder of civilians to ensure control of Harfleur. Shakespeare reveals that Henry is not a perfect saint, but instead is willing to murder unarmed combatants in order to win.
Throughout the course of the play, Shakespeare displays this concept of self-concealment presented by Hodgdon. The ability for rulers to act deceitfully 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 the actions of King Henry. His actions also reinforce Machiavelli’s principle of the end justifying the means. Henry will commit deceptive and violent actions in order to accomplish his goals during the play. Shakespeare reflects Machiavelli’s ideas while challenging the ability to question rulers and displaying their humanity to the commoner.
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.