Shapiro reading take away.
James Mansfield
HR: Text
While reading Shakespeare’s Henry the Fifth, many readers may feel like the true message of the play is evading them. As soon as they are presented with one theme, Shakespeare presents a completely contradictory narrative. With the addition of the supplementary reading from James Shaperio, It becomes much more clear what Shakespeare’s intentions were with writing his play. Henry the Fifth is so multifaceted, there is no true central theme or moral takeaway, but rather numerous themes and issues presented together.
James Shaperio begins his chapter by tracking Shakespeare’s movements in the weeks prior to the creation of Henry the fifth, and incredibly tracks him down to Richmond in England, likely listening to Lancelot Andrews preach on ash Wednesday. Andrews was one of the most famous preachers and orators of his time and often related his sermons to important happenings in the political world. Shapiro argues that Shakespeare would have been heavily influenced by these sermons, specifically a conflict in Ireland, which was not only the focus of the sermon being preached, but the talk of almost all of England at the time.
The Irish campaign according to shapiro was a catastrophe and he quotes the duke of Essex who was the man in charge of the English forces at the time. “Essex feared that the Irish climate would consume “Our armies and if they live yet famine and nakedness makes them loose both heart and strength”(JS-2). The cause of such turmoil was not simply the fact the Irish Campaign was going so poorly, but rather, a fear that the monarchy had set Essex troops up for failure. This in turn could potentially result in a Military coup as Essex could just as easily turn around and march on London with his large and loyal army.
This general theme is transcended in Henry the Fifth where in a couple of instances Henry has to be reassured that his cause is just and ordained by god. Exactly what Andrews was preaching to Elizabeth. Additionally the theme of an army on their last ropes, winning the day and having a happy ending was Shakespeare attempt to reassure his fellow countrymen that the conflict in Ireland would end on favorable terms.