Henry V is a dynamic character whose story should be shared by all generations because he is a character both iconic and flawed. Norman Rabkin, an American author, analyzes Shakespeare’s story of Henry V in comparison to previous plays. He concludes that Henry V is a result of “unresolved thematic issues”, a character born due to previous unfulfilling Shakespearean characters. We are taken on a journey with Henry V as he develops as a person and as the king his subjects and the audience need and require him to be. Rabkin hints at the fact that Richard II and Henry IV were characters that fell short of satisfying the audience as effectual kings, building up a crescendo, which Shakespeare’s Henry V is supposed to capstone and complete the tetralogy. It’s almost as if Henry V is under pressure not only from being the king but also from the expectations the audience has set upon him. Nevertheless, his resolve and facility with language are what sets him apart from other characters, allowing the audience to fall in love with who Shakespeare so dearly wants us to see as a hero.

In the beginning, as all beginnings begin, the atmosphere is set. Shakespeare throws us directly into the middle of conversation between the two Bishops of Canterbury and Ely as they discuss the topic at hand, Henry V’s person and the legitimizing of the mission ahead. As they discuss Henry V, you get the sense that they not only respect him as a person but admire and are surprised by who he portrays himself to be. “The breath no sooner left his father’s body / But that his wildness, mortified in him / Seemed to die too (I.i. 89). This is our first impression of Henry V and already we get a sense that he is a man full of surprises who never ceases to keep his audience on its toes, anticipating his next moves. Someone who does well with being underestimated. We wholeheartedly appreciate the “gossip-like” setting this scene boasts because we as an audience yearn for him to quench a thirst within us. Rabkin reminds us that the “multiple allusions force us to see in Henry V the epitome of what the cycle has taught us to value as best in monarchs”.

In the next scene of Act I, when we first encounter Henry V, we get a glimpse of his resolve. In this scene he asks his advisors and subordinates to once again break down just how legitimate his mission of attaining the French throne is. “My learned lord, we pray you to proceed….That you should fashion, wrest, or bow your reading” (I.ii.93) There is a certain preparedness to his persona. He is impulsive, yet absolute. It reminds the audience about the thoroughness of his thoughts. As a king, he recognizes his influence, yet makes sure to include his subjects in his decision-making process, allowing them to choose to side with or against him, knowing well that they will side with him. Henry V makes the audience feel as if they too, are part of the plan to claim the throne of France. Requesting that the Canterbury explain in full thought the reasoning behind the mission they are about to undertake establishes both a sense of duty and unity between Henry V, his subordinates and the audience. He is a man destined to get results.

This now brings us to Henry V’s next extraordinary quality, his facility with language. Allowing him to portray the extent of his skills several times throughout the play, Shakespeare doesn’t fail to showcase Henry V’s rhetorical skills. The most recognizable scenes are, unsurprisingly, Henry V’s interaction with the Dauphin of France and St. Crispin’s Day speech. Henry V can be both cold and menacing, as when he speaks to the Dauphin, or passionate and uplifting, as in his St. Crispin’s Day speech. Henry V’s interaction with the Dauphin leaves the audience wanting more. “And we understand him well / How he comes o’er us with our wilder days / Not measuring what use we made of them” (I. ii. 266-268) Henry V’s words like himself are very frank and honest. He uses his speech to turn the situation around to benefit him. What was before an insult from the arrogant Dauphin and the King of France has now turned into an upper hand for Henry V. He uses his powerful language skills to manipulate the scene, therefore justifying his decision to claim the throne of France. Although from the previous scene we, Henry V, his subjects, and the audience, had already decided, the unsuspecting Dauphin provided a concrete reason to certainly honor the English throne and, as Henry V puts it, “To venge me as I may, and to put forth / My rightful hand in a well-hallowed cause.” (I. ii. 293-295). Here is another example of his expertise in the language arts, using and turning all situations with a clever play with words.

Shakespeare does a very good job of alluding to the climatic St. Crispin’s Day Speech. Here, we are in full submission to Henry V’s charisma and charm. Here, he is the definition of King, an ideal monarch. “But if it be a sin to covet honor / I am the most offending soul (IV. iii.  28–29) From this day to the ending of the world,/ But we in it shall be remembered-/ We few, we happy few, / we band of brothers; / For he to-day that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, / This day shall gentle his condition; / And gentlemen in England now-a-bed / Shall / think themselves accurs’d they were not here, / And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks / That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.” (IV. iii. 58–57)  Rabkin, like all audiences alike, is mesmerized by Henry V thoughtfulness and sophistication. Rabkin notes that the speech’s language “addresses to the pleasures, worries, and aspirations of an audience of citizens.” Henry V’s rhetorical skills are in fact notable, adhering to pathos and logos, consistently pulling at heartstrings, and continually inspiring his audience to follow in his pursuit.

Henry V is able to “recognize that all that separates a king from a private men is ceremony” (Rabkin 2016) He doesn’t fall short of submitting to the expectations set before him by the audience and his subjects and plays his role as monarch extremely well. He is both savvy and clever in all aspects, and he is in fact rightful reminder of what it means to be king.