Reflective Essay
April 30, 2015
Reflective Essay
Help Received: None
Matthew Penaranda
April 30, 2015
Help Received: None
Reflective Essay
Over the course of this class I have learned that William Shakespeare’s plays are insightful artifacts into the culture of Early Modern England. A recurring theme in Shakespeare’s plays is the shaping of one’s identity in order to gain power and influence others. Shakespeare seemed particularly concerned with how individuals behaved and acted in accordance with their positions of power, such as royalty or rank. Characters’ identities also reflect the Early Modern English perspective on social classes and their view on values such as honesty and honor. Both King Henry V and Iago serve as effective case studies of individuals developing their identities for their own intents and purposes. King Henry V’s character reflects the emphasis of the importance of one’s identity in a political atmosphere while Iago’s manipulation of identity seems to speak more to the nature of man.
King Henry V is a particularly useful character to analyze when considering the Early Modern English perspective on identity, especially as it pertains to the image of royalty. King Henry V’s development over the course of both Henry IV and Henry V reflect the necessity of royals, and others individuals with esteemed title, to adhere to a certain image that was expected of them. The sentiment that “image is everything” could not be more true especially when applied to the monarchs whose countries were entirely dependent on how their kings and queens conducted themselves.
In my essay Short Assignment on 1 Henry IV, I discussed the Early Modern English Perspectives towards honor. Honor is particularly important to the identity of royalty during Shakespeare’s time. The conduct of a monarch was viewed as reflective of their character. Throughout Short Assignment on 1 Henry IV, I analyzed Henry V’s relationship with King Henry IV and his friend Falstaff because both offered polarizing philosophies on honor and by extension had different outlooks on what was acceptable conduct for someone of royal position of power. One observation I made was that “Henry IV suggests that honor is as dependent on one’s presence in court and in the eye of the public as much as it is reflected in one’s victories on the battlefield,” all these being requisites of honor that, prior to the climax the play, the prince lacks. On the other had, his commoner friend and delinquent no less unsurprisingly has lesser expectations of Henry V. In my essay on Henry IV, I noted “Falstaff’s open declaration against honor as testament to his shamelessness characteristic of his criminal background.” Falstaff, despite being a fatherly figure in Henry V’s developing years, is obviously far from being the appropriate figure to advising Henry V on shaping the identity of a royal. Surprisingly, Henry V later reveals that he was aware of the ne’er-do-well image he established through association with the likes of Falstaff and that it was all part of his plan to lower the expectations of his countrymen so that his inevitable victories and triumphs as a prince and later as a king would seem all the more extraordinary. If this in fact was the case and not some vindication of his failures up to this point, Henry V’s character was in fact a versed rhetorician very much aware of the gravity of the power his identity had on influencing others. Considering his persona and exploits in Henry V, I am almost convinced that Henry V had the capacity to devise such a ploy to lower the expectations of others and then reshape his identity with the climax of the play in his victory over Hotspur. Through discussing notions of honor in Henry IV we could observe how what was considered honorable or dishonorable affects others’ perception of Henry V’s identity. Henry V is representative of nobles during the Early Modern English period and how critical it was for them to act honorable and maintain regal authority by shaping respected identities for themselves.
In the following play, Henry V, some time has passed and in my essay Short Assignment on 2 Henry V, I observe that Henry V has since developed from his youth in Henry IV to reflect the role of a true monarch similar to Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare’s day. The parallel between the events and characters throughout Henry V should be noted because the play is thought to be a reflection of the Elizabethan reign during Shakespeare’s time. Henry V’s contention with the French and his dialogues with the three captains speak to Queen Elizabeth’s similar circumstance throughout the Nine Years War with the Irish and her troubled alliances with the other colony countries. Throughout this play, Henry V’s position of power is tested through his leadership with amongst the captains of the colony countries and the dialogue he establishes with the Dauphin. The challenge King Henry is faced with is establishing his identity as the righteous party in the conflict between the English and the French. My second short assignment essay in the course also noted “the effective rhetoric of Henry’s orations throughout this play and Henry IV, the choruses also act to displace the responsibility of conflicts between the countries on his French opponents.” The two essays on Henry’s character in both plays emphasize the importance of the monarch. King Henry V and the politics surrounding the English conflict with the French in Henry V highlight how shaping one’s identity affected not only himself but the country as a whole. The rhetoric of establishing an authoritative identity was crucial to the fate of a monarch’s entire country. King Henry expresses his awareness to the extent of his influence on his countrymen as suggested in the choruses of the play. As a leader, King Henry was also obligated to maintain alliances and those are portrayed through his dialogues with the three captains. My second essay suggests, “the implication of the cooperation between these powers speaks to the emphasis on patriotism and identification with Britain” instead of simply by locality.
While both Henry IV and Henry V shed light on the identity of royals, Othello is a work of Shakespeare that speaks to the other side of the coin when it comes to the rhetoric of identity. Whereas King Henry offers a perspective into an Early Modern English ruler, such as Queen Elizabeth, with good intentions; Iago is the antithesis of the capacity of using ones identity for the welfare of others. Iago uses the perceived “honest” view others have of him to manipulate others for his personal gain. Iago’s manipulation of identity explores a darker paradigm to using ones identity. I feel Shakespeare’s character Iago is a reflection of the duality of the nature of politicians that surround the powers that be. In presenting such a deceptive character, Shakespeare may have been hoping to make the audience unconsciously question their preconceptions of those that governed them considering corruption was not uncommon in Early Modern England. But I digress to briefly discuss another facet of identity unexplored in Henry IV or Henry V is explored in Shakespeare’s decision to make Othello of foreign and colored origin. My Short Assignment 4 on Othello discussed the conception of racial stereotypes specifically towards the Moors such as the protagonist Othello. The implications of a Moore protagonist add the developing notion of race as a means of categorizing people into the discourse of whether it should attribute to ones identity.
Throughout this course, varying approaches to the discussion and impact of identity are recurring in the presentation of Shakespeare’s characters. From King Henry’s character as an allegory for discussing what the role of the monarch should be to Othello and Iago’s addition to the discourse the increasing prejudices based off of someone’s ethnic background; Shakespeare urges the audience to consider our identities and not to take them for granted.