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History, Patriotism and Religion in William Shakespeare's Henry V

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History, Patriotism and Religion in William Shakespeare's Henry V History, Patriotism and Religion in William Shakespeare’s Henry V Jorge Luis Bueno Alonso UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO [email protected] 1. INTRODUCTION Literature is a form of human expression. From the inception of a play in the mind of its author, to the image of it that an audience takes away from the theatre, many hands and many physical elements bring it to life. But when you deal with the play itself, you only have the text. You don’t have actors, stage or decoration for helping you to recreate the story. You and your ability to imagine are set alone. It has to be a text powerful enough to take your mind and force her to imagine, to understand, to recreate. And Henry V is a text which has these characteristics, this power, the power of Shakespeare’s great art. Drama is an unreal activity which can be indulged only if everyone involved admits it. Here lies some of the fascination of its study. A play always goes far and far away. It is not only a group of words or verses set together to fill folios or quartos. There are more things behind. You cannot separate a play from the life of his author, from the society in which the play was written. You cannot separate literature and life. You must take into account everything if you want to comment on any aspect of a given play. Henry V tells us more things that the mere story of the life and kingdom of one of the greatest kings of England. It also deals with the Elizabethan society, with her attitude towards life, with Shakespeare’s own thoughts, with the feelings of a whole nation at that time. In the 16th Century, England and Spain provided all the conditions necessary for dramatic art. In both nations there were public and private playhouses, audiences of avid imagination, a developing language inviting to a poetic use of itself, a growth of professional acting and a flexible stage. All these characteristics combined, provided the dramatist with the opportunity to create plays of outstanding interest. In Elizabethan London, dramatists wrote in an extraordinary range of dramatic genres. And Shakespeare was there, with all his plays, with his tragedies, comedies, histories and so long. Renaissance problems of order and authority, of passion and reason, of good and evil, were there, and Shakespeare took them to create great plays. The aim of this paper came out from a close reading of the play and from the curiosity that some aspects of it roused over me. I just want to rough out these three important points (History, Patriotism and Religion) in order to devise a general outline of it within its own contextual sphere. 271 Sederi 9 (1998), ISSN 1135-7789 Jorge Luis Bueno Alonso 2. HISTORY IN THE PLAY Shakespeare’s history plays deal with late medieval England1, but they are also about Shakespeare’s own time. The tetralogies show the breakdown of medieval society with the coming of new times, those of Tudor monarchs. But Henry V is more than the celebration of the “warlike Harry “ (I, Chorus, 5.), and the English army which fought at Agincourt. It’s the celebration of the Tudor age, of the national aspirations and feelings of the society who lived in Shakespeare’s times. Henry is a figure who can represent the Tudor’s aim: a strong king bringing order, a warrior king rousing national feelings. This resemblance between the Lancastrian Kings and the Tudor Monarchs is well pointed out in my opinion. Both Henry IV and Henry VII came to the throne of England by successful rebellions.2 Henry IV (the so-called ‘Lancastrian Usurpation of the Throne’) dethroned Richard II.3 Even though the truth of what happened was a little bit obscured under the Lancastrian propaganda, it is assumed that when Richard went to Northumberland at Conway Castle, he was forced to resign his throne during that day. He signed a document in which he would wish a Lancastrian to suceed him; he was also indicted for his misrule (thirty three articles of deposition were set forth against Richard, accusing him of misgoverment). Henry IV’s first task after his acceptance as a king, was to put down a rebellion threatening to restore Richard. Then, Henry IV had to deal mainly with three problems: The problems in the borders, the troubles with France, and the internal troubles with the house of York. The rebellion of Owayn Glyndwr in 1402 expressed the deep discontents of a society which was in a very difficult transition from tribalism under the pressure of England. It probably meant the rising of Welsh nationalism. This feeling of different nations is well pointed out by Shakespeare. Henry V’s army is formed by men from all the British nations under the English flag against the enemy. Captain Fluellen is Welsh, and very proud of being so: Henry. I wear it [the leek on St. Davy’s day] for a memorable honour; For I’m Welsh, you know, good countryman. Fluellen. All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty’s welsh plood out of your pody, 105 I can tell you that. God pless it and preserve it, as long as it pleases his grace and his majesty too!. Henry. Thanks, good my countryman. Fluellen. By Jeshu, I’m your majesty’s countryman, (...) 110 (IV. vii. 102-110) 4 We have also, Cpt. Macmorris who is Irish, or Cpt. Jamy who is Scottish; let’s remember the problems they had (Fluellen and Mcmorris) when Fluellen talked about the meaning of nation: 1 A deeper historical treatment of this period could be found in Goodman (1977) and Thomson (1986). 2 There is a little difference; Henry IV established a new dinasty but he did not really begin a new period of history. In my opinion, Henry VII not only established a new dinasty but also began a new period, a new age: 1485 onwards. 3 About History and its treatment in Richard II and Henry IV it is very useful the reading of the following articles: Sánchez Escribano (1995; 1996): 4 All quotations in this paper have been taken from A. R. Humphreys’ edition (1968). 272 Sederi 9 (1998), ISSN 1135-7789 History, Patriotism and Religion in William Shakespeare’s Henry V Fluellen. Captain Mcmorris, I think, look you, under your corection, there’s not many of your nation. McMorris. Of my nation?. What ish my nation?. Ish a villain, and a bastard and a knave, and a rascal. What ish my nation?. Who talks of my nation? 120 (III. ii. 116-120) Even though Owayn Glyndwr got the alliance of Richard Scroope, archbishop of York, and Percy,5 he was pushed into the mountains of North Wales and Henry was secure after 1408. But Glyndwr was never captured. Robert K. Shepherd’s words are worth mentioning here: Henry was well aware that the welsh were a force to be reckoned with (...). Welsh and Irish contingents may fight (...) under the British flag but have no intention of forgetting their ancestral differences (...). [They] only fight together because they have no other choice. (Shepherd 1992: 308) So, Henry V inherits a relatively peaceful land with a state of order in his realm and almost all the problems solved. He began his reign in more auspicious circumstances than any of his predecessors since Edward I. In the last exchequer term of Henry IV’s reign, receipts had exceeded expenditure. Since the French were in trouble, the English crown’s claims seemed brighter than they have done for over fifty years. Henry had started to gain confidence of all, like his famous great uncle had done before. He was able to focus all his attention in France. And that is the first historical reference in the play: the claim to the throne of France. This is the main reason for the attack of France. With a long parliament, the Archbishop of Canterbury explains the main reason to reach the claim: the salic law, which is the main barrier, is quickly destroyed by means of “geographic features” and, of course, by God’s hand: Henry. May I with right and conscience make this claim? ArcBp. The sin upon my head, dread sovereign! For in the book of Numbers is it writ when the man dies, let the inheritance descend unto his daughter.6 100 (I. ii. 96-100). Another historical reference is shown in the play by the allusions to Edward III and the Black Prince of Wales. This is a thing to take into account when Henry V “sends you this most memorable line, in every branch truly demonstrative, willing you overlook this pedigree” (II. iv. 88-90). The French king is given a sort of family tree “from his most famed ancestors, Edward III” (II. iv. 92-93). Of Course, Henry is playing a psychological game, using the fame of his relative. To top it all, a few lines before, the French king himself remembered the battle of Crècy: 5 Both were executed. Percy’s head was displayed on London Bridge and his body quartered, pickled and sent for public exhibition in many parts of England. 6 Note that the Archbishop omits the words “and have no son”. Numbers 27:8, 1611 King James translation says: “If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter”. I have used the very recent edition by Carroll and Pricket (1997). 273 Sederi 9 (1998), ISSN 1135-7789 Jorge Luis Bueno Alonso And he is bread out of that bloody strain that haunted us in our familiar paths.
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