Henry V – A. J. Drake's Shakespeare Site

Questions on
Shakespeare’s History Plays

Shakespeare, William. The Life of Henry the Fifth. Folio. (The Norton Shakespeare: Histories, 3rd ed. 790-857.)

ACT 1

1. In the Prologue, the Chorus suggests that to have “a muse of fire” would be the playwright’s ultimate wish, if it were possible. What would such a muse allow the playwright and the actors to do? Since it isn’t possible, though, what “workarounds” does the Chorus-speaker promote to the audience—how can theatergoers make the most of their experience while they watch Henry V? How much residual credit does the Chorus seem to give Shakespeare’s language and the actors’ efforts in making the performance come alive?

2. In Act 1, Scene 1, what less than pure reason do the Bishop of Ely and Canterbury have for wanting to send the young King Henry V off to France to claim it for England? Both prelates respect the King, and speak well of him. How does Canterbury describe the once wayward Prince’s reformation? How do the churchmen account for this great change in him? What major step have they taken so far to earn his favor?

3. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Henry V enters and at once calls for Canterbury to advise him on his rights in France. But Henry’s request is strictly qualified, and delivered almost as a threat to the Archbishop. From King Henry’s perspective, what are the material stakes, and the spiritual risks, involved in the churchman’s relation to him of the justice or injustice of his claim to the French crown?

4. In Act 1, Scene 2, what specific arguments does Canterbury employ to convince King Henry that he is fully justified in requiring France to pass the crown to him, and not to leave it atop the head of the current French King, Charles VI? What is Salic Law, and why, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, is it not a legitimate bar against Henry’s supposed right? Argumentation aside, at what point does Canterbury’s speech essentially become an exhortation to make war, and how do Bishop Ely, Exeter, and Westmorland support Canterbury’s passionate plea?

5. In Act 1, Scene 2, the King decides to stake everything on his supposedly righteous quest to take France, and he and his advisors make some decisions about how large a force will be required and how best to keep England itself safe. They then call in the French ambassadors. What odd “gift” has the Dauphin (the French heir) sent the King, and why did he choose such a gift? What qualities in the young Henry V are brought to the fore by the Dauphin’s jest? How does he respond to this obvious insult in the presence of his own court?

ACT 2

6. In the Prologue to Act 2, how does the Chorus describe the atmosphere in England as King Henry V and his armies make their preparations to bring war to the French? (They would sail for France on August 12, 1415.) Although the term “honor” is advanced, what ambivalence of motive soon enters the description, extending even to some of England’s great nobles? Finally, how does the Chorus carry forward his or her initial observations about the limits of artistic representation?

7. In Act 2, Scene 1, what is Shakespeare’s principle in going back and forth between serious and silly, noble and low, as he begins to do here with a comic scene featuring Bardolph and the antagonists Pistol and Nym? How does the “base” quarreling of the latter two men compare to that of the noblemen from whom we have heard so far? What do Pistol and Nym argue about, and how do they resolve their disagreement? In addition, how do these two men respond to the news that Sir John Falstaff is deathly ill?

8. In Act 2, Scene 2, how does King Henry V set forth the moral of the treasonous plot and fall of Richard Earl of Cambridge, Lord Scrope of Masham, and Sir Thomas Grey? What trap does he cleverly set for all three men? Pay particular attention to his comments about Scrope from 806, 2.2.91-140—why is Henry so distressed to find that this man, in particular, has joined forces with the French and with other English traitors to betray him? What sentence does he pronounce against all three traitors?

9. In Act 2, Scene 3, how do King Henry’s former friends Pistol, Bardolph, and Nym see the impending war with France? What’s in it for them? When they learn that Sir John Falstaff has finally died of an illness, how do they deal with his passing and what it means to them in practical terms? How does the Hostess, Mistress Quickly, describe Sir John’s last hours? What do his friends apparently believe was the true cause of his death? Are they right? Explain.

10. In Act 2, Scene 4, as the King of France (Charles VI, who reigned from 1380-1422, though he was often incapacitated) meets with his son the Dauphin and others to prepare for war with the English, what contrast between the French outlook on war and the English one appears? How does King Henry V’s uncle Exeter, in a message personally delivered to the French King, undercut the expectations and rhetoric of the French noblemen surrounding their sovereign? How does King Charles VI himself respond to Exeter?

ACT 3

11. In the Prologue to Act 3, how does the Chorus describe the air of expectation that buffets England as its fleet makes for the French port city Harfleur? Since the Chorus repeatedly appeals to the imaginative capacity of the audience, how much description does the Chorus give the audience to work with? What level of detail is provided, and what remains to be “filled in” by the audience’s own efforts? What offer do the French leaders make to try to mollify King Henry, and how does he receive it?

12. In Act 3, Scene 1, consider the set-piece inspirational remarks that King Henry V offers his men outside the walls of the fortified French port town of Harfleur: what does he expect of them, and what implicit promise does he make to them if they meet his expectations? What anxieties does he speak to, and what desires or ambitions? In what sense does King Henry characterize participation in war as an egalitarian thing? How much of what he says speaks to the great majority of his troops’ social class or “status”?

13. In Act 3, Scenes 2-3, what perspectives on war do the several sets of speakers advance? Comment on at least two chosen from the following sets of interactions: Bardolph and Pistol and Nym; Pistol and Nym and Captain Fluellen; the Boy’s solitary assessment of Pistol, Bardolph, and Nym; and finally, the contentious conversation between the irascible Captains Fluellen and Macmorris. How does all this varied discussion impact your estimation of the military “motivational speech” that King Henry gave in Scene 1?

14. In Act 3, Scene 4, King Henry V savagely (and successfully) threatens Harfleur’s leaders: they must, he says, surrender right now. What punishment does he delineate for them if they do not surrender? What will happen to the town itself and to its defenseless civilians? Why, supposedly, won’t Henry be able to stop his troops’ carnage once they start, and why wouldn’t he stop it even if he could? Does Shakespeare seem to be offering Henry’s ferocious speech as laudably strategic, or is there some context for the audience’s processing of it as something other than a “heroic” declaration? Either way, explain your view.

15. In Act 3, Scene 5, Princess Katherine de Valois explores with her gentlewoman Alice the significance of the English presence in France for her own life. Why does Katherine approach the matter with so much regard for learning English? Why does the Princess’s English lesson quickly turn comic—which words in French and English trouble her, and why? On the whole, what does Katherine’s perspective add to Shakespeare’s representation of the variety of French responses as they deal with the invading English?

16. In Act 3, Scenes 6 and 8, the French nobles gather to discuss how they may turn things around. In Scene 6, these include King Charles VI himself, the Dauphin, Constable Charles D’Albret, John V Duke of Bretagne; and in Scene 8, the Dauphin with Charles Duke of Orléans together with Lord Rambures. What appears to be the general assessment of the French and English forces among these powerful Frenchmen? How do the respective meetings reflect upon the Dauphin’s character? What does the Constable have against the Dauphin? To what extent does the French King seem effective as a wartime leader?

17. In Act 3, Scene 7, Captain Fluellen begins to discern Pistol’s true nature when the grifter tries to get to urge leniency for Bardolph, whom Exeter has condemned to die for stealing a ceremonial “pax” tablet from a church. Before this uncouth “ask,” why did Fluellen believe Pistol to be an honest soldier? How does this episode amount to a mild rebuke of Fluellen’s naiveté—how would you describe the error to which the Welsh Captain’s fervent, emotional nature makes him prone? You might consider this question in light of Shakespeare’s perpetual interest in sorting out “seeming” from “being.”

18. In Act 3, Scene 7, how does King Henry’s insistence on hanging Bardolph serve as a marker for how far the once ne’er-do-well Prince of Wales has come in terms of maturity and fitness to rule? Bardolph is “Hal’s” old acquaintance, so why doesn’t he just commute his sentence, or otherwise show clemency? How, too, does Henry’s response to the French herald Montjoy’s demands show a firm grasp of leadership and a rather surprising degree of honesty in the hearing of a man bound to report his words to the enemy King? What does Henry admit that might be thought rather impolitic?

ACT 4

19. In the Prologue to Act 4, the Chorus, describing the valiant efforts of the English King to bring cheer to his beleaguered troops, thereby offers the audience “A little touch of Harry in the night” (828, 4.0.47). How does the conclusion of this Prologue change in tone to suit the fearful prospects of the battle to come with the well-armed, confident French army? What is the Chorus most regretful about with regard to the soon-to-be-required representation of an historic battle?

20. In Act 4, Scene 1, why does King Henry wander about the camp in disguise as “Harry Le Roy” on the eve of battle? What does he find out about the way some of his subjects (Williams and Bates) think of their part in the campaign against France? What arguments does Henry use to bring Williams around, and what quarrel nonetheless remains between them? What idea or theory of kingship emerges from Henry’s observations about the limits of his power and the nature of his accountability?

21. In Act 4, Scene 1, 203ff when Henry is at last alone, how does he sum up his further thoughts on the nature and responsibilities of kingship? How does he contrast his own cares with those of a peasant in the field? What spiritual burden relating to his father, King Henry IV, will he bring with him into battle, aside from anything to do with current events? What prayer does Henry V offer regarding this burden—what is he asking God to do for him and his men? Do you find Henry’s moral reflections sound and convincing? Why or why not?

22. In Act 4, Scenes 2-3, contrast the French noblemen’s high words before battle with what King Henry and his English followers say. What assumptions do the French make about the English, and what proves most effective for Henry in lifting the spirits of his men? In responding, consider in particular King Henry’s famous “band of brothers” speech from 836-37, 4.3.18-67: how does the King describe the benefits of taking part in the imminent battle for the mostly lower-class soldiers who are about to risk their lives in his cause? What would not participating mean for them? Do Henry’s promises to the troops ring true? Why or why not?

23. In Act 4, Scene 4, Pistol manages to capture a Frenchman, whose ransom he accepts, once the Boy translates the offer for him into English. What observations does the Boy offer regarding the fortunes of war in connection to anything like genuine virtue?

24. In Act 4, Scenes 5-7, how much realism do you find in Shakespeare’s representation of the Battle of Agincourt and the views characters take concerning war? Among other things, what shocking decision does King Henry make at the end of Scene 6, and why? Is there some irony in the way the English (and Captain Fluellen in particular since at the outset of 4.7 he emphasizes “the law of arms”) react to Scene 7’s awful news that the French have slaughtered the boys and invalids protecting the English camp supplies? Explain.

25. In Act 4, Scenes 7-8, how is the quarrel settled between King Henry and the soldier Williams that arose in Act 4, Scene 1? What moral or honor-based principle does this settlement reaffirm? Also in Scene 8, what report comes to King Henry V regarding the number of French and English dead? How does Henry explain this stunning and unlikely victory?

ACT 5

26. In the Prologue to Act 5, the Chorus informs us that a number of years after the hostilities in 1415, King Henry V has returned to France for more fighting. In Act 5, Scene 1, what lesson about respect does Fluellen teach Pistol when the two meet? What was the cause of this quarrel, and how does it turn out? What does Pistol plan to do now that the war is over and he has been humiliated? How does this scene counterbalance the heroics of previous scenes chronicling King Henry’s glorious victory over a supposedly vastly superior enemy?

27. In Act 5, Scene 2, while his people meet with French negotiators to firm up the peace, what strategy does King Henry employ to win the French Princess Katherine’s heart and her assent to the marriage that will make him heir to the French throne? What objections does Katherine make to the match, and how does Henry deal with them? How is it, according to King Henry, that Kings and Queens set fashions rather than merely following them?

28. Critics have long argued over an obvious issue regarding Shakespeare’s Henry V: is the play’s representation of Henry as a national hero-king pro-English and pro-war to the point of jingoism (a “jingo” is someone who is too quick to call for war over national prestige or some similar issue)? Or should we say that Shakespeare is offering his audiences a representation of war and belief in national glory that instead sows seeds of criticism against such phenomena and values? Or do you find that this “either/or” argument somehow doesn’t capture the true quality of the play? Explain your view.

29. By way of contextualizing Henry V’s accomplishment and commenting on the play’s Epilogue, briefly research how the English under Henry’s son, Henry VI, and his supporters lost the French territories that Henry V worked so hard to win. How does this knowledge affect your attitude towards or appreciation of the present play, and other Shakespearean history plays, if you have read or watched them, such as the two Henry IV plays and Richard II?

Edition. Greenblatt, Stephen et al., editors. The Norton Shakespeare: Histories + Digital Edition. 3rd ed. W. W. Norton, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0-393-93859-3.

Document Timestamp: 9/7/2025 5:38 PM