Royal Shakespeare Company's 1946 production of Henry V
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Character Analysis: Catherine
Character Analysis: Catherine
What lays beyond the beauty of the French Princess? Is she just a beautiful pawn in an ugly war? Or will Shakespeare allow her to stand on her own two feet? As the only leading lady ("leading" being loosely used) in Henry V, does Shakespeare's Catherine hold a candle to the historical figure that helped to continue the famous Tudor line?
What does Catherine look like?
What does Catherine look like?
The physical description of Catherine in Henry V is one that is non-existent as "the young, pretty princess of France does not play a very active role in the progress of the narrative" (SparkNotes Editors). We as an audience know that the real Princess Catherine of Valois was only 14 years old when her and the 33-year-old Henry V were married. The only other description of Catherine is that she "speaks in a soft, lilting French" (SparkNotes Editors).
What is Catherine's personality?
What is Catherine's personality?
In Henry V, the Princess Catherine is very much the dutiful woman, whether it be in obeying her parent's wishes or acting like the "perfect lady." Although she is "The daughter of King Charles VI and Queen Isabel, [who] has been raised to act like a prim and proper princess," Catherine "is clever, witty, and word conscious" (Shmoop Editorial Team; Course Hero). Yet, "her role as princess of France causes her to be treated more as a chess piece than a person, [but still] she manages to come through as a woman who is passionately patriotic to France and isn't easily swayed by Henry V's wooing" (Course Hero).
According to the Royal Shakespeare Company, "Katherine must do what her father wants but she is intelligent and naturally wary of men. She doesn’t speak English and relies on her maid, Alice, to teach and translate for her" (Henry V Character descriptions: Shakespeare Learning Zone).
Something very important to note about Catherine's character is that "Although she's an important figure [in history and in the play], Shakespeare doesn't develop her character much and never gives us any insight into her desires and motives. Why? Well, if we're being honest, Catherine's desires and motives are completely irrelevant to the action of the play" (Shmoop Editorial Team).
Leslie Lank as Catherine in the Utah Shakespeare Festival's 2016 production of Henry V
Jennifer Kirby as Princess Katherine in the RSC's Henry V (2015)
How would one describe the life of Catherine?
How would one describe the life of Catherine?
As a princess of France, Catherine very much lives a life of comfort and luxury. She "lives in a much gentler and quieter milieu, generally ignorant of the larger struggle going on around her. She fills her days mainly with laughing and teasing Alice as the latter attempts to teach her English" (SparkNotes Editors). But she does not get to make many of her own decisions, and a prime example of this is her beginning to study English "not because she herself desires to speak the language (we are given almost no insight into what Catherine herself might desire), but because her father intends to marry her to his enemy in order to end the war and preserve his power in France" (SparkNotes Editors). Catherine lives the life of a pawn: she can move forward and make some decisions, but she is mainly a sacrifice for the greater good of her side of the board.
Her life, though pleasant, is limited and chosen for her. Everything she is (beautiful, kind, smart) has been engrained in her upbringing as a strategy to further her family's status and a future spouses image.
Judi Dench in a 1960 movie adaption of Henry V
Act 3 Scene 4 - Catherine's English Lesson (body parts)
"Dat is as it shall please de roi mon pére" (V.II.257)
"Dat is as it shall please de roi mon pére" (V.II.257)
Catherine says that the decision to marry Henry is up to her father, not her
Roi = king
Pére = father
Charles VI by the painter known as the Master of Boucicaut (1412)
What is Catherine's relationship with the other characters?
What is Catherine's relationship with the other characters?
Catherine is the daughter of King Charles VI and Queen Isabel of France, and it is because of her parents that she is placed into the arranged and treaty marriage with King Henry V of England. It is through her marriage to Henry that Catherine becomes the Queen Consort of England (and later the mother of King Henry VI).
Charles VII, better known as the Dauphin, of France is the younger brother of Catherine.
Portrait of Charles VII (1445-1450) by Jean Fouquet
19th-century depiction of Isabeau by Paul Lormier
Emma Thompson as Catherine and Kenneth Branagh as Henry V in Henry V (1989)
What type of character is Catherine?
What type of character is Catherine?
Upon my research of the types of characters in literature, I have determined that Shakespeare's Catherine is best described as a symbolic character and The Innocent.
In Henry V, William Shakespeare uses the character of Catherine as a symbol of marriage and politics. It is through her marriage to Henry V that the war between England and France will end, thus making her person something that is bigger than herself; she becomes a bargaining chip to end the war. Thus, making Catherine a representation of the political climate of her time.
According to MasterClass, The Innocent is "a morally pure character, often a child, whose only intentions are good. Their strengths range from morality to kindness to sincerity. Their weaknesses start with being vulnerable, naïve, and minimally skilled" (MasterClass Staff). When the audience meets Catherine she is a young, French-speaking woman who is attempting to learn English in order to please her father and save her country. Catherine is portrayed as being kind, a lady, and raised to be one thing: a wife. Yet, we see Catherine's brains in her first meeting with Henry V, as she calls him out repeatedly when he attempts to woo her. But it is important to remember that in a historical context, Catherine was a 14-year-old girl who was signed over to a man twice her age by her father in order to stop a war.
"Your Majesté 'ave fausse French enough to
"Your Majesté 'ave fausse French enough to
deceive de most sage demoiselle dat is en France" (V.II.227-228)
deceive de most sage demoiselle dat is en France" (V.II.227-228)
What is Catherine's role in the play?
What is Catherine's role in the play?
Although Catherine has a vital role in the play as the bargaining chip that ends the war between England and France, "the young, pretty princess of France does not play a very active role in the progress of the narrative" (SparkNotes Editors). For Shakespeare's purpose, Catherine "is a piece of a treaty, bred for royalty and meant for marriage since the age of eight [...] [she] was born to be a wife, and not just anyone's but 'the wife and mother of kings'" (Becker). Her destined role is determined and shown to the audience in her first lines of the play, in which she asks Alice, her maid, to teach her English as her father wants her to in preparation for her marriage to Henry - her entire purpose.
Catherine's role in the play is a sad truth of many high-ranking members of society throughout the ages: a pawn purely for gaining status and wealth through marriages to other high-ranking persons.
Catherine - "Alice, tu as été en Angleterre, et tu parles
Catherine - "Alice, tu as été en Angleterre, et tu parles
bien le langage."
bien le langage."
[Alice, you've been in England and you speak the language well.]
[Alice, you've been in England and you speak the language well.]
Alice - "Un peu, madame."
Alice - "Un peu, madame."
[A little, madame.]
[A little, madame.]
Catherine - "Je te prie, m’enseignez. Il faut que j’apprenne
Catherine - "Je te prie, m’enseignez. Il faut que j’apprenne
à parler."
à parler."
[Please teach me. I must learn to speak it.] (III.IV.1-5)
[Please teach me. I must learn to speak it.] (III.IV.1-5)
"Kath: Dat is as it sall please de roi mon pere," Robert Dudley, 19th century
What major conflicts does Catherine have?
What major conflicts does Catherine have?
In Henry V, Catherine's conflicts are very different to those around her. The only conflict she has in common with the other characters is that of which she is not allowed to directly help with, except in marriage: the war between England and France. As a loyal Frenchwoman, Catherine will do what is needed for her country but she is often seen being uncomfortable, when she's on stage, with the idea of being married off to someone that is considered the enemy.
Another conflict that Catherine struggles with during the play is her learning of the English language. Most of her on-stage time is spent in English lessons and her having issues with how some of the English words are too close to dirty French words.
How does Catherine change overall?
How does Catherine change overall?
Overall, Catherine does not change throughout the play, rather she comes out of the plot (and history) speaking more English and betrothed to the King of England. Thus making her the Queen Consort of England and placing her in a position of power.
The marriage of Catherine of Valois and Henry V
Works Cited
Works Cited
Becker, Carley. “Simply Symbolic: First Words of Katherine of Valois.” Simply Symbolic, Shakespeare's Henriad and the Archives, shakespeareshenriad.weebly.com/simply-symbolic-first-words-of-katherine-of-valois.html.
Course Hero. “Henry V | Character Analysis.” Henry V Character Analysis, Course Hero, 28 Nov. 2016, www.coursehero.com/lit/Henry-V/character-analysis/.
“Henry V Character Descriptions: Shakespeare Learning Zone.” Henry V Character Descriptions, Royal Shakespeare Company, www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/henry-v/character/whos-who#.
MasterClass Staff. “Writing 101: All the Different Types of Characters in Literature - 2021.” MasterClass, 2 Sept. 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-all-the-types-of-characters-in-literature#5-character-types-that-appear-in-fiction.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Catherine.” Catherine in Henry V, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/henry-v/catherine.
SparkNotes Editors. “Characters Catherine.” Catherine Character Analysis in Henry V | Sparknotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/henryv/character/catherine/.
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