As we expand our knowledge of William Shakespeare and the plays that solidified his place in history, we look to Henry V, real life ruler and patriot of England. Through in-depth readings of monologues, looking at the source of the play, and debating the meaning of war we are able to climb into the mind of Shakespeare and Henry V and see the true threat of tennis balls.

Is William Shakespeare's Henry V a play of English patriotism or a questioning on the purpose of war? This is what we as a class debated on with bringing in specific examples from the text.

As a part of the Commentary on War Team, we came up with some reasonings as to why war is seen as a bad thing in Henry V, of which included the final result not mattering in the end (Henry V died only two years after the Battle of Agincourt), the general public being dragged into a conflict of people in power, and the countless lives that are lost of both sides of war. Personally, I agreed with the class and felt that Shakespeare's Henry V could be seen as both propaganda for English patriotism as well as a criticism of war.

On the sides here are pictures of each team's whiteboard and their arguments for the debate.

I decided to read and write about the Anglo-French Encounter link, the webpage titled “Pistol and Monsieur Le Fer: An Anglo-French Encounter by Charlène Cruxent. I chose this piece because I really enjoy learning about history, especially when it pertains to old European monarchies, and I thought it would be an interesting perspective on the realities of the common people’s perception of the war during this time, meaning the French versus the English.

According to the author, “Act 4, Scene 4 is the only moment when the audience can observe the confrontation between a British and a French soldier” (Introduction). I found this fact particularly interesting because until it was pointed out I hadn’t realized that this really is the only time when we see interactions between the common people of the two countries, this is obviously not including the interactions between the ambassadors and courts, Henry and the Dauphin, etcetera. It is in this meeting where we can see the discrepancies between upper and lower classes, as well as prejudices, as the character “Boy” must act as translator for Pistol and Monsieur Le Fer, as neither of the soldiers speak the other’s language.

This encounter also gives us the clear feelings that the two men hold against one another and their corresponding people, for example, Pistol finds Le Fer to mumble and a barbarian. The two men represent the eventual end of the war with the English defeating the French. Later in the article, the author highlights the comparison of France being a woman for Henry as a fertile maid to be conquered.