Henry V

Roles

• King Henry V
• Katherine
• Alice

About this piece

King Henry comically woos Katherine with the help of her maid

Summary

The play is set in the early 15th century. Henry V has just become king after the death of his father. He is now a changed man as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely point out in the first scene of the play. Henry V, as a young prince, had lived a dissolute life surrounded by questionable characters. He is now a responsible, intelligent and virtuous king. King Henry is now considering to claim the throne of France too since he thinks he is entitled to as one of his ancestors was the daughter of the king of France. The French king, Charles VI, doesn't agree and sends a group of ambassadors with an insulting message to King Henry, saying that the French king considers him immature to rule England and will never concede to his claim to the French crown. King Henry decides to invade France and gathers an army. The English army wins several battles and the climax of the war comes in the battle of Agincourt where the English, even if heavily outnumbered by the French, triumph. At the end of the play the two kings work out peace negotiations. One of King Henry's demands is that he'd be allowed to marry Katherine, the daughter of the king of France. This way the king of France will be allowed to retain his crown and Henry's heirs will rule France in the future. After the negotiations, Henry woos Katherine is a comic scene where Alice, Katherine's maid, is also involved as her translator.

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