Shakespearean Histories: Richard III and Henry V (a villian and a hero)

Shakespeare wrote several historical plays during his lifetime, which related to the political and domestic feelings of the time period. The two focused on in class were Richard III and Henry V. Both men were kings of England, however, there is a very clear difference between the heroic Henry and his villanous counterpart Richard.

PART A:

As does most history, the historical time periods of Henry and Richard involve war, loss, and victory. As such the language Shakespeare uses revolves a lot around the idea of powerful speeches, charismatic leadership, and manipulation. Despite their difference in morality and honesty, both Henry and Richard possess an amazing ability to speak and manipulate others to their will. In Richard III, possibly one of the most amazing and disgusting uses of Richard's dispicable persuations is that of Lady Anne. He woos her over the dead body of her father-in-law, who Richard murdered, and Richard has also murdered Anne's husband. However he is so convincing in his speech and diction that he convinces the weak-minded Anne to come with him and forget his past treacheries. "Nay, do not pause; for I did kill King Henry, But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me.Nay, now dispatch; 'twas I that stabb'd young Edward, But 'twas thy heavenly face that set me on" (Richard III, Act I Scene II). Here Richard manipulates Anne's emotions by saying that although he is guilty of the crimes that she accuses him of it was not his fault but her's by fault of her beauty and charm that caused him to do it. He has expertly turned the tables on Anne, and is successfully able to completely change her opinion on his marriage proposal. Henry is also one in possession of great persuasive abilities, and like Richard, uses it to obtain his goals. However the way in which he achieves them is much different. In Henry V, the most famous speech Henry gives is his St. Crispian's Day Speech, prior to the Battle of Agincourt. "This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother" (Henry V Act IV, Scene III). Shakespeare puts this beautiful speech together for Henry to use to motivate his troops to victory, who even outnumbered must now rush headlong into certain death. However, through his speech, Henry is able to manipulate the emotions of his soldiers, just as Richard manipulates the emotions of Anne, his brothers Clarence and Edward, his nephews Edward and York, and so many others. Through this ralling speech Henry is able to create the idea that this day is bigger than anyone there, that until the ending of time people will remember the names of Henry, Westmoreland, Bedford, and all those who fought at Agincourt, and that live or die, they are brothers in arms bound by blood forever. As it can be seen through these two powerful speeches and other in both plays, Shakespeare uses his brilliant use of language to convey a attitude toward the audience about the charcter's personality, morality, and in-depth feelings; allowing the audience to develop a sense and impression of the character.

PART B:

In both historical genre plays Henry V and Richard III, the story primarily focuses on the main character and the events and consequences of that character's actions. In Richard, the audience is able to follow the events of Richard's betrayals and horrors to places like the Tower of London, where the audience experiences Clarence realizing that Richard was behind his betrayal and then his murder, to Richmond's camp where Richmond and his commanders talk of how to defeat the rooting pig Richard based on his actions. Henry allows the audience to journey from Henry's war council where he blantantly rejects the Dauphin's request to stand down and is outraged by the Dauphin' s insulting gift, to the chambers of King Charles VI where they learn of Henry's intent to invade France and take what is his by rightful lineage. The way Shakespeaere incorportates these ways to consequences of the character's actions into his genre adds a very interesting point of view to the story. Another common theme in the genre is the in-depth view the audience is granted of the character's morality, emotions, and feelings. Richard is very easy to read. He is the villian, as he makes very clear in his opening speech. "And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days" (Act I Scene I). However, the methods he uses to obtain his ultimate goal of the crown are deceitful, backstabbing, and covert. Everyone knows that Richard is slime, but they all fail to see it until it is too late. Clarence, for example, knows his brother is not the best of people, but does not see how deep his treachery runs until he learns that his brother is the cause behind his death. Richard is an expert at being two-faced; he is able to entertain people he speaks with and cause them to develop a sense of trust, while in reality either his words have two meanings or he proceeds to laugh about the stupidity of those he manipulates after they are out of hearing. A great example of his ability to put up a facade comes in the first speech where he is dictating his plan to betray his brother and then puts on a facade to build Clarence's trust. "Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence comes.
[Enter CLARENCE, guarded, and BRAKENBURY]
Brother, good day; what means this armed guard That waits upon your grace?" (Act I Scene I). Henry is very different in that he is the hero of the story. He is a king and does things that would be horrible for any citizen, but makes him a great king. He is kind, cruel, comforting, and forgiving all at the same time, where Richard puts on the good facades while deep down he is true evil. Henry like Richard, possesses an unstoppable drive to achieve what he sets out to take. Exeter describes him to King Charles as a tempest that will not be stopped. Like Richard, Henry also uses his amazing use of language to affect anyone who hears him. He uses it to initimidate his enemies, as he does at Harfleur where he convinces the Governer to surrender or the death of the citizens will be his own fault. He uses his language to inspire his men to victory, as he does in his famous St. Crispian's Day speech. The main difference between Henry and Richard is that Henry comes right out with what he is doing and those around him develop their opinions based on what they see. Richard on the other hand, is covert and subversive, using his persuasive abilities to bend those around him to his will, and his lack of conscience (as discussed as a major theme between the murderers, and Tyrell) to remove all that oppose him.

PART C:

To reflect upon the historical genre, I would say that in my opinion, it is the better of the two analyzed here. The Histories have a story line to them that is not as predictable as those of the comedies. In the comedies, the characters are more superficial, while in the histories it is possible to achieve an in-depth understanding of the character. One can see that Richard is a horrible, vile villian and Henry is a noble, heroic king through examining their monologues and speeches. One is able to acquire a greater respect (not to be confused with respect meant in a good manner in relation to Richard III) to the way in which the character obtains their goals and, in Richard's case, how his cruelty and lack of conscience literally come back to haunt him and inspire his enemies. Out of the two examined, I would say that I enjoyed Richard more, if only for the reason that it is amazing how he is so crafty with his words, how he is able to manipulate people so easily and then dispose of them as if they nothing more than a toy he was bored with.