Henry V

“And so the prince obscured his contemplation

Under the veil of wildness.”

The scene between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely establishes Henry V as a changed man from the youngster who featured in William Shakespeare’s earlier histories. As a youth, Henry was wild and reckless. The churchmen acknowledge that this “veil of wildness” masked the true nature of the contemplative and intelligent man that Henry has become. Even as they are plotting on how to manipulate the King, the churchmen acknowledge that he is a good, intelligent man.

“France being ours, we’ll bend it to our awe,

Or break it all to pieces.”

Henry establishes the stakes of his invasion. He plans to blend France to his will, or break it apart in the effort. For France, this will become an existentialist war. Henry does succeed in bending France to his awe, particularly by allowing Charles to remain as the King of France. He impresses his enemy with his forethought and his clemency, just as much as he impresses them on the battlefield.

“Friendship shall combine, and brotherhood.

I’ll live by Nym, and Nym shall live by me.”

Ancient Pistol employs similar language to that used by King Henry later in the play. He cynically promises “brotherhood” to Nym in exchange for a settling of their differences, rallying support from a fellow common man even though his word is less than reliable. The promise is hollow, a cynical means of defusing the situation, which contrasts with the inspirational speech delivered by Henry later in the play.