Henry V Outline

Public posturing: Henry IV (King Henry and Prince Hal's discussion on what makes a great king. Like a comet, the less is seen of the king, the more of a sovereign, enigmatic figure he becomes and the more respect he gains when he makes such seldom appearances.) Henry V (In the final act of Henry V, Henry approaches Princess Catherine of France to try and woo her. He makes it seem as if he is a lovestruck, simple man that isn't very good with words (even though the reader know that this is certainly not the case). The reader knows that his compelling argument to make her his queen is a method of public and political posturing.

Deceptive artifice: In Henry IV, Prince Hal disguises himself as an unambitious vagrant by hanging around many commoners in the Boar's Head Tavern. His aside speech plainly clarifies his scheme to lower his father's as well as the court's expectations of him so that once he takes the throne as king, he can begin to rise up like “the sun” and leave everyone in amazement at how mature he has immediately become. In Henry V, King Henry's speech to the governor of France served as a subliminal demand for a cease-fire. The excruciating details that the King provided included murder, rape, and complete destruction of the town. Even if Henry never intended to do all of the things he had proclaimed, the scare tactic certainly proved effective.

Staginess: Prince Hal's roast of Falstaff in Henry IV began as a joke to mock his father but it quickly turned into a tasteless stab at Jack Falstaff's character, appearance, and general way of living. The way the dialog began to go from a kidding manner to a serious hurtful disposition show Prince Hal revealing his true feelings toward not just Falstaff, but in an indirect way, the entire group present at the tavern. He created a buffer between his royal status and the commoners by getting quite carried away with insults. Henry's soliloquy and prayer for what seems to be a