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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 40 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Henry V
| Where was Henry when he made the speech in question 1? | Henry V
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Harfleur. It was at the siege of Harfleur.
| What is the name of the Welsh character who gives a bit of comic relief? | Henry V
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Fluellen. Fluellen was a staunch supportor of the king and Wales.
| Who is the old friend of Henry who does not appear in the play but who dies during it? | Henry V
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Falstaff. Falstaff dies and the king is criticized for disowning him. Bardolph was another old friend who dies - he is hung on the orders of Henry -but he does appear in the play.
| What is the name of the French herald who tells Henry, after Agincourt, 'The day is yours.'? | Henry V
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Montjoy. Louis is the Dauphin, Rambures is a French lord and Jamy is an officer in Henry's army.
Archbishop of Canterbury. In this opening scene we note that the Church was not above promoting a foreign war in order to gain the King's favour. We also note the changed character of Henry as described by the two men. Formerly wild and uncaring he has become wise and pious.
Gloucester and Bedford. These two men are left with the problem of England after their brother dies and his son is just an infant unable to rule in his own right. The Lancastrian dynasty seems dominant at this point with so many possible male heirs to Henry IV's throne. In the reign of Henry VI this all changes.
Scotland. "If that you will France win,
Then with Scotland first begin."
The Archbishop of Canterbury in the same speech compares England to an eagle and the Scots to a weasel that will crawl into the nest and destroy the eggs.
| The French send tennis balls to Henry to suggest he will be more suited to playing games than making war. Which French person ordered the tennis balls to be sent? | How Well Do You Know "Henry V" ?
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The Dauphin of France. The Dauphin is the title given to the eldest son of the French king. The English sometimes use the word "dolphin" instead. The tennis balls are meant as a calculated insult but Henry uses them as an excuse for a rousing speech to his noblemen.
Cambridge, Scroop and Grey. The three men have apparently taken money from the French in order to carry out this act. Shakespeare makes a pun on the words "gilt" (gold coins) and "guilt". Cambridge was the most important of this group because he was a direct descendant in the Yorkist line. His brother York remains loyal and dies at Agincourt.
Pistol. We are told that she had been "troth-plight" to Nym but in fact married Pistol. For a while this causes a good deal of friction between the two men as they set off for war.
| When the French King discusses the English with his son and his nobles he reminds them of which English hero from the past in order to stop them being over-confident? | How Well Do You Know "Henry V" ?
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Edward, the Black Prince. Edward, Prince of Wales, was the eldest son of Edward III and he took part in two memorable victories over the French at Crecy and at Poitiers. He was nicknamed the "Black Prince", probably because of his armour but this is a point that is still debated. He died before he could inherit the throne from his father.
| Which member of Henry's family is sent to the French King as the ambassador who will demand that the kingdom of France be given up to the English? | How Well Do You Know "Henry V" ?
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Exeter. His uncle Exeter is ultra-loyal to Henry and carries out his mission with power and dignity.
tiger. After mentioning the tiger Henry suggests it is its fearsome appearance that is one of the things that he wants his men to adopt.
"Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect."
Alexander. In fact Henry compares the fathers of his men to "so many Alexanders" in order to draw upon both the ancient story of Alexander the Great of Macedon and the more recent deeds done by the previous generations of Englishmen on the fields of France.
Captain Fluellen. Shakespeare has presented the nobles as the officer class who are doing the leading and he also shows us some of the hangers-on like Nym and Bardolph who are only there to get what they can steal. Fluellen, Gower, MacMorris and Jamie are more like the lower officers in the army who can be trusted to lead small numbers of men. Note that each part of the British Isles is represented and that they quarrel with each other but fight the common enemy.
| What is the name of Princess Katherine's maid who discusses with her the names for various different parts of the body in English? | How Well Do You Know "Henry V" ?
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Alice. The French princess appears to be but a pawn in the game that is being played out for the kingdom of France. A marriage to Henry would be based upon political necessity rather than any real knowledge of or affection for her prospective partner.
Norman bastards. The French would regard most of the English nobility as being descended from William the Conqueror, the bastard Duke of Normandy who invaded England in 1066. The Normans were descended from the "Northmen" or Vikings who had settled in France. The French nobility would regard their own ancestors as more purely French.
He is hanged for stealing from a church.. Even though Bardolph had been a companion of his rather wild youth Henry maintains order and discipline in his army by confirming what Exeter and Fluellen had decided should be the correct punishment for stealing as previously set out by the King. Bardolph is thus hanged for his crimes.
Sir Thomas Erpingham. Henry visits the different parts of the English camp using the cloak to help disguise his appearance. In the Chorus this is described as "A little touch of Harry in the night".
Bates, Court, and Williams. Shakespeare now presents his audience with the ordinary men of the English army. Previously the only men of working class that had been shown were villains like Bardolph and Nym. The soldiers are shown to have all the worries and concerns of any man before a battle.
ten thousand. "O but we had here,
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work today."
He thinks of men on holiday in England who could be gainfully employed in fighting for their nation in France.
St. Crispin's Day. Henry makes use of the idea of a special day that will be remembered to the end of their lives by the soldiers that took part in it.
York. The Duke of York was one of the men who rebelled against Henry IV, the present king's father. Having been forgiven he serves loyally the House of Lancaster from that point onwards. In "Richard II" he was known by the title Aumerle.
The news that the French had killed the boys at the baggage train.. Henry is angry that the unarmed boys who are normally left alone in the fight between two armies are attacked and killed by the French. The boys are left with the baggage and it was possibly the idea of plunder which caused the French to attack in this way. As Fluellen puts it "'tis expressly against the law of arms."
twenty-five. When you consider that the French losses are counted as over ten thousand you can see why Henry might believe that God had a large hand in his success.
| Edward Duke of York, Sir Richard Ketley and Davy Gam esquire are three of the English men of rank killed at Agincourt. Who is the fourth? | How Well Do You Know "Henry V" ?
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The Earl of Suffolk. In fact the Earl of Suffolk is not part of the cast list of the play. Apart from York it would seem that none of the men who surround Henry are affected adversely by the battle. It would seem to an audience that nearly everybody came through successfully.
Troyes. The town of Troyes is in the region of Champagne. The surviving members of the French court have little choice but to acceed to the demands of the occupying army.
The Duke of Burgundy. Burgundy's speech about the damage done to both the land and people of France is one of the most poweful anti-war statements in all of Shakespeare. It quite clearly shows the consequences of taking up arms no matter what the cause.
| In Act I, Henry is deciding whether or not he will invade France. Which law is discussed and interpreted by the Archbishop of Canterbury as confirming Henry's right to the throne of France? | The Best of Shakespeare..."Henry V"!
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Salique Law. After a very lengthy explanation as to how the Salique Law does not apply to Henry because it concerns lands in Germany, not France, the Archbishop tells Henry that he does indeed have the right to invade France. He even goes so far as to say, "The sin upon my head, dread sovereign!" if he is incorrect in this counsel.
Henry is too young and immature to be king, so he should go back to playing his little games.. Ah, the "Paris balls"! This is an enormous insult to Henry, though he is well aware as to why the Dauphin thought to send this gift. He acknowledges his youthful, wild days, but then tells the French ambassadors that the Dauphin will be very sorry for this insult. Later, in Act II, the Duke of Exeter tells the Dauphin that this gift will cause Henry to "make your Paris Louvre shake for it"!
All of these are correct. (Apologizing for the limits imposed on the story because of the smallness of the stage., Reminding the audience to use their imagination to visualize these huge events on the "wooden O"., Giving a brief prelude to what is going to happen, as well as what has happened behind the scenes.). Shakespeare uses the Chorus to keep the audience abreast of developments in the storyline, as well as for apologizing for the limitations of trying to show these huge events on a tiny, wooden stage:
"Think when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this history;
Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play." (Act I, Prologue)
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