Henry V, Act 5

In Act 5 of Henry V we see King Henry attempting to persuade Princess Katharine to marry him. Though this is made difficult by the fact that Katharine only speaks broken English and Henry only speaks broken French, she ultimately accepts his proposal heavily on the grounds that it would please her father. This could be interpreted as a statement on gender roles of the time period – Katharine understands very little of what Henry says and expresses a general uncertainty over whether or not she actually admires him or desires to be with him. It isn’t until Henry assures her that her father would be pleased by their union that she decides to marry him. However, I read this scene differently. My understanding of this scene is that it serves two purposes: it serves as a way to end the play on a more playful note and, more importantly, as a way to further exalt King Henry for his various skills. It becomes clear early on in the play that King Henry V possesses great intelligence, even greater resolve, and a knack for public speaking. It isn’t until Act 5, Scene 2 that we are able to observe Henry on a more personal level as here he is actually trying to win Katharine over. We are clearly meant to see that Henry is exceptionally charismatic for pushing aside all other aspects of himself but his heart and good nature as seen in lines 158-164, “A speaker is but a prater, a rhyme is but a ballad, a good leg will fall, a straight back will stoop, a black beard will turn white, a curled pate will grow bald, a fair face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow, but a good heart, Kate, is the sun and the moon.” Regarding Henry’s looks we can’t be quite sure, but what he mentions beforehand is also meant to add to his charisma. Though he dismisses skill for speech and physical traits such as “a good leg” and “a straight back”, we already know that King Henry possesses all of these things. We know that he is physically strong (as he even mentions it earlier in this same scene) and his lengthy, articulate speeches clearly demonstrate his talent with words. However, he decides to pay no attention to those traits as he believes that Katharine would be most interested in his amiability.