Henry V

I figured since I talked about Henry IV yesterday, it would only be natural to talk about Henry V today.

While Henry V might be one of the most celebrated Shakespeare plays in England, I found it to be quite misogynistic and therefore one of my least favorite plays of the semester. I understand that Shakespeare wrote in a different time, and I understand some of the ways he represents women are necessary because it depicts the realities women faced during his time.

However, up until this point I have always been able to find something about certain characters--such as Beatrice, Viola, or Portia--that was able to distract me from the blatant discrimination against women. Despite facing their realities, Beatrice, Viola, and Portia were well-rounded and complete characters--at least to a certain extent.

That has not been the case in the history plays we've read. Although I Henry IV did not have woman as main character, I found that having Katherine as a "main" character in Henry V was more disturbing. In Katherine's few lines (act III scene IV: the one act she was primarily in) she speaks French. And while I also understand that this is her native language, and thus on the surface makes sense, the entire play is about the English trying to take over the French.

I cannot help but view Shakespeare's use of French as Henry "taking over" Katherine. Her entire character is based completely in her being a pawn in the war. She has no characteristics that make her her own person. She is simply there to advance the storyline surrounding men. I felt this way reading the play, but found it even more true when I watched the 1989 Kenneth Branagh production.When they showed Katherine in the production, she appeared almost childish--both in the way she was dressed and the way she acted. She ran around the room giggling in a manor that seemed to be degrading to her intelligence.

I think that an interesting way that could have helped make this play more inclusive would have been to make the chorus a woman. Women would not have been on the battlefield at this time, so a play centered on war doesn't have much of a place to incorporate a well-rounded woman. However, the primary purpose of the Chorus is to fill the audience in on plot holes, so I feel it would simply make sense that a woman of intelligence be able to fill said role.

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