King Henry

This is my final contribution to the Shakespeare Challenge for April; the theme is patriotism within Henry V. Easy enough to shoot an image of my cat - who goes by the name of Henry but a bit more challenging to add in the Union Jack. Strictly speaking, this is not a correct image as it's the front of a T-shirt I bought to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee a while ago to wear for all those tea-parties where accuracy was less important than cheapness! (Then I also did my nails in red, white & blue but this would not have gone down well today at work!)

Back to Henry V......

He was born 16 September 1386 and King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. After his father's death (Henry IV), Henry V rapidly took control of the country and embarked on war with France in the on-going Hundred Years' War (1337 - 1453) between the two nations. His military successes culminated in his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt (1415) and saw him come close to conquering France. Following Henry V's sudden and unexpected death in France two years later, he was succeeded by his infant son, who reigned as Henry VI (1421 - 1471).

Henry V features in three plays by William Shakespeare, both the two Henry IV plays and as a decisive leader in Henry V. Henry's epithet the 'Star of England', originated in the epilogue of Shakespeare's Henry V, when the Chorus states: “in that small [time] most greatly lived this star of England...”
Henry V is a history play written in approximately 1599. It focusses on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt. This play is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. The original audiences would therefore have been familiar with the title character, who had become a mature man and embarked on a successful conquest of France.
‘Men of few words are the best men’. (My Henry doesn't say much either!)
‘You may as well say, that’s a valiant flea that dare eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion’. No flea dare settle on this particular Henry either.