The Prince vs. Henry V

The Prince vs. enthalpy V A comparison of attri hardlyes After reading Machiavellis The Prince and watching Shakespe bes Henry V in class, one begins to notice similarities mingled with the authors creative thinker of what a perfect exponent should be. The patterns between the holy man ruler of Shakespeare and the ideal ruler of Machiavelli lot be captivaten in numerous instances through push through this story. For the duration of this essay, I will compare the similarities in both pieces to give the com manpowertator a damp understanding of how Shakespeare devised his view of what a perfect king should be.One stomach see an example while looking back on Henrys youthful experiences. Before taking oath as king, Henry was involved with some scrupulous characters. He would p fine arty, stay out all night, and defile his fathers wishes. But after nice king, Henry shunned this former lifestyle and become the individual of greatness we go to bed today. As Machiavelli stated, So a prince should be so prudent that he knows how to escape the evil re tackation attached to those vices which could lose him his state, and how to avoid those vices which are not so dangerous, if he possibly can but, if he cannot, he need not worry so much about the latter.And then, he must not flinch from universe blamed for vices which are necessary for safeguarding the state. This is because, taking everything into account, he will find that some of the things that appear to be virtues will, if he practices them, ruin him, and some of the things that appear wicked will select him security and prosperity. (Machiavelli) If looked at closely, this is exactly what Henry had done. He used this youthful expression to gain favor with the layperson and look yet off culmination when he took the throne.This act of smoke and mirrors worked to his advantage and backs up Machiavellis claims. As Machiavelli says, From this arises the following question Whether it is better to be lov ed than feared, or the reverse. The dish out is that one would like to be both the one and the other but because it is difficult to combine them, it is far better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both. (Machiavelli) During Henrys address at Harfleur, one can see this betoken in action.While speaking to the governor, Henry literally scares the people of Harfleur into forbearance and gains entry to the city without further fighting. This shows a definite similarity in what Machiavelli and Shakespeare view in their leader. As a king, Henry becomes known for being a man of resilience, strategy, and combat. These traits, according to Machiavelli, are necessary to become the ideal king. As stated by Machiavelli, a prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules. (Machiavelli) This can be seen when the Dauphin presents Henry with a gift of tennis balls and an insult speech practically telling him to stay out of grown mens affairs. This gives Henry the leverage he needs to start a war with France without looking like the instigator. He can now put the blame of war on the Dauphin and the many lives of whom will be killed. Henry uses this to move toward his strength and show his full potential. Another example can be seen when Henry has to go to Bardolph for plundering during the invasion of France.Years earlier, while crapulence in the tavern, Bardolph had asked Prince Henry this question, Do not thou, when thou art king, hang a thief? Prince Henry replied, No, thou shalt. (Branagh, Scofield and Holm) In this instance, one can see Henry is following his Machiavellian bearings. This can be shown in the following passage. Machiavelli states, The prince should nonetheless exonerate himself feared in such a dash that, if he is not loved, at least he escapes being dislike and the prince can always avoid hatred if he quit s from the appropriatety of his subjects and citizens and from their women.If, even so, it proves necessary to execute someone, this should be done only when there is proper justification and manifest reason for it. But above all, a prince should abstain from the property of others because men sooner forget the death of their father than the waiver of their patrimony. (Machiavelli) Bardolph had been warned of this many years earlier. Henry was just following up on this promise. For this last example, I will quote Machiavelli for almost the last time.He states, The incident is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. Therefore, if a prince wants to maintain his rule, he must learn how not to be virtuous, and to make use of this or not according to need. (Machiavelli) This can be seen on the night before the last battle. Henry disguises himself as a rough-cut soldier by borrowing Erpinghams cloak and spyin g on his legions. Henry does this to ensure his troops are mentally prepared and in high morale.What he finds is a mixed morale within his troops and makes him prepare even harder for the upcoming battle. Henry uses this cloak as a tool to find the weaknesses in his army and then exploits them with his inspiring speech before the battle begins. This Machiavellian act could have been the turning point and major reason they won against an outnumbering, French army. As seen throughout the film, the similarities between Machiavellis ideal prince and Shakespeares perfect king are too many to count.A blend of old and new attributes created this timeless character in which we are still learning from today. One can only promise the few examples given will give the reader a better understanding of were Shakespeare derives his perfect, Machiavellian king from. To finish, a famous quote from Machiavelli, The end justifies the means. (Machiavelli) Works Cited Henry V. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Pe rf. Kenneth Branagh, et al. 1989. Machiavelli, Niccolo. Selections from The Prince. Matthews, Roy T and F DeWitt Platt. Readings in the Western Humanities. Vol. II. young York McGraw-Hill, 2011. 18-21.