Week V: A Weak Man, Or A God?

When Caesar was offered the crown for the third time, and refused it, according to Casca, the crowd "...uttered such a deal of stinking breath..." which caused Caesar to swoon. This supports Cassius's option that Caesar is a weak man, not a god like the people say. Caesar being offered the crown, and then him falling, foreshadows what is to come later in the play; he is offered a crown, then he falls to the ground in a seizure, the people make him dictator for life, then he gets assassinated.
Cassius says that Caesar does not have the "falling sickness" but they (Cassius, Brutus, and Casca) do.
I, like Casca, "...know not what you mean by that..."       

Week V: Friend and Adviser

Antony's relationship with Caesar seems to me a close one. He appears to be one of Caesar's top men, as well as a close friend. Caesar comes to him for advice on Cassius, and Antony's opinion was "He's not dangerous." and "He is a noble Roman..." 

Peace Through Submission

Henry's method for France's acquisition of peace was to "...buy that peace with full accord to all our just demands...", an answer in step with his threatening statements subsequently in the Scene.

Mirror of all Christian kings? Or Mirror of all Christian kings?

In the prologue of Act II, the Chorus calls Henry "...the mirror of all christian kings...", but does Henry live up to this statement? Firstly, "the mirror of all christian kings" has a double meaning. What exactly does this mean? It can mean Henry is either the mirror image of all christian kings, the opposite, or, it can convey Henry as a prime example of a christian king.
Now, in order to better answer the question let us look at some of the things Henry did during the play.
In Act I, Canterbury convenes Henry to invade France by bending the laws, and by the promise of  a substantial bribe from the church, a bribe Henry accepts. When Henry gets to France, his army is outnumbered five to one. He encourages his discouraged men by walking among them "...and calls them brothers, friends, and countrymen." He gives them rousing speeches, and declares a greater share of honor for every man fighting in the battle because there are so few.
During the course of the battle, some of the french solders break off from the main battle, go into the English camp and proceed to slaughter all the pages. Henry, on hearing this, orders his men to "...cut the throats of those we have, and not a man of them that we shall take shall taste our mercy." But very soon after that, when Henry learned that he controlled the battlefield, he immediately praised God for the victory. When Henry returned to England, the Chorus states that he refused to "...have borne his bruisèd helmet and his bended sword before him through the city." Instead: "Giving full trophy, signal, and ostent quite from himself, to God." But when he returned to France to marry the french princess Katherine, Henry threatened to sack more french towns if the king did not allow him to marry Katherine.
Judging from Henry's actions and deeds, he seems to at times a prime example of a christian king, and at others more like "Alexander the Pig".
It is my conclusion that Henry, though coming close at times, is not the mirror of all christian kings in the sense of being a prime example of a christian king, and neither is he the opposite, but falls squarely in between.    

The Ignorance of Pistol

Pistol's lack of french is quite apparent when reading through Act IV, Scene IV. He mistakes the french word moi for a unit of currency and makes feeble attempts to speak french; "Owy, cuppele gorge, permafoy..." This scene helps to reinforce the feeling of confusion in a battle between two peoples who speak different languages. It is interesting to note that Pistol's way of treating his french prisoner is surprisingly more merciful than Henry's; for while Pistol made threats, Henry really did kill his prisoners, all of them in fact.

A Horse Among Beasts

The Dauphin's attitude toward his horse was an enthusiastic one, comparing him to Pegasus, and calling him
"... a horse, and all other jades you may call beasts." The Dauphin loves his horse, but his fellow French men seem to grow weary of his constant stream of praise for his horse. When the Dauphin joined their  conversation saying, "My lord of Orleans, and my Lord High Constable, you talk of horse and armor?" you can almost hear the sigh in the lord Orleans's reply, "You are as well provided of both as any prince." Despite this, Orleans seems to have some respect for Dauphin, for he calls him "...a gallant prince." and "the most active gentleman in France." Whereas the Constable appears to comparing the Dauphin to the devil when he said, "...there stands your friend for the devil."   

Henry V Lesson II, Thought Question 7

The Boy wished to leave the company of Nym, Bardolf, and Pistol because they were to have him picking other people's pockets, "which makes much against my manhood". Also, "There villainy goes against my weak stomach, and therefore I must cast it up." It is my opinion that these are very good reasons for which to leave you present company. 

This Boy's character reminds me of William Wallace, the Boy was brave like Wallace, as well as loyal to his country.