the King of England. Differing from the prior two examples, he already possesses the highest possible social status. He is under no one in the public hierarchy. His questioning of the Archbishop of Canterbury with regards to France does place him on somewhat common ground with Malvolio and Macbeth. The entire theme of Henry V is about the implications of Henry’s quest for the French throne. Henry thinks long and hard about what the consequences of their going to war would be. When seeking counsel with the Archbishop, he asks, “May I with right and conscience take this claim?” (Henry V I.ii.98-99). He weighs the positives with the negatives and finally addresses his court and says, “For now we have no thought in us but France, Save those to God, that run before our business” (Henry V I.ii.315-316). He has given their war efforts and anyone who would dare try to stop them to God.At first glance it may appear that Henry falls into the same lot as Malvolio and Macbeth, but if one were to look further, he would realize that Henry is the King, that his desire to rule the throne of France is fully within his rights as King and that he is not overstepping any social bounds or breaking any social taboo laws. He is guilty of nothing, apart from the mens’ lives that will be lost in the war. A soldier in camp makes this clear when he talks to the King who is in disguise and says, “If the cause is not good, the King himself hath a heavy reckoning to make when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in a battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all ‘We died at such a place!’ some swearing, some crying for a surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their children rawly left” (Henry V IV.i.138-144).Henry considers this with a heavy heart, as any good king of England should do, and finally decides that it is bes...
