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Essay: Explore Rep. of Nation and Nationality in Shakespeare’s Henry V:Fluellen, Jamy and Macmorris

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  • Published: 23 March 2023*
  • Last Modified: 22 July 2024
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  • Words: 731 (approx)
  • Number of pages: 3 (approx)
  • Tags: Shakespeare essays

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Paste your essay in here…As the story of Henry V concerns the war between England and France, the concept of nation and national identities is an important theme throughout the play. Not only are the English and the French depicted, Henry’s captains are used to represent the different nations that make up the British.
It is typical of Shakespeare to use characters to represent the different levels of society through their social standing, and the captains link to this idea. Although they are part of the English army, three of them are not English, they are Welsh, Irish and Scottish, and all three characters speak using distinct accents. Thus the different countries in the play are represented by the captains, and their presence in the army has been described as representing a ‘proto-British’ union, in a way that predates the formation of the United Kingdom.

Fluellen, is the captain from Wales and is the most prominent of the four. It is commonly pointed out that he has a heavy accent in the text (for example ‘pig’ for ‘big’, IV.VII.13), to which means he is sometimes laughed at by other characters. However this character is not just used as comedic releif and he is shown to be a loyal and brave soldier, with the Henry himself saying ‘Though it appear a little out of fashion, / There is much care and valour in this Welshman.’ (IV.I.84-85)

Fluellen talks about celebrating St David’s Day (a traditional Welsh festival on 1st March), and he is also associated with leeks (a symbol of Wales.) One of the English soldiers, Pistol, mocks him for this but is punished at the end of the play by Fluellen beating him and making him eat a leek:
Fluellen: If you can mock a leek, you can eat a leek. (V.I.38-39)
Fluellen is therefore shown as being proud of his Welsh background, and after the victory at Agincourt he tells the king:
Fluellen: By Jeshu, I am your majesty’s countryman, I care not who know it. (IV.VII.110-111)

In contrast to Fluellen,Captain Macmorris the Irish captain has a smaller part in the play but is famous for the line ‘Of my nation? What ish my nation? […] Who talks of my nation?’ (III.II.124-126) , Macmorris is also depicted as a loyal supporter of Henry, like the other captains, this is interesting as during this period the Irish were viewed as savage and barbaric. Macmorris’ accent is also very distinguishable from that of the english.

Compared to the others Captain Jamy only has a few lines, and is vastly underdeveloped especially in comparison with Fluellen, who is another nationality that make up Henry’s army. He is written with a heavy Scottish accent: ‘I’ll dae guid service, or I’ll lig i’ the grund for it’ (III.II.116-117), but again is shown as being loyal to the army.
The only English captain depicted in the play is Captain Gower who is portrayed as more reserved than the others. He and Fluellen often appears together, suggesting how the soldiers of different nationalities worked together.

As the play is about the famous English victory over the French lead by a famous King, Henry V has often been regarded as a play ‘about Englishness’. It could be then be easily assumed that the English are the heroes of the story, however the characterisation of the English is not all positive. Before the battle the soldiers are shown as being afraid and also engage in criminal actions such as stealing. Therefore the portrayal of the English is not all heroic, and Henry’s actions themselves are often ruthless for example, when he orders the soldiers to kill their prisoners in Act IV.

Just as the depiction of the English is not all positive, neither is
the depiction of the French entirely negative. When the French herald, Montjoy, is polite when speaking to Henry, and is given money by Henry for delivering a message. Even so, the English army routinely voice negative opinions about France and the Dauphin’s insulting of Henry is shown as being careless ‘And tell the pleasant Prince this mock of his / […] mock mothers from their sons, mock castles down, / And some are yet ungotten and unborn / That shall have cause to curse the Dauphin’s scorn. (I.II.282-289)’

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