Daughter of King Charles VI and Queen Isabel. Henry V requests her hand in marriage as part of the peace treaty at play’s end. She speaks with Henry in broken English, suspicious of his rhetoric and hesitant to accept his professions of love. She is betrothed to Henry with her parents’ blessing. She speaks with a French accent.
Katherine Quotes in Henry V
The Henry V quotes below are all either spoken by Katherine or refer to Katherine. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 5, Scene 2
Quotes
But, before God, Kate, I cannot look greenly nor gasp out my eloquence, nor have I no cunning in protestation; only downright oaths; which I never use till urged, nor never break for urging.
Your majestee ave fausse French enough to deceive de most sage demoiselle dat is en France.
Take her, fair son, and from her blood raise up
Issue to me; that the contending kingdoms
Of France and England, whose very shores look pale
With envy of each other’s happiness,
May cease their hatred.
Related Characters:
King Charles (speaker), Henry V, Katherine
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Katherine Character Timeline in Henry V
The timeline below shows where the character Katherine appears in Henry V. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 3, Prologue
...recounts, has delivered a message to Henry at Harfleur: King Charles offers Henry his daughter Katherine and a few scant, useless dukedoms as dowry. Refusing King Charles’ offer, Henry has launched...
(full context)
Act 3, Scene 4
In the French palace, Katherine asks her lady-in-waiting, Alice, in French, if Alice will give her an English lesson. Alice...
(full context)
Act 5, Scene 2
...Queen Isabel, bringing along Exeter, Bedford, Warwick, Gloucester, Clarence, and Westmoreland. The Duke of Burgundy, Katherine, and Alice are also present. King Charles and Queen Isabel welcome Henry warmly and the...
(full context)
Henry V tries to woo Katherine and the two engage in a comical exchange in French and English, with Alice attempting...
(full context)
...Bedford, Warwick, Gloucester, Clarence, and Westmoreland. The Duke of Burgundy asks Henry V about wooing Katherine and the two engage in an innuendo-laced exchange about courting tactics. King Charles announces that...
(full context)
