Henry V

by William Shakespeare

Henry V: Genre 1 key example

New! Understand every line of Henry V.
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Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

In the First Folio, Shakespeare’s plays are divided into three categories: histories, tragedies, and comedies. Henry V is a history play, and like Shakespeare’s other history plays, it depicts the life of a medieval king whose actions shaped British history. As its title suggests, this play concerns the life and reign of King Henry V in the period leading up to and during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. This battle marked a significant military victory for the English over the French in the early stages of the Hundred Years War, a long and bloody struggle for power between the French and English monarchies over control of the French throne.