In Henry V, Shakespeare presents the king as a man exceptionally skilled in the use of language and politics. Henry conquers France in a relatively short time with a small army, and after his victory declares: "Let Non nobis and Te Deum be sung", (IV.viii.123), indicating his desire to give to God all credit for defeating the French. Given Henry's Machiavellian mode of kingship, however, his actual religious conviction may be questioned. Since his power as King of England comes from the divine right of kings, he needs God to be on his side to maintain legitimacy, and this concept is all the more important in his case due to the fact that he inherited the crown from a deposer. To strengthen his legitimacy, Henry poses as a pious king and through his language presents the idea that God fights for England, but only invokes the deity when it suits his purpose. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the beginning of the play, Henry uses religion as the basis for his desired conquest as he questions the clergy about the legality of his claims in France. When he asks: "Can I make this statement with right and conscience?" (I.ii.96) the Archbishop provides him with a biblical reference from the book of Numbers as proof that his claims are legitimate. Henry then goes on to subtly invoke God in his language of conquest as he asks for "the help of God" (I.ii.222) and the "grace of God" (I.ii.262) to accompany him in his quest for the throne of France . . After receiving the insulting gift from the Dauphin, Henry's determination to invade France becomes even stronger, but he still puts God first in his language. He commands his nobles to mobilize their forces so that: "God first / We will rebuke this dolphin at his father's door." (I.ii.308) With God established as his forerunner, Henry is ready to make his way into France as if on a holy crusade. Men will be more willing to die for their king if his cause is favored by God and is not simply a boy's quarrel between rival princes. Henry plays on his subjects' religious belief in his rousing and charismatic battle speeches. The first verbal spark that Henry uses to incite his troops is his speech before Harfleur when he tells his men to assume the guise of war. After calling upon the warrior within them, Henry gives his men a battle cry that calls upon God in his name: "Cry, 'God for Harry, England, and St. George!'" (III.i.34) Henry chooses carefully his words so that they have the weight and effect he desires. In this case, he wants his countrymen to believe that God is on their side, making their cause righteous, and he also wants to personalize himself to his laypeople by calling himself Harry instead of his royal title. From the soldiers' perspective, they are fighting a divinely sanctioned war with their friend Harry at the helm, and their leader knows how to strengthen their spirits when necessary. Sick, tired and outnumbered, the small band of English soldiers begins to despair when Exeter declares the odds as "...five to one" in favor of the French who "...are all fresh" (IV.iii.4 ). Sensing Westmerland's desire for reinforcements, Henry is forced to motivate his troops, and does so by sanctifying the battle scene. Although St. Crispin is only the patron saint of shoemakers and is not part of the canon of major Christian figures, Henry uses his holiday to bring a sense of nobility to the fight. The king tells his troops that they will always remember Crispiano's feast asa day when their courage was tested. Instead of simply remembering the battle as if it occurred on October 25, the soldiers' memories will remember that they fought on a day that honors a Christian martyr, which makes their sacrifice all the more honorable because it has religious significance.implications. This speech is essentially pure propaganda, because Henry is summoning an old-fashioned saint to sanctify his bloody conquest in the eyes of his followers. Westmerland's change of heart is indicative of the success of the king's words as he does an about-face from wanting reinforcements to exclaiming, "God's will, my lord, you and I alone, / Without further help, we could fight this battle royal !" (IV.iii.75). With his timely religious language, Henry motivates his beleaguered "band of brothers" to face the massive French army with renewed vigor fueled by the sanctity their king imparts to the day and their cause. Henry ends the scene with his final religious plea: "And as you wish, God, arrange the day!" (IV.iii.134). This cry transforms the conflict into a combat test like that at the beginning of Richard II, in which the fighter who is right will win because he has God on his side, and if the soldiers follow this logic, then their cause can be considered just because it was God who chose the winner. Although these speeches are examples of Henry's public use of religion, he makes an important supplication to God in a private soliloquy in the first scene of Act IV. At this particular point in the play, Henry recalls his father's ascension to the throne with a sense of foreboding as he pleads with God to "...think not of the fault / That my father has committed in enclosing the crown!" (IV.i.294). Although it seems like an honest prayer to heaven, this speech has a certain hollow ring to it. For a start, it is in verse, which suggests that the language is ambiguous, and Henry's efforts to exonerate Richard consist of a series of quantitative measures devoid of moral quality and direct participation on the part of the king himself. Henry states: "I have five hundred poor people in yearly wages, who twice a day lift up their withered hands to heaven, to pardon the blood; and I have built two places, where the sad and solemn priests still sing for Richard's soul ". (IV.i.298-302) These efforts, while appearing sincere, are essentially an attempt on the part of the wily king to set a price for pardoning his father's transgression which Henry so dubiously calls "sympathetic," and though this speech is made in private, all the complaints he describes are visible to his subjects. Any Englishman who remembers that Bullingbrook usurped Richard will see that his heir is making a costly effort to ask for forgiveness. By manipulating the Christian doctrine of forgiveness, Henry is once again trying to establish a legitimate foundation for his kingship in the wake of his father's questionable actions. Despite his lack of honest religious conviction, Henry's skill as a military king makes him a successful conqueror and the outnumbered English conquer France, and the king is quick to credit God with the victory. As soon as Montjoy tells Henry that he has won the battle, he states, "Praise God, and not our strength, for this!" (IV.vii.88), which leads to Henry's insinuation that the battle was a religious test by combat in which the English were fair to completion. Throughout the play he has asserted the rightness of his cause, and with a decisive victory it is easy for Henry to consolidate his claim to divine legitimacy. Any ordinary Christian soldier would certainly have strengthened his faith by the words and triumph of his king. ...Take it, God,., 1997.