This paper will demonstrate that honour and law were the basis not only of the war, but also of the English nation that is gradually forged in Shakespeare's Henry V. The fact that Henry V explicitly thanks God only after winning the battle is the sign that England is not really elect. However, it is said to be so by a clever king who knows how important the socially-binding element of religion is for his soldiers and subjects. For the nation to be born, then, Shakespeare acknowledges the importance of the use of religion as a political means of government, but not as a legitimate cause to wage (inevitably civil) wars.

Shakespeare’s “Quarrel Honourable” and Gentili’s “Iusta Contentio”. Henry V and the Forging of the Nation

Cristiano Ragni
2016-01-01

Abstract

This paper will demonstrate that honour and law were the basis not only of the war, but also of the English nation that is gradually forged in Shakespeare's Henry V. The fact that Henry V explicitly thanks God only after winning the battle is the sign that England is not really elect. However, it is said to be so by a clever king who knows how important the socially-binding element of religion is for his soldiers and subjects. For the nation to be born, then, Shakespeare acknowledges the importance of the use of religion as a political means of government, but not as a legitimate cause to wage (inevitably civil) wars.
2016
Shakespeare
Henry V
Just War
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1056075
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