Illuminate and contrast with the main story line Essay

The Subplot: Consider the significance of the subplot and examine Shakespeare’s dramatic use of it to illuminate and contrast with the main story line. Shakespeare uses the subplot in many ways; it both accents the main story line and reminds the audience of Henry’s tainted past. The subplot helps to dramatise the play through contrasting moods and movement from one view point to another, therefore this the play can be seen on many levels. This also helps to give a rounded view of events, and through comedy, acts as a form of light relief from the tension that the main plot provides, and also gives the audience a better insight into the characters and what public view is on events. This gives his character’s depth and believability because they are seen from different perspectives. Through the subplot Shakespeare has also found a vehicle to show the story line in a simple way, and it gives everyone a character that they can relate to. This means that the plays are more attractive and therefore appeal to a wider audience. The subplot helps Shakespeare to put across his message on many levels, while developing the characters and increasing the audience’s comprehension of the play. Henry V was written at a time where the people of Britain were very undecided over going to war and this served as a reminder of Britain’s courage and valour. The play was written for the purpose of conveying a perfect monarch, and trying to create the same feeling about Elizabeth I. Shakespeare also made the attempt to create a sense that unity is possible after disparity and it would therefore create a feeling of optimism among the people who saw the play. The characters that Shakespeare uses in the subplot are the lowlife companions of Henry’s youth. They are mainly cowardly thief’s, who only go to war to steal; yet we find out in a speech by the Boy that they are not talented thieves, as they sell things they have stolen for less than they are worth; â€Å"They will steal anything, and call it purchase. † (III. 2) Later in the play, Bardolf is hung because he stole from a church. This action by the King helps him to remove himself, and prove that he has moved on from his earlier antics with this group of drunken thieves. Consequently this proves Henry to be a changed king, the subplot and its characters help to show Henry as a politically good and law-abiding king. This helps to dramatise the play as Henry is now seen as a pure and judgmental king who holds the law above friendship, through this he proves that he is not a tyrant. We also see this character trait in Act One Scene Two, when he is spoken to by the French Ambassador who asks whether he can speak freely and repeat the words of the Dauphin without fear of being killed for what he has said, Henry replies to this; â€Å"We are no Tyrant, but a Christian King† (I. II) This shows how he respects that he is not above the law. He sees himself and wants to be a great King, he associates being a Tyrant as not being Christian, he throughout the play shows himself to be a Christian King. Although the common interpretation of Henry is that he is a brave, modest, focused, and humorous King is hotly contested as some people interpret him as a deeply controversial King and there are many contradictions in his actions and morals. He is depicted as a gallant, courageous and non-aggressive King, yet he invades a defenceless country and kills thousands of innocent people. He also punishes many of his former friends, while he takes no responsibility for the anguish and bloodshed that he has created. Overall Henry is a controversial king and the subplot remind the viewer that he is not a wholly moral person. The sub plot gives the play structure and serves to give light relief and to give time for the other characters to costume change, so that the characters can change into armour for the battles and such like. It is used as light relief as the tension cause by war, politics and death would not be as effective as it gives the audience a comic break form the serious tone of the main plot. Even the main characters contribute to the comic side to the play as Henry plays a trick on Williams, this also gives the character of henry a human side by showing that he seeks humour. We see the characters of the sub plot linked with Henry in their reason for going to war, Henry goes to gain land and returns with a wife. The low lives go to war to make money as they have lost the man who provided for them, yet most of them don’t return. Pistol, the only lasting survivor of henrys drinking companions returns to London no better of than when he left, and returns to the underworld. Henry returns in glory, and complete success, yet the chorus reminds the audience at the end that everything that was fought for was lost when Henrys son came to power. The sub plot puts the main story line into unsophisticated terms and this helps the main plot and themes to be transmitted to the audience. We see the characters that are involved in the sub plot, as cowardly and pathetic men who will do anything to remove themselves from danger. This is shown in Act Two Scene One when there is threat of a fight between Bardolf Pistol and Nym, yet none of them have the courage to take the first strike. At war they are also hesitant when it  comes to going into battle, Nym is the first in Scene Three Act Two. He is particularly ungallant and this in contrast to Henry’s courageous speech shows both the reality of war as the looters are part of the process of war, and that these men are cowards and this in comparison magnifies the image of Henry V as a good and virtuous King. â€Å"Pray thee, Corporal, stay – the knocks are too hot,† (III. II, Nym) This in contrast to the king’s actions, makes Henry seem brave and courageous, and helps to prove him as a reformed character, as opposed to the character that is presented of him in Henry IV part One and Two, where he is a man who fraternises with Falstaff, Bardolf, Pistol and Nym who are presented as a low life, drunkard, and cowardly. The sub plot exhibits this through the Dauphin and his criticism of Henry as an immature King who they should expect very little from. These characters help to epitomise Henry as a new man and helps the audience to remove the negative image of Henry’s past. The low life’s show the negative side of war as they are not there because they want to fight and die in glory for England. They are there to make money as Falstaff, who provided for them, is now dead. The characters represent the common man and how they struggle to survive, especially in act V where Pistol is forced to eat a leek. Fluellen is speaking in prose and this therefore shows that it is no longer language that proves achievement in life but it is his manner, valour in battle and patriotism. This is critical of Pistol as it shows how he has fallen, at the start of the play he speaks in blank verse, through the middle of the play he has spoken in blank verse as he has gone to war and is fighting for his country but when the war is over he returns to prose this shows that he has not gained from the war, and that even though he has been fighting for England he has not improved in character. Pistol is the only one of the lowlife characters that alternates between blank verse and prose, this reveals his boastfulness as a masquerade of bravery. Through this parody, we see that he is trying to be more than he is capable. The change in the style of his language suggests that war can give people a chance to be better people and breaks a chance for accelerated status, the change in Pistols language suggests that he is effected by the war but only in the short term. Henry V can also rotate between blank verse and prose this shows that he can move on many different levels, it reminds of his past and shows how he is changed. He speaks in prose when he is in disguise talking to the soldiers, and when he is speaking with Katherine. Even when Henry does speak in prose it is structured, it also gives him a chance to show what he believes truly. In his time in disguise he creates another sub plot between himself and Williams. In this sub plot we see a contrast between ideas, the ideal of kingship and that of Williams as the ordinary plainspoken Englishman. Henry moves between styles easily, and his speech has as much impact in both forms. The war gives the play a serious undertone and makes the play more real and therefore more dramatic, this accents the main story line as it backs up the idea of the hardship felt by the soldiers; â€Å"My people are with sickness much enfeebled, My numbers are lessened, and those few I have Almost no better than so many French;† Even Henry admits that they are weak, this is also backed up by the French’s point of view even though it is very over confident they call the English army; â€Å"beggared host,†¦. life so lifeless as it shows itself† The confidence of the French is massively over established and their irony contrasts with the English feelings about the battle. This is also contrasted with the English as they are rallied together by a speech made by Henry. The speech henry is sceptical about the battle, this is shown as he does not say that they are going to win, he says that they will be remembered for fighting but not because they won. He says that he is not motivated but money but by honour, and he is fighting to gain honour. He is sceptical because he doesn’t mention winning but only what will come from the battle. The sub plot contributes to the dramatic undertones, because throughout the play they are very sceptical about what is going to happen, this links them to Henry yet they deal with this emotion in different ways. Pistol thinks highly of the monarch yet he refers to him as a ‘bully’ this may mean that Pistol is very conscious that you have no choice, that all must follow him and that there is no choice in the matter. this contrasts with the main story line as most are willing to do as he says because it is the patriotic thing to do. The sub plot is an important factor in the play and therefore contributes vastly to the play as it creates another angle in the play and the plot is told from the common mans point of view. The sub plot is significant because it provides another layer to the play and creates a new level on which the audience can view the characters. Not only does it assist the portrayal of well developed and rounded characters, it gives the common a character that they can relate to as a soldier and a man who is ruled over, this helps to make the audience appreciate the play as the more involved they are in the plot the more they will be able to appreciate the complex story line and themes throughout the play. The Sub plot characters are those that featured in Henrys past, not only does this give the play a link to Henry IV part one and part two, it gives the audience a reminder of Henry’s tainted past. This provides a contrast for Henry’s change in character between the past and the present, this highlights the way that he is now a new person and has now got totally new ideals. The sub plot also illuminates the reality of war and the earnest and sombre undertone provided and the way that all the boys were killed. The sub plot is used to accent the main plot in many ways both in contrast and support.