Tag Archives: Dauphin

I couldn’t help but get some similarities between the characters of Henry V and those of The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing.  Just as Beatrice in Much Ado echoed some of Kate in Taming, I think some of the characters in Henry V echo some of the previous characters as well.

For instance, the Dauphin reminds me somewhat of Claudio in Much Ado.  Claudio was very naive and quick to believe everything he heard.  The Dauphin has similar qualities.  He refers to Henry V as a “vain, giddy, shallow humorous youth” which undoubtedly he was once, but as we’ve seen in earlier acts, is no longer.  Earlier characters have spoke of Henry V with almost reverence, praising how well he’s slipped into the role of King despite his reckless past.  But the Dauphin refuses to listen to the newest information and latches onto only the info that gives him a right to talk badly about Henry.  Similarly, Claudio only had to listen to a tiny bit of information about Hero’s alleged infidelity to believe everything bad about her.

Even a minor character, the hostess, reminds me of previous characters.  Though she is married to Pistol, she has had a romantic past with Nim.  This arguing over a woman brings a strong reminder to everyone’s fascination with Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew.  And in her speech in Act 2, Scene 3, when she is speaking of Falstaff dying, she makes many malapropisms that remind me of Dogberry in Much Ado.

These reminders may be unintentional, but I think it shows how Shakespeare had recurring themes in his plays, despite how differently themed they are.  While Henry V reads more like an epic play, the fact that it can call up reminders of his earlier comedies differs Shakespeare’s writing from anyone else’s.