Shakespeare, Henry V and Deference to the Tudors in the Play and the Film

Of course, such a nod towards the ruling dynasty is no invention of Michaud's; writers and makers of meaning have resorted to this device since time immemorial. Shakespeare, too, when he seems to scold Henry V, on the one hand brings him closer to the common people, rendering an excellent service to his meagre biography, and on the other flatters the Tudors, winking, as it were, at the new dynasty, which both sounds and sparkles better than its predecessor and is, in general, quite unlike those dreadful Lancasters.

And it is quite obvious that, for the purposes of propaganda, it is not altogether convenient for one of the key historical figures of the Middle Ages to be charmed by the monarchical system.

Why did Shakespeare take such paths? First of all, because he wrote directly for the stage; these are not plays for reading. As for the film we have just watched, here, besides Shakespeare, a modern author of democratic convictions has undoubtedly had a hand in it.