Shakespeare's Henry V, is the violent tale of deception and war of one of the playwright's most long-lived characters. Henry, or "Hal" as he was called in Henry IV, is a young man troubled with the death of his father, external and internal pressures wishing to take advantage of his youth and his rather bawdy past. He must bring the country together through a force of his will, personality, and a unifying enemy - France. Beset by challenges of politics, personality, and his court, Shakespeare's Henry V is a king who governs with a fist, a very Machiavellian prince.
