In Henry IV parts 1 and 2, Shakespeare portrays a young prince torn between royal responsibility and the temptations of his tavern drinking companions. In Henry V, that prince comes of age and leads an invasion of France, culminating in the battle of Agincourt, in which the underdog English army eke out a surprising victory.

The play ends in an uneasy peace, as the two nations are reconciled by Henry’s marriage to a French princess, while the Chorus explains that Henry’s son and successor ‘lost France, and made his England bleed.’

Despite its ambivalent representation of war, Henry V has often been appropriated for patriotic purposes, particularly during times of conflict. Though its lack of substantial female roles has made the play’s popularity intermittent on stage, the jingoistic speeches made by the king became part of a national vernacular for glorification of England, Britain, and the military.