Dating
Scholars are fairly certain that Henry V was written in early 1599 as it clearly refers to the events of that year; specifically, Queen Elizabeth’s dispatch of an expedition to Ireland:
As by a lower but high-loving likelihood,
Were now the General of our gracious Empress
As in good time he may - from Ireland coming,
Bringing rebellion broached on his sword,
How many would the peaceful city quit
To welcome him!
Act 5, Scene 1
At this point in history, England was colonising Ireland, resulting in Irish rebellion. Robert, Earl of Essex, was sent in order to put down an uprising led by the Irish Earl of Tyrone. Unfortunately for Robert, his expedition failed. Despite this, the play captures the nationalist fervour of England upon Robert’s departure.
The text
Shakespeare wrote Henry V at a time when Henry plays were in vogue. Between 1587 and 1596, three Henry V plays were performed, making Henry V the fourth.
Henry V was first published in three different quarto editions, in 1600, 1602, and 1619 (a Quarto text was a smaller, cheaper printed edition). The second and third quartos are both believed to have been based on the first quarto, which was most likely a reconstructed version of the play. The quartos are half as long as the folio edition and were possibly based on the memories of an actor who had originally performed in it.
The 1600 first edition was not true to the performance, as parts had been cut out that could be considered ‘unpatriotic’. The 1623 Folio version, however, is considered to be the better version of the script and what scholars have based modern editions of Henry V on.
The 1623 Folio version of Henry V is believed to have been based on Shakespeare’s ‘foul papers’, i.e. his original draft of the play. It is much longer and includes multiple speeches that do not appear in the original Quarto publication, including the famous ‘once more unto the breach’ speech (Act 3, Scene 1). The folio version is considered to be authoritative and is the basis for modern editions of Henry V.
Shakespeare consciously draws on the epic genre as the main storytelling device of Henry V. He may have been inspired by the publishing of George Chapman’s Seven Books of the Iliads of Homer in 1598, one year before Henry V was first performed. The story of Homer’s Iliad was the first epic in the Western world, inspiring a genre that exists to this day. An epic tells the story of grand and heroic events that are significant to the development of a nation’s culture. Keeping with the epic theme, Henry V tells a story of war and Englishness, incorporating elements of a vast setting, the invocation of a muse, and divine intervention in human affairs.
History of a history
Shakespeare sets his play during a period in the Middle Ages known as the Hundred Years’ War, spanning from 1337-1453, when England and France fought for the French throne. The Hundred Years’ War is most famous for the story of Joan of Arc, although this occurred at the end of the period. The war was based on a dynastic disagreement; England argued that they had right to France as when William the Conqueror took England in 1066, he still held the Duchy of Normandy. Shakespeare used Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles (1587) as his source, a book which provided him with the stories he used for his History Plays.
Henry’s involvement in the war began in 1399 when he decided to claim his right to the French throne by marching on France. Shakespeare’s play, however, rewrites much of the history. Unlike in the play, Charles VI, the King of France, was considered insane. Also, during the Battle of Agincourt scene, there is no mention of the tactics used to win the war, such as the use of longbows. By showing an alternative history, Shakespeare's play makes Henry’s victory seem all the more spectacular.
