FREE ESSAY ON HENRY V AND FLASHBACKS

HENRY V AND FLASHBACKS

In Henry V there are three flashbacks, which help the audience understand Henry and the
plot better. The three flashbacks are the scene with Henry and Falstaff, Henry and
Bardolph, and the scene at the castle in England where there is a constant flow of images
in which Henry is recollecting the past events in the movie.
These three flashbacks display a great deal of information that the play did not give to
its readers. The first scene was with Henry and Falstaff drinking and having a good time.
It was used to show that Henry got along with the common people and in addition it also
how Henry cared about how his subjects thought about him. Falstaff died of a broken
heart. He died because during Henry's coronation, Henry disregarded Falstaff as if he
never existed. Henry could not be friends with Falstaff when he was crowned king due to
the fact that Falstaff was not a noble person to have around because criminals constantly
surrounded him. As a result Henry chose his thrown over his family.
The second flashback showed the just side of Henry. Bardolph was also friends with Henry
while Henry was a prince. They drank alcohol and partied till dawn, always having a good
time. However, when they reached France to battle, Bardolph began to steal from the
French and as a result he had to be hanged because of that. The flashback was set up in
one of the parties that Henry had with Bardolph, Nym, Pistol, and Falstaff. Bardolph told
Henry that when he becomes a king never to hang a thief. Henry's response was that he
will never hang a thief but Bardolph will. What Henry actually meant was that the actions
of the thief such as Bardolph would get himself killed. This showed how Henry was just
because he did not care about the status of any of his soldiers, if they broke any laws
than they would get punished with the full severity of the law. 
The third flashback was not concentrated on a specific event, but rather on a stream of
images that was in the movie. It was set up in the castle when the King of France was
signing the treaty with England. It showed what Henry and his men had to go through to
attain France and now they were relieved that their hard work had paid off. Now Henry can
rule both France the same way he is ruling England. This scene shows how Henry is pleased
that the killings have stopped and now he is looking forward to ruling both lands. 
These flashbacks are definitely needed for today's audience because they contain a great
deal of information that could help the viewer understand the play. For instance I did
not know how close Henry was to Falstaff and Bardolph. The flashbacks helped me to see
how close of friends they were and how just Henry was during his reign. Without the
flashbacks I would have never known how close these three men were and how Henry was just
by treating all his servants equally.
I my self would use more of flashbacks to give more information to the viewers. A
flashback that I would use would be of Edward the Black and his destruction of France. I
would use the flashback in Act II Scene IV where the king of France is talking to the
Dauphin and the Constable of France about the destruction brought about by Edward. This
flashback would show the reason as to why so many feared Edward the Black in France