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Shakespeare’s Henry the Fifth and the Law of War

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2017

Extract

William Shakespeare wrote during the Elizabethan Renaissance, a period of revived and intense interest in history. The Life of Henry the Fifth, written in 1599, one of Shakespeare’s histories, is a patriotic, epic portrayal of a phase in the bloody Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between England and France. It describes a medieval campaign led by a chivalrous and virtuous king, who could perhaps do wrong but not a great deal of wrong, and in which the few acting in a just cause defeat the many. In this play, Shakespeare relives past glories.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of International Law 1992

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