Catherine

Catherine is the daughter of the king of France, who eventually marries King Harry in King Henry V. In scene 5.2, Catherine’s true colors come through as she accepts Harry’s proposal of marriage (in a very roundabout way). She has already been introduced earlier, but only appeared in one scene. This time, she has center stage. She really does not talk much, in comparison with Harry, but certainly says enough for audiences to understand her. She acts coy, and because she cannot speak good English, must have an interpreter. This serves to compliment Harry because it shows how he really can speak fluent French. This scene also shows Harry’s human, personal side. By being the object of his love, Catherine’s role in this scene is to allow this side of Harry to shine through and to draw his personality out. In the play, her dramatic function is to provide some comedy (through her bad attempts to speak English), to allow the side of Harry the man versus Harry the king and soldier to come out, and to introduce romance to the play. Thematically, her role is to bring up the issue of whether Harry will be a good ruler for France or not, to also reinforce the theme of Harry the man (not just a “king”), and to show Harry’s superiority of sorts, as seen by his humbleness and mastery of the French language.

Fluellen

Fluellen is a captain of the English army under King Harry in King Henry V. He is a Welshman. In scene 3.3 of the play, Fluellen is introduced and right away establishes his temper and accent! In this particular scene, his role seems to be to give the audience some insight as to the “warfare” oart of the play 9one of its essential themes) and expose the small factions and fights between nationalities (Scot, Welsh, Irish, etc.) that could become a major source of contention, but do not. He also gives the audience some comic relief with his extreme accent and bobmastic character qualities. He almost gets into it with MacMorris, but he shows restraint and calmness when necessary. His dramatic function in the play as a whole seems to be to add comedy and diversity to the play, as well as allowing some explanation for the audience as to what is going on in the war, and to give them a different perspective, from a higher ranking officer in the army, than just King Harry’s view. Thematically, he reinforces the idea of King Harry’s ability to command respect of and unify various peoples from various nationalities. He also provides some contrast to King Harry’s character and temperament, allowing audiences to better understand both characters. Fluellen is both lovable and laughable, and arrg, a better man you’ll not be seein’ too soon, lass!