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Henry Vâs inept manner of courtship, though successful as far as the French princess is concerned, has been unlucky in its appeal to critics of literature. Doctor Johnson disliked its âmilitary grossnessâ ; to Swinburne it had âthe savour rather of a ploughman than a princeâ ; Mark Van Doren was reminded of a âhearty undergraduate with enormous initials on his chestâ; and John Palmer found in Henryâs tonduct the undesirable characteristics which âare most admired in the legendary Englishman.âl Such strictures have been, however, less convincing than the practical observation that âthe wooing scene itself . . . must have been enough to float the play.âe Proof of the episodeâs unusual appeal is to be found in the enduring popularity of its comic theme: the difficulties of the bluff soldier in relationship with women. For it is not as a âlegendary Englishmanâ that Henry proposes to Katherine. His ineptness in courtship is constantly related to the conventional soldierly temperament. âI speak to thee plain soldier,â he tells the princess; and again, âtake me, take a soldier.â8 The very outset of the wooing stresses the plain soldierâs inability to command the niceties of language. âFair Katherine, and mQst
Modern Language Quarterly: A Journal of Literary History – Duke University Press
Published: Jan 1, 1950
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