No. Nor it is not meet he should. For through I speak it to you, I think the king is but a man as I am. The violet smells to him as it doth to me. The element shows to him as it doth to me. All his senses have but human conditions. His ceremonies laid by, in his nakedness he appears but a man; and though his affections are higher mounted than ours, yet when they stoop they stoop with the like wing. Therefore when he sees reason of fears as we do, his fears, out of doubt, be of the same relish as ours are. Yet in reason no man should possess him with any appearance of fear, lest he by showing it should dishearten his army.
The King is but a Man
"For though I speak it
to you, I think the king is but a man as I am. The violet smells to him
as it doth to me" (IV.I.96-98).
In Shakespeare's King
Henry V, the King assumes the role of a soldier and speaks to members
of his army in order to rally his troops into fighting a courageous battle.
He bestows passion into his soldiers fighting and delivers reasons for
success by going undercover and pointing out to a few soldiers that whatever
they are going through, he is there too. He creates the idea that the king
is with them in their suffering and that the king is right beside them
in battle. This brings him down to their level, making it clear that he
is not just going into battle solely for his own personal gain. King Henry
is fighting for their country and the future of the soldiers. This makes
the men fight harder by providing a prize to be won and a leader to fight
beside. He understands that soldiers talk, and hopes that by putting this
idea into a few soldiers' minds it will spread like fire. King Henry
V shows that he is a worthy leader who understands the complexities
of a king by not being too proud to live at the same level of his soldiers.
As the disguised Henry happens upon Williams and Bates, he knows that, as king, he fails to get true input of what they are thinking and feeling from his soldiers. Therefore, Henry pretends to be a common soldier, because he wishes to know what the soldiers think about him. He chose Williams and Bates because they fit every description of the "common soldier". He realizes that if he could spark the idea the king was on the same side as the soldiers, they would be more dedicated to winning the battle. In turn, they would spread the word to the other soldiers that the war was their battle also, not just the king's who was looking to gain more power. Bates and Williams represent the overall army with their beliefs, attitudes, views on the war, and views on the king. The soldiers as a whole are discouraged because they feel that they have no reason to look forward to the battle that they are going to fight the next day. The soldiers believe that they will not see the end of the day since they are outnumbered five to one and are fighting on unfamiliar territory so the king was needed for inspiration .
While talking to Williams and Bates, the King chose his diction very carefully. The reason the king went out undercover is to create a parallel that Williams and Bates could see that proves, "the king is but a man" (IV.I.97). He uses the word, "man" (IV.I.97 100 104) intentionally three times in the matter of eight lines. This word is used to accent the point that under all the robes and crowns and ceremonies the king is similar to them. "His ceremonies laid by, in his nakedness he appears but a man" (IV.I.99-100) exaggerates the point of under everything when he is at his most vulnerable state, "nakedness"(IV.I.100) he is equal with the common soldier. This brings the king down to another level and draws a connection between the common soldier and the king's humanity.
King Henry appeals to Bates and Williams' senses, "The violet smells to him as it doth to me. The element shows to him as it doth to me" (IV.I.96-99). By making this comparison between the king and the soldiers, the main intention is to make them see that he is going through everything that they are. He tactically brings out the king's humanity and takes away his social rank above common soldiers. He did not just send his troops to fight for him while he sat at home comfortable in England. No, he is there by their side fighting on the same field as them, next to them, smelling the same smells, feeling the same bitter cold, and he is with them in their suffering. This proves that he cares and that he is not just going into battle for his own personal gain, he is going into battle for his country, even though if his troops did win the war, "he would have been king of both England and France" (Henry V British Monarchs). "And though his affections are higher mounted than ours" (IV.I.100-101) he cares more than most of the soldiers because he has more to gain if they win the war, he is not just in it for personal gain. He is going into battle for the good of the country and that is why he is there risking his life in battle.
Henry decides to talk to a few common soldiers just before they fight in a battle to let them know that he is on their side. He reminds the soldiers that he is just a man like them and is there willing to risk his life for the same reasons that they are. King Henry has faith in the soldiers and knows that the only way to see how they really feel is to disguise himself. So by his disguise, he finds out the real opinions of the soldiers and discretely puts ideas into their heads. His wording is carefully chosen making isolated connections between himself, the soldiers, and their futures in order to create a passion for fighting.