Although Katherine character does not play a dominate role in Henry V she is still an important character in the play. Katherine and her English tutor Alice are the only two women throughout the play. Katherine speaks French, she asks Alice to teach her how to speak English.
KATHERINE
Alice, tu as été en Angleterre, et tu parles
bien le langage.
[Alice, you’ve been in England and you speak the language well.]
ALICE
Un peu, madame.
[A little, madame.]
KATHERINE
Je te prie, m’enseignez. Il faut que j’apprenne
à parler.
[Please teach me. I must learn to speak it].
Katherine and Alice roles are starkly different from the male roles in the play. While all the men are out fighting in the war Katherine spends her days learning English from Alice. Her character depicts how women were treated at this time, women were not allowed to participate in the world around them, they remained ignorant because they were not allowed to have a say in anything. The real reason that Katherine learns English is because her father has an elaborate plan to marry her off to a powerful leader, who will most likely be English. Not once during this scene is it made clear the Katherine wants to learn to speak English herself. Which is telling about the time. Women were supposed to do whatever men told them to do. Katherine’s father wanted her to learn English, so therefore she was forced to do so. Shakespeare never delves into her desires or her motivates throughout the play. The reader never really learns anything about Katherine except for the fact that she is learning English. This is because it really isn’t important for the reader to know about her character traits. Katherine herself is so irrelevant to the play that it isn’t important for the reader to learn anything about her. There is no real connection or attachment to her. Her only real purpose is to marry a powerful leader.
The play is dominated by males and battle scenes. It seems almost fitting that they would speak English which is a harsh language. Katherine is the only one in the play who speaks French, which shows how opposite her life was. English is a harsh and dominating language just like men are. The French language is beautiful and delicate, just like Katherine is portrayed to be. When Alice is teaching her English, she refuses to say certain words because they are too inappropriate.
Le foot” et “de count.” Ô Seigneur Dieu! Ils sont mots de son mauvais, corruptible, gros, et impudique, et non pour les dames d’honneur d’user. Je ne voudrais prononcer ces mots devant les seigneurs de France pour tout le monde. Foh! “Le foot” et “le count”!”
Women were never supposed to be vulgar or inappropriate when they spoke. They had to be proper. That is how Katherine was raised to be, proper and beautiful, because that is what will be attractive to another male. She must be submissive to her father and whatever male she is married off too.
-Rachel Zarrett (Blogging Circle 4)
Rachel, I hadn’t noticed that Katherine used the word “must” in saying that she “must learn to speak [English].” Foolishly, I just assumed that she wanted to learn it, though nothing in the text actually evidences her desire; it is a (sociopolitical) need, not a want. Whether she was explicitly instructed to learn English by her father, or simply aware of the import of the matter, this connection adds another layer of significance to her rejection of certain “inappropriate” words for use in the presence of nobility.
Rachel, I hadn’t initially noticed Katherine’s specific use of the word “must” in saying that she “must learn to speak [English.” Foolishly, I assumed she had wanted to, though nothing in the text actually evidences any desire on her part; it is a need, rather than a want. The idea that she is compelled to learn the language for sociopolitical reasons then adds a layer of significance to the fact that she rejects certain “inappropriate” words for use in the company of nobility. Her entire exploration of the English language is only concerned with how it enhances her value as a political commodity.
I took Shakespeare II last fall and I wrote my final paper on marriage in Shakespeare’s plays. I was arguing that many of Shakespeare’s heroines do not have control over who they get to marry. One of the two plays that I used was Henry V. One of the things I talked about in my paper was that the first time we meet Katherine she says, “I must learn to speak [English]”. This line shows that sh knows that she will be used as a bargaining chip. Right from the start the audience sees that Katherine has no agency in her own marriage.
Rachel,
I noticed when reading Henry V that there were not many lines for the female characters. I found that interesting, but not surprising because of the time period in which this play was written, as you said. I honestly never picked up on the fact that Katherine is being forced to learn English. Looking back on that, I now realize how she had no choice. I find it disappointing that there is a lack of presence of women in Henry V, while there is some, the only scene that I really remember was in fact when Katherine was learning English.
Rachel,
I’m gonna play devil’s advocate for a second. Is she an important character to the play? Or is Katherine merely a conduit through which Henry can possess the French as both a country AND a wife, thus conquering and dominating both in a literal and figurative sense. While I did really enjoy Katherine’s parts, my point is you could replace her with almost any other female character and her role would still be that of objectification. It’s unfortunate that all of the women in Shakespeare’s plays tend to be wives, or soon-to-be wives. There definitely feels like an implication that women are only valuable when related to a man.
I really enjoyed reading your post because Katherine really is subject to all of the men around her. Katherine is a political pawn–she has absolutely no say in her marriage to Henry but knows she must do whatever he or her father decide for her. She is a means to an end for Henry, as marrying her further legitimizes his claim to the French throne. I completely agree with your point that she has no personality traits because it doesn’t matter–she could have been replaced with anyone and it wouldn’t have made a difference. I do think it’s interesting that Shakespeare included the scene of Katherine and Alice in a play so stricken with scenes of war because it emphasizes that shift into a feminine space. The talk is surrounding her obligation to her father and her probable marriage to Henry, which again further exemplifies her powerlessness.
Rachel,
Your post poses an interesting argument. I never realized that Katherine was being forced to learn English rather than it being a way to occupy herself and learn since she wasn’t allowed to do much of anything else. I found this scene to be one of my favorite in both the text and the play. It was cool to me that the text included the French questions and Alice would respond in English. Even though I can not read or speak French I was able to figure out Katherine’s questions based on Alice’s response. In the play, the actress playing Katherine was really funny and this scene was even more incredible getting to hear the different languages. Although she seemed enthused by learning EnglishI can see how we could interpret her having to learn a new language as a demand rather than by choice. I think the idea that her learning English would be more of a value to Henry V convinces me of your argument because even if she did enjoy learning, it was for King Henry and not herself.
Rachel,
Your post has furthered my interpretation of this play. Until I read your post, I did not actually realize that there are just two women in this play, Katherine and Alice. I agree with you that this play is greatly driven by males and gives little to no respect to the women characters. War is a major plot point in this play and the conflict, for the most part, only concerns male characters. On another note, I was very intrigued to see that you mentioned the fact that Katherine is the only person in the play who verbally speaks in French. I feel that the significance of this fact is that women are seen to be more intellectual and civil than males in society during the time period that the play takes place in. I wonder if Shakespeare purposely made Katherine the only character to speak French for similar reasons.
Rachel-
This was one of my favorite moments of the play until we spoke about it in class. “Henry V” seems to be the most male-centered and masculine play that we have read. While I was reading, I appreciated the break from all of the politics and war that this scene provided. I was relieved to see some women in the play to possibly relate to. However, the inclusion of this scene lends itself to Henry’s total domination of the French. Katherine’s desire to learn and speak English purely stem from a desire to please a man. Further, they are only discussing parts of the body which adds a sexual undertone to the seemingly innocent conversation between two women. It’s frustrating that the only scene with the limited amount of women in the play is centered around meeting the needs of men.
Rachel,
I really like how you read these two female characters in the play. I never thought about their roles within the play in these terms, however it makes a lot of sense considering the vulgar quality that is seen within their words. I think hat Shakespeare presented them within this play for a reason considering that we really only see them speaking French and English to each other. This could be a way to highlight the contrast between English and French like you described, or underlying messages regarding femininity or sexuality.
Rachel,
I also wrote about this!! I found it really interesting that language plays such an important role. The desire to learn language and educate yourself allows you to move up the social ladder. During this time, women were not commonly encouraged to do this but Katherine’s desire to learn is powerful. Whether she is doing it for herself, or to please her husband she has the desire to and commitment to learn. I found it surprising how she mispronounced common words yet made them sound dirty or inappropriate due to her accent. This shows the reader the language barrier and how things can be miscommunicated very easily. I also find it interesting how in Shakespeare’s plays, the women’s role is often limited, yet important. This scene showed us that miscommunication is common, language barriers exist and that the desire to learn, especially for women is very powerful. Great post!