Let me just dictate my thinking process here:
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How does Henry communicate? Does Henry lie?
It seems like Henry has nothing to gain from convincing
Katharine to marry him. During that time period women have very little choice
especially in terms of political agendas, so he really has nothing to gain from
convincing her that he loves her. Her father will most likely sign the treaty
regardless of how Katharine feels about Henry. So why does Henry take the time
to “woo” Katharine? What does he gain from this?
Then I thought, “Well maybe everyone else is right. What if
Henry is lying?” But that didn’t sit well with me, so I did some research about
why people lie and the affects that lying has on interpersonal relationships.
One article
I found discussed Attachment Theory and authenticity.
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Attachment Theory: “The theory is built on the core
observation that security-enhancing caregivers or “attachment figures” (usually
beginning with parents or other primary care providers in childhood) help a
child develop positive mental representations of self and relationship partners.”
Authenticity: is being honest with, or true to, oneself
“Children and adults with a history of supportive attachment
relationships are notably less defensive, more mindful of their feelings, more
genuinely empathic, and more open in communicating with relationship partners,”
and attachment insecurity “is associated with negative views of relationship
partners, unwillingness to disclose feelings to partners; reluctance to seek
and provide help; and low relationship satisfaction, trust, and commitment” and
“fears of rejection or abandonment and doubts about one's value to other people.”
So I thought to myself, “Are there any parts of this play in
which Henry exhibits ANY of these signs?” Obviously, this would take forever to
analyze the whole play, so I focused on his conversation with Katharine, and
this is what I came up with:
Clearly, Henry has no problems communicating his feelings to
Katharine (his potential relationship partner).
“Now, fie upon my false French! By mine honour, in
true English, I love thee, Kate: by which honour I
dare not swear thou lovest me;”
(Followed by 25 more lines
of professing. Trust me. I counted.)
Mindful of her feelings:
Constantly asking her how she feels. (Yes, I realize this
could go both ways.)
Anyway, that’s all I have for now, but let me know what you
think or if you think I can use this theory for my paper. (By the way, sorry it was so long!)
Kaylee, I think analyzing why people lie is a great way of going about what could be a really ambiguous scene to digest and analyze. I'm trying to analyze the scene from "The Winter's Tale" when Hermione's statue comes to life and running into the problem of its ambiguity. This blogpost was a great model for how to approach a scene from a Shakespeare play that most people are confused about.
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting. Have you considered that maybe he's not lying? Or that he's not lying to Katherine so much as he is lying to himself? The way I read the scene was that Henry finds her attractive, which he is trying to view as love. He knows that he needs to marry her for political reasons, so if he's stuck with her why not try to love her? It's all about perspective after all, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou could also view Henry as an "attachment figure" for the all of England. He's very heavy on the rhetoric throughout the play, always trying to be "security-enhancing." By the time he gets to Katherine, it's just habit for him to establish rapport through rhetoric. Maybe he's just going through the motions to secure his conquest of France and her heart.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Mikaela. I am also reminded of my literary analysis paper in which I argued (rather feebly) that Henry is awkwardly trying to step into the role of lover to complete his manhood. I can see him being trying to convince himself that he loves her and wants to marry her while he's trying to convince her of the same thing--talk about double awkward.
ReplyDeleteI think looking at this dilemma through a theory of some sort, as you are doing, is a great launching point for your own ideas. Attachment theory sounds like an interesting frame through which to look at Henry's character and his behavior.
ReplyDelete