Ideas

So I'm still trying to refine my idea for my paper, but I know that it is going to involve kingship - the moral ground that does or does not belong to royalty, the historical context of Shakespeare's plays, the characteristics that he seems to consider important for a king. I think what interests me the most out of that list, though, is the idea of a king's moral high ground, and discussing whether or not that should be so. This was something that I had on my mind the whole time reading Henry V. As a young boy he was a rascal and irresponsible, but one the crown is on his head he starts to act differently, he even refuses to show mercy to some of his previous friends when they transgress the law, showing where his priorities now lie... which I admire his dedication to the law, but someone who can change colors so easily (and Henry does this multiple times in the play) is worrisome... So it just makes me wonder if Shakespeare is trying to portray this as a good thing or not, whether he believes the moral standards are higher for a king or not, etc. Basically, like I said, this topic needs a little fine-tuning, but I am just excited for it! Also, even better, the St. Crispin's Day speech that I've decided to memorize goes right with this! :)