Political Animal

This book is a close examination of one of Shakespeare's most controversial characters: Prince Hal/Henry V. From his early tavern dalliances with Sir John Falstaff, to his assumption of the English throne, to his military successes and marriage, the analysis weighs his many disparate qualities, such as charm, aggression, wit, and faith, as well as his relationship to questions about power, religion, and morality that dominate Shakespeare's history plays. The study also links this complex figure to electoral issues and strategies of our own day.