Kenneth Branaugh’s film version of William Shakespeare’s Henry V is based on the exploration of leadership. Although the film was difficult to follow at times, certain diction and actions of the characters made the film easier to follow. The diction and actions of King Henry V definitely showcased his abilities as a leader. Henry V focuses on leadership development by concentrating on succession, conflict and redemption. In the film, Henry V shows growth through stature and ability all while developing skills and credibility in the eyes of his followers. Because of this growth, Henry V comes to epitomize transformational leadership through his use of key qualities like vision and values, energy and a teachable point of view. It is through his use of vision and values, energy and a teachable point of view that his followers witness not only his growth as a leader, but also his attention to England’s well-being, unifying his realm and achieving organizational goals.

When young King Henry V assumed the throne of his father, Henry IV, he was adamant on gaining the respect of the English people and the court. In order to gain this respect, Henry V had to live down his wild adolescent past in which he befriended drunkards and thieves and showed disrespect to the throne. As shown in the film, Henry V was willing to do whatever was necessary to disassociate himself with his adolescent past. If this meant rejecting his former drunkard and thieve friends, then Henry would do it. Even Henry, himself, killing one of his former lowlife friends was not out of the question. As of course, was the case with Bardolph and Nim being hanged at Henry’s command. Also, a former friend named Scrope was executed at Henry’s command. By eliminating any ties to his troubled youth, Henry placed his personal feelings second to only the needs of the crown. These are some of the examples of how Henry attempted to model the way of his expectations to his followers as well as challenge the process.

As a result of Henry shifting his priorities in the direction of his kingship, Henry, in essence, became viewed as brilliant, focused, fearless and committed to the responsibilities of the crown and his kingship. Henry V would then go on to lay claim to certain parts of France and eventually lead and invasion of France. It is this metamorphosis of Henry going from a young, troubled adolescent to a brilliant, committed leader that defines the meaning of transformational leadership.

So with this said, if Henry V had not been able to transform himself into a sufficient and effective leader in the eyes of his followers, would he have been able to succeed in his invasion of France and historical domination of Europe? Quite simply, I believe the answer to this question is no.

During Henry’s transformation process into an effective leader, Henry appeared to have learned from the mistakes of his past and not only sought to abolish any connections, but also chose to change his ways by learning from those followers around him. Through time, Henry learned to speak to and motivate his followers through his own teachable point of view filled with vision, values and energy.

King Henry V did not only become a great leader, but also a great teacher. In becoming a great leader, Henry was focused to act in ways that seemed immoral and even unforgivable, but he did this in order to strengthen his stance in the eyes of his followers. Having been associated with a great deal of commoners in his adolescent years, Henry was able to relate to his followers on all levels and also his soldiers. Yes, Henry was royalty, but he did not appear so quick as to constantly remind them of his royal upbringing unless it was needed to make a point.

One of the best examples of Henry’s ability to relate to his followers/soldiers came on the night before the Battle of Agincourt. (During the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five men to every one man). The night before the battle, King Henry disguised himself as a common soldier and talked to several soldiers in his camp. Henry learned who they were and what they thought of the battle in which they were involved. Henry was able to get a feel for the emotions and the involvement of his soldiers before he headed into the biggest battle of his and their lives. Later on that night, Henry rethought the opinions of his soldiers and lamented his responsibilities as king. And much like an effective leader would do, Henry had drawn appropriate lessons from talks and experiences with his soldiers formed these lessons into knowledge. Henry had established a point of view. This particular point of view came about from Henry organizing his thoughts in a way that he could communicate them clearly to his soldiers. Henry was then set to deliver this point of view that would engage his soldiers/followers both emotionally and intellectually. Henry passionately delivered his new found point of view the next morning on St. Crispin’s Day.

On St. Crispin’s Day, King Henry V appeared to completely transform himself into the exemplary leader that he had so terribly sought to become. Through his words of “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers” Henry spoke with words and also action. He displayed his energy and created energy in his soldiers, a sense of urgency and an inspiring mission. Henry had taken the knowledge that he had formed the night before St. Crispin’s Day and used it to inspire a shared vision between he and his soldiers. Henry had learned to speak his soldiers’/followers’ language. On St. Crispin’s Day, Henry spoke to their dreams, hopes, aspirations and values. That day, Henry enlisted his soldiers in his vision and it propelled them all to make extraordinary things happen. King Henry and his soldiers had finally been united, and his commitment to the glory of England and the justice of his cause enabled he and his soldiers to overcome incredible odds as they defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt.

As I touched on before, Henry V may have not been the easiest film to follow for an audience or a reader, but the film did have certain points that made an impression on me. All of these points centered around Henry V. And thinking back on it, I am sure that this is how the original playwright, William Shakespeare intended his play to be perceived. There was not a happy story nor cast of characters that stood out to me from the film. There was just King Henry V and then everyone else. I believe that this is the case not just because the film/play bears Henry’s name, but also to better focus the audience’s attention on all the important attributes and the development of King Henry V as an individual.

King Henry V was without a doubt, a transformational leader. Henry began his exploration of leadership by first showing his personal side as an adolescent and then later his organizational side as a leader. The film Henry V gave me a chance to witness the transformation that a person can go through in order to become a leader. King Henry V obviously showed physical signs of growth from an adolescent into an adult, but more importantly as a leader. Henry grew into a leader thanks to his followers around him. Henry was constantly learning from his friends long before he became king, and he was constantly learning from is followers once he became King Henry V. As a result of this learning process, Henry was able to develop into a leader with skills and credibility. He also became a leader who placed his personal feeling aside to lead his people through his mastery of vision and values, energy and a teachable point of view. However, in my opinion, it is not until the Battle of Agincourt that Henry’s transformation from a leader into a winning leader came full circle. Henry and his English army were outnumbered by the French five to one and Henry found a way to rally his soldiers to victory. Henry’s St. Crispin’s Day speech and his victory at Agincourt are what cemented him as a winning leader in the film and also in history. Moreover, with all of this said, the film Henry V served as an excellent learning tool for leadership.
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