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TONHOENSELAARS
ItisprettystiffShakespeare,andIshoulddoubtwhetheritwouldhaveatallapopularappeal
here,thoughitappearstohavebeenwellreceivedinEngland.Ishouldbeafraidthattheideawith
whichitstartsoffaboutHenryV’swarbeingthepersonalfancyoftheKingwouldconfirmmany
ofyourcountrymenintheirworstsuspicionsofBritishpolicytoday!
18
ThisremarkablecommentonHenryVhighlightsthehistoricaldifferencebetween
1945andthepresentday,thedifferencebetweenaperiodwhentheUSwouldonlybe
forcedoutofitsisolationismthroughaforeignattackontheonehand,and,onthe
otherhand,aperiodduringwhichtheactivitiesintheMiddleEastseemedtoconfirm
manyEuropeansintheirworstsuspicionsofUSand–giventhetransatlanticalliance
–alsoBritishpolicytoday.
IcannotmoveonfromtheUStoEuropeatthisstagewithoutstating,withsome
emphasis,thatdespitemyemphaticstanceonthePresident’sWar,Iamnotunawareof
thefactthattheUSfortunatelyalsohasambassadorscapableofamorecriticalornu-
ancedvisionofthematter.Althoughitdoesnotseemeasy.DavidPerry,professorof
EthicsattheUSArmyWarCollege,waspreparedtoacknowledgethattheUS
“repeatedsomeofHenry’smistakesin[the]recentwarsinAfghanistanandIraq.”
However,heendedhisanalysisofthepoliticalsituationwiththestatementthat“None
oftheviewsexpressedin[his]essayshouldbeconstruednecessarilytoreflectthoseof
theUSGovernment.”
19ScottNewstrom,however,ismoreexplicitinhisdiscussionof
theanalogiesbetweenBushandHenryVingovernmentpropaganda,whenhedefines
theappropriationas“thepreposteroususeofShakespearebythosewhohavereadthe
play(badly),bullyinganaudienceunfamiliarwithHenryVintoconcedingtheconnec-
tion.”Adding:“ItisnosmallironythatthisaudiencelikelyincludesthePresident
himself.”DianeHendersongoesevenfurther.Seeingthatinright-wingcirclesthere
havealsobeencountlessattemptstocapitalizeontheanalogybetweenGeorgeand
Henry,forexampleintheformofclassesonEffectiveLeadershipandPublicSpeak-
ing,shehasproducedatimelyreflectiononthisphenomenon,raisingtheproblematic
twin-issueofethicsandthecommercialappropriationofHenryV.DianeHenderson’s
writingonthesubjectiscompulsoryreading.
20
Europe:"Appealbytheculturalworld”
Reaching“Old”EuropeviatheUSinthisway(tousethetermthatDonaldRumsfeld
used),letusnowproceedtolookfurtheratEurope’spoliticalstance,andsomeofits
concomitantattitudestoHenryV.InmuchofcontinentalEurope,theresponseto
GeorgeW.Bush’saggressioninIraqhasbeenratherdifferentfromthatintheUSor
18See<http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box36/t331q01.html>.SeealsotheotherWashingtoncor-
respondenceaboutthefilminthisfile.
19ForD.L.Perry,“UsingShakespeare’sHenryVtoTeachJust-WarPrinciples,”see<http://home.
earthlink.net/~davidlperry/henryv.htm>.
20D.E.Henderson,“MeditationsinaTimeof(Displaced)War:HenryV,Money,andtheEthicsof
PerformingHistory,”inShakespeareandWar,R.KingandP.Franssen(eds)(forthcoming).
