"Why was unity such an important issue at the time the play was written? Does your reading of the first act of the play leave you with an impression of unity?"

In the first act of the play, we start in an antechamber in King Henry's palace. The bishop's are discussing the change in Henry's character from a wild man to a model king. Canterbury hopes to persuade Henry against the new law by giving him Church money and supporting England's claim to France. Unity was an important issue at the time this play was written because of the battles being fought. Strength in numbers was …

…his army and himself are seen as one. They are depicting as one. After reading the first act of the play, I did not feel a strong sense of unity at the beginning, as the characters all seemed to be judging Henry and forming an opinion behind his back. But as I continued, during the conference with the French, I observed the followers of Henry emerge and a stronger sense of unity was more visible.