On The Secularization Of Kingship In Henry The Forth

In Shakespeare’s historical drama Henry Ⅳ(PartsⅠandⅡ),the concept of kingship has undergone a de facto secularization from the Christ-centered kingship in the middle age to man-centered kingship in modern politics.This secularization first manifested itself in the loss of the foundation of sacredness by the princely guilt of Henry Ⅳ as a symbol of Cain’s guilt in the pursuit of the king’s business.God retreats from its core position in the system of kingship and becomes a nominal sacred claim.Although Henry Ⅳ has always shown a kind of moral anxiety due to his sins and repeatedly claimed that he will open the Holy War,which as one kind of religious act has become more of a political means.People’s political strategies has become the dominant factor of kingship.Secondly,the secularization of royal power is also reflected in the background of civil society and the awakening of human self-consciousness.Falstaff appeared in the play as an image of a philosopher of enlightenment with strong liberalism and nihilism.He exposed the problem but did not provide a better alternative.The people represented by Falstaff and their daily lives began to participate in political affairs and had direct relations with the heir of the kingdom.The heir of the kingdom completed his education and self-education in this secularized civil society.Associated with the awakening of the men’s self-consciousness is the manifestation of the king’s body-natural.This manifestation points to the issue of the monarch’s birth and death,sickness and political limitations.Finally,the secularization of royal power is reflected in the important role of secular law in all aspects of political life in the kingdom.From the PartⅠto PartⅡ,Shakespeare not only showed us the worrying state of the rule of law but also laid the foundation for the reconstruction of the legal order.The images of the King’s justices of the peace Shallow and Chief Justice in the PartⅡdeepen this theme and vaguely reveals the author’s vision of the ideal state of law in England.In this conception,the traditional patriarchal clan,represented by Shallow,and the practical law,represented by Chief Justice,work together to maintain social stability and the long-term existence of the constitutional system.