Montjoy is a

herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...

, or royal messenger, of the French King in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

''. His job is to convey the King of France (King '' Charles VI'' )'s messages, including the

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

's harsh message to King Henry. However, he conveys them in such a polite and respectable way that King Henry thinks on him favourably; an example of this can be seen when King Henry tips him when he has conveyed a message.

Role in the play

Montjoy first appears in Act III, scene VI of the play to convey the King of France (King '' Charles VI'')'s messages to King Henry V. The King of France thought that English troops would be defeated if the French rush to the battlefield because the English had a far weaker army than the French, so he let him ask the King of England what he is willing to pay us to get out of the war. In the second act Montjoy appears in Act IV, Scene III in the English Camp. He delivered the messages of the Constable of France to King Henry. Montjoy changed the message of harsh language to polite language. France's constable requested an unconditional surrender from the English army, but Montjoy summoned to surrender in a polite way. Upon Henry's refusal, Montjoy replies "I shall, King Harry. And so fare thee well. Thou never shalt hear herald anymore." However, Henry predicted that he will come to Henry again for king of France's

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

. In the final act, Montjoy briefly appears in Act IV, Scene VII in the another part of the field. He surrenders to Henry personally, saying that "I come to thee for charitable license. The day is yours.", and conveys news of the French defeat.

Adaptations

In ''Henry V'' (1989), directed by and starring

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...

, Montjoy is portrayed by

Christopher Ravenscroft Christopher Ravenscroft (born 1946) is an English actor, best known for his recurring role as DI Mike Burden in ''The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'', the ITV adaptation of Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford mysteries. Biography Ravenscroft was born in ...

. In this film, Montjoy additionally replaces both one of the French ambassadors who delivers the condescending gift of tennis balls on behalf of the Dauphin,

Louis, Duke of Guyenne Louis (22 January 1397 – 18 December 1415) was the eighth of twelve children of King Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria. He was their third son and the second to hold the titles Dauphin of Viennois and Duke of Guyenne, inheriting th ...

in Act I, Scene II, and Lord Grandpré in Act IV, Scene II. Many community theatre productions also use Montjoy as the "tennis balls" ambassador.

References

External links

Speeches (Lines) for Montjoy in "Henry V"
OpenSourceShakespeare {{Authority control Male Shakespearean characters Theatre characters introduced in 1599