Short-Answer Quizzes: Act III, Scene 3
Study Questions
1. Why don’t the English simply storm the breach and take Harfleur?
2. Is Henry discouraged about their prospects at the start of this scene?
3. In speaking to the men of Harfleur, does Henry accept responsibility for the acts of his soldiers if the town falls?
4. Why does the governor finally surrender?
5. Does Henry make good on his threat to ravage the town?
6. At this point in the play, how powerful does the English army look?
7. What physical disadvantages does Henry’s army face?
8. What does the Dauphin’s decision about Harfleur tell us about his character?
9. How do the English react to the surrender?
10. Judging from this incident, how do Henry’s prospects against the French army look?
Answers
1. They are not militarily strong enough to do so.
2. No, he is resolved to take the town at any cost.
3. No, he says “you yourselves [i.e., the French] are the cause.”
4. He says the Dauphin has decided not to send troops to defend the town.
5. No, he tells Exeter, “Use mercy to them all for us, dear uncle.”
6. They seem relatively weak and unable to capture the town by force of arms.
7. Winter is approaching and the soldiers are falling ill.
8. It suggests that he is an unreliable leader and a poor supporter of his people.
9. They seem relieved, but not overjoyed.
10. He seems too weak to defeat them.
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