# Princess Katherine — Henry V character guide

> Princess Katherine in Henry V by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Katharine, Kate, Katherine De, Katherine De hand

**First appearance:** 0016-act-iii-scene-iv

## Snapshot

The French princess whose English lessons and quick wit make her far more than a diplomatic prize in the war her country is losing.

## Who they are

Daughter to the French king, she watches the English invasion from the gilded distance of court, practicing the language of the men marching toward her. Her scenes trade on the gap between what she is told and what she understands, and on a sharp humor that refuses to be merely ornamental. When a victorious English king comes courting, she becomes the human hinge on which peace between the two kingdoms must turn.

## In the story

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_v_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv)

Katherine diligently learns English words for body parts from Alice, showing both enthusiasm and modesty about certain terms.

### [The Wooing of Katherine and the Treaty of Troyes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_v_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii)

Responds to Henry's advances with coyness and broken English, eventually yielding to her father's will and accepting Henry as her husband.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_v_se/characters/katherine
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_v_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_v_se/characters