Undercover Boss: Henry V vs. Kylo Ren

I can’t be the only one who thought of “Undercover Boss” when King Henry V disguised himself as a soldier and conversed with his officers.  The way he talked so highly of himself reminded me of the Saturday Night Live segment with Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in an “Undercover Boss” spoof.  I have embedded that video for your convenience, since my post is partly based on it. 

Now you might be asking, what does a historical figure from a Shakespeare play have in common with a hotheaded space brat in a popular modern franchise?  A King of a powerful country on Earth seems lightyears away from a Sith apprentice on Starkiller Base (literally).  However, I would argue Henry V and Kylo Ren have a lot in common such as a need to be liked, a weird sense of apology, easy provocation, something to prove, and a need to break with the past. 

I first made the connection between Henry and Kylo when I read Henry’s “Undercover Boss” scene and was reminded of the SNL Kylo Ren spoof and realized Henry had a similar need to be liked as Kylo.  Henry V is not ok with his men thinking him anything other than just and right.  He wants to be validated by his men, in addition to validation for his mission of taking France.  He also wants to be seen as a just a regular guy, calling himself “a friend,” and “a gentleman of a company,” and says “I think the King is but a man, as I am.” (4.1, pg. 829, 830)   When an officer named Williams expressed doubts and disdain for what they were doing and about King Henry when he said,  “Now if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it—who to disobey were against all proportion of subjection,” (4.1, pg. 831) Henry took it personally and made up some weird bet to fight the other guy if they met again.  In addition, I think Henry really wants Katherine to like him, even though she is forced to marry him.  He calls himself “a soldier” (5.2, pg. 852) and asks her, “O fair Katherine, if you will love me soundly with your French heart, I will be glad to hear you confess it brokenly with your English tongue.  Do you like me, Kate?” (5.2, pg. 852).  He just wants people to like him for him, not because they have to.  Especially Katherine.  

 

  

Similarly, Kylo goes undercover as just one of the guys, per say, and wants his men to think highly of him, so while undercover talks himself up.  Just like with Henry, for Kylo validation is very important as he seems to be a person who just wants to be appreciated and thought highly of, because he knows he is not liked, just feared.  He asks an officer at the beginning of the video, “What do you guys think of Kylo Ren?  Do you believe it when he says he will finish what Darth Vader started?”   In addition, in The Last Jedi, he has these weird shared force visions with Rey.  Instead of turning her away or trying to blatantly turn her towards his cause, he tries to allow her to understand where he is coming from, even trying to help her with her problems.  While yes, he is extremely biased, they connect on a deeper level than they did as adversaries in The Force Awakens, a level of understanding that he has been searching for. The audience can tell that he wants her to understand and hopefully eventually like him as a person.   Kylo’s mission and being liked is number one priority for him, just like Henry firmly believes in what he is doing, and he wants validation from his men.  Being loved and appreciated in their capacities as King and Knight of Ren/Commander of the First Order respectively is extremely important to both characters, and drives their “undercover” identities.  In fact, it is this undercover identity that allows them to ask for this validation because the King of England has the power of execution if he does not like an answer (and Henry had been doing some executing earlier), and Kylo Ren has such a fearful reputation that someone would just agree with him to avoid getting sliced by a lightsaber.  I guess this raises the question, does a person in power have a different version of Freedom of Speech and Expression?  Are there certain things they just can’t say or express because of their position? 

As Henry was going on about how great the king (as in, himself) was, he came into a disagreement with Williams, who disagreed with the invasion of France and Henry’s motives.  They have this weird agreement to wear each other’s gloves on their hats in order to identify each other.  If they meet again, they agree to have a physical altercation.  When they meet again after Fluellen takes the hit for Henry unbeknownst to him, Henry gives Williams money as some sort of apology or something like it.  Henry says, “Here, Uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns and give it to this fellow.  – Keep it, fellow, and wear it for an honor in thy cap till I do challenge it.  – Give him the crowns. – And Captain, you must need be friends with him.” (4.8, pg. 846)  To me this seems like an apology of some sort, saying “yeah, sorry I made a huge deal about your opposing opinions and humiliated you, I want you to like me so here is some money and a new friend to make you feel better.” The whole thing was a little weird to me.  In the SNL bit, Kylo Ren had a weird way of apologizing as well.  As Matt, Kylo Ren is told by an officer that his son was killed.  Kylo then reveals to the viewer that it was he who killed the son, but the father did not know that.  So, as Matt, Kylo made a card for this father.  While yes, the SNL bit was supposed to be comical, I think it brings up a question of power in relation to admitting mistakes.  Both these men are in places of power and do not want, or really in their very nature can’t, admit they were wrong.  So, they do the next best thing.  Henry gave money and Kylo as Matt made a card for a father whose son he had killed.  Kylo avoided admission of guilt by hiding behind his undercover identity, while Henry tried to make his prank or whatever it was okay with money.

As people who want to be taken seriously, Henry V and Kylo Ren are easily provoked.  Henry is provoked into war after his cousin, the Dauphin of France, sends him tennis balls as a claim that Henry was still a kid.  Henry took it as a shot against his very being and position, and declared war on France over tennis balls and some taunting.  Immediately after the tennis balls, Henry says to the French ambassador, “We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us.  His present and your pains we thank you for.  When we have matched our rackets to these balls, we will in France, by God’s grace, play a set shall strike his father’s crown into the hazard.  Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler that all the courts of France will be disturbed with chases.”  (1.2, pg. 799) Whether he used that as an opportunity to declare war or not, in my opinion he felt he was being figuratively attacked and thus decided to declare war on France and the people who taunted him.  I mean, he really did not give any thought before he just threatened France over some tennis balls.  

Kylo Ren is nothing if not easily provoked.  In the SNL video, a stormtrooper comments on his lightsaber, saying, “That thing looks dangerous, man, and poorly made like a kid made it.”  Kylo takes it as a comment against himself and explodes, throwing the lightsaber across the room and yelling at the stormtrooper.    Later in the SNL video, the same stormtrooper comments on “Matt’s” claim that “Kylo Ren was shredded,” and said, “That guy looks 30 pounds soaking wet under that little black dress.”  Needless to say, “Matt” takes that very seriously and chokes the stormtrooper, sending him flying into the pop machine.  In fact, tantrums like this are actually very common and characterized this character when he was first introduced.  This throwing of lightsabers and stormtroopers is kind of like Henry throwing a declaration of war and an army at France because they said something he did not like (ooooooh, Freedom of Speech and Expression much?).   The Dauphin and the stormtrooper could say and express what they wanted, but they had no control over the repercussions of their words or how they hurt who they were aimed at.  Both Henry V and Kylo Ren are easily provoked, and when they are provoked, violent and destructive things happen. 

It is evident that both Henry V and Kylo Ren believe they have something to prove based on their past.  Part of proving themselves involved a complete break with the past.  Henry’s past was fraught with frivolity and trifles, all of which he tried to put behind him when he became King.  He had to prove that he was not the playboy he used to be, and that he was going to take the kingship seriously.  Similarly, moving on from the SNL skit and onto the films The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren used to be known as Ben Solo, the son of two of the greatest heroes in the galaxy and Rebel Alliance and nephew of the most powerful Jedi.  The expectation thrust upon him based on his familial ties ended up being too much, and after it appeared to him that his uncle Luke Skywalker was trying to kill him, Ben turned away and joined the dark side as a Knight of Ren and apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke.  His need for acceptance and worth is evident in Star Wars: The Last Jedi after he smashes his helmet in a rage following a disappointing meeting with Supreme Leader Snoke, his boss.  Henry had to prove himself as worthy to be king, and Kylo had to prove himself worthy of being an apprentice to the most powerful being on the dark side. 

The turning point of this proving of self seems to be when they make a break with their past.  Henry executes his once friend Bardolph who stole, and pretty much disowns the rest of his prior friends.  The rejection of his once friends (in addition to executing some traitors) seems to be the final act of turning away from his frivolous past, establishing him as a serious king. His friends (the ones still living) no longer see him as their friend who does reckless activities with them, but as a powerful king that has the ability to execute them for those same reckless things.  For Kylo Ren, the breaking from his past is in the climax of the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens when he kills his own father, Han Solo, hero of the Rebellion and symbol of hope.  He is not only breaking his family ties, but his ties to the Resistance/light side (and our hearts).   As an audience, with Han Solo’s death at the hands of Kylo Ren, we lose hope that Kylo will return to the light side and his family, establishing him in our minds as allied firmly with the dark side as opposed to before when we held out hope he would return to his past allegiances.   Henry V and Kylo Ren firmly established who they now are after they broke away from the expectations.  They became new people essentially, by rejecting their prior allegiances/ties, proving themselves as people to take seriously and worthy of their new roles. 

So, in conclusion, a powerful and influential historical figure really does have a lot in common with an angsty space boy from a galaxy far, far away.  The need to be liked is one of their strongest desires, and a break from the past is what they need in order to prove themselves worthy of their status/positions.  They are also explosive people when provoked, demonstrating their power to manipulate and destroy whatever initially provoked them.  So while at first glance it might be hard to see a resemblance, the modern character of Kylo Ren has a lot of characteristics in common with King Harry of England in William Shakespeare's Henry V. 

Saturday Night Live, director. Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base SNL.  YouTube, 17 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaOSCASqLsE.

Shakespeare, William, et al. The Norton Shakespeare: Histories. Third ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.

Henry V GIF found on: https://giphy.com/gifs/tom-hiddleston-loki-thomas-william-5sUyKBXg1BURy

Kylo Tantrum GIF found on: https://giphy.com/gifs/starwars-movie-star-wars-3oeSB6ff7pk7Kwp0Z2

Matt GIF found on: https://giphy.com/gifs/television-snl-liveblog-iXQ8SgaMQAgtq