Some classes read Henry V alongside Henry IV, Part 1, and essays about Hal's transformation into a king are a natural assignment. These essays are demanding because students must track a character across two plays, recall scenes from weeks apart, and build a coherent argument about change. Grading them well requires clear criteria about how much evidence from each play is expected and what counts as a genuine comparison instead of two separate summaries.

A frequent weakness is the two-block structure, in which the first half of the essay describes Hal in the tavern and the second half describes Henry at war, with no real connection between them. This looks like a comparison but functions as two paragraphs of summary. Feedback should encourage students to organize by idea instead of by play, so that each body paragraph considers one aspect of the character, such as loyalty or language, across both texts.

It also helps to specify how many scenes from each play the student should analyze. Without a requirement, students tend to rely on the most memorable moments, like Hal's soliloquy about throwing off his loose behavior in the earlier play and the rejection of Falstaff in the later one. Requiring at least one less famous scene forces students to look beyond the obvious and gives your grading more variation to evaluate.

Grade the Thesis for Complexity of Change

The simplest thesis says that Hal grows up and becomes a responsible king. It is not wrong, but it is not very interesting either. Stronger theses might argue that Hal's transformation is a calculated performance, that he loses something human in the process, or that the plays disagree about whether the change is genuine. Reward theses that identify a tension and commit to a reading, even if the essay does not resolve every difficulty.

• Organizes the essay around ideas instead of separating the two plays into halves
• Uses at least one scene from each play with specific, short quotations
• Explains what changes and what stays the same in the character's behavior or language
• Considers the cost of the transformation, including the rejection of Falstaff
• Avoids treating the plays as a single continuous text without acknowledging different dramatic aims

Assess Use of Context Without Over-Rewarding Trivia

Students who know more about the plays' historical background may add details about the Wars of the Roses or the real Henry V. These details can enrich an essay, but only when they support the argument. An essay that includes several sentences of biography with no link to the thesis should not earn extra credit merely for showing knowledge. Write feedback that asks how each piece of context helps the reader understand the character's development.

This is also a good moment to talk about the difference between plot and analysis. Retelling Hal's journey from the tavern to the battlefield is a plot summary, while explaining why Shakespeare shows the prince mocking honor early on and preaching it later is analysis. The distinction is subtle for many students, and your comments can make it visible by highlighting a summary sentence and asking a why or how question.

Support Students Who Have Only Read One Play Closely

In many classrooms, Henry V receives more attention than the earlier plays, and students may know the later text much better. If your assignment requires both, consider providing excerpts or a scene guide so that the evidence base is equitable. Grading students on texts they have not studied deeply is unfair and produces uneven results that reflect preparation time more than analytic ability.

You can also offer scaffolds such as a comparison chart that students complete before drafting. The chart might list speeches, relationships, and turning points from each play. It does not need to be graded heavily, but it gives students a structured way to collect evidence and reduces the chance that the final essay becomes a list of half-remembered scenes.

Give Feedback That Improves the Comparison Itself

When you write comments, look for the places where the essay could make its comparison sharper. A useful note might read: "You mention that Hal jokes with Falstaff and that Henry orders Bardolph's death; what does that contrast say about how Henry now sees loyalty?" This asks the student to draw the connection they left implicit. Comparison lives in that connecting sentence, and it is often the sentence students skip.

Finally, encourage students to end with an insight instead of a restatement. A conclusion that considers what the transformation says about power or public identity leaves the reader with something to think about. If your feedback consistently asks for a "so what" at the end, students will begin to produce it without prompting.