ESTP 8w7 Characters

Henry VIII in The Tudors is portrayed as a fiery, impulsive monarch whose larger-than-life personality drives the entire series. Played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, this version of the king embodies the bold, pleasure-seeking spirit of an ESTP 8w7 personality type: reckless, commanding, and hungry for power, influence, and passion. From jousts and political gambits to his infamous marriages, The Tudors highlights Henry’s charm, volatility, and relentless pursuit of control, making him one of television’s most magnetic royal figures.

A King of Action: Extraverted Sensing

Henry is the living embodiment of someone who lives fully for the present moment and who wants to take every opportunity that life puts in his path. He continually seeks out ways to take action and is often shown “doing things.” Henry enjoys intense sports (jousting, hunting, wrestling, shooting, riding, even vaulting over ditches) and over-indulges in sensory pleasures: rich food, fine wine, and lots of sex. He is easily bored with the same sexual partners and continually seeks out “new” bedfellows, picking them up in the court and even on country roads. Henry is good at sizing up a situation and leaping into the midst of it; he becomes impatient if he must wait and having to keep his hands off Anne Boleyn drives him insane. He wants her now, and doesn’t get why he cannot have her now. He enjoys testing others, physically and mentally, by challenging them.

Cunning Calculations: Introverted Thinking

His logic is sometimes paranoid but often sound, because it has a basis in probability. It’s also immovable given the external facts. Catherine of Aragon tells him that she was a virgin when they married and reminds him that he knows it, but he still will not change his mind on the matter of their annulment. He wants a divorce, period, and will tolerate no alternative perspective on it. This stubborn, rigid thinking extends into other seasons and areas of his life, as he finds fault in those who run his kingdom. Because he lacks extraverted thinking, Henry regrets displacing Cardinal Wolsey and his efficiency and ease of filling the coffers, arranging diplomatic events, and managing “boring” meetings and affairs. Henry is a quick problem solver and often leaps to rational conclusions even if he is emotionally explosive. He does not believe in keeping “rules” that he does not agree with, and is terrific at either finding his way around them or telling others to do so for him. Henry can be cold and utterly self-serving, choosing rational outcomes over ones that will placate people.

Courting Favor: Extraverted Feeling

Henry displays mostly the worst of this function. He can be vindictive, cruel, and bad-tempered. He is known for his tantrums and his tendency to blame other people for his own mistakes (because Fe points outward, it finds fault in others ahead of itself). Henry is very good at appealing to others in order to ease their fears and then viciously undercutting them, or inflicting emotional torment on them (like giving Catherine a choice between staying at his side or going to their ill daughter). Henry cares a great deal about how he is “seen” by people and often makes decisions for self-promotion; as he grows older, he has less patience for those who disagree with his views but can also be placated by appeals to his vanity. Henry descends into such an unhealthy state that he enjoys emotionally tormenting people (reassuring Wolsey they are friends, and leading him to believe he does not trust the Boleyns, only to leave him without a word the next morning; threatening his sister Margaret with cutting her husband’s head off; pitting Catherine Parr and Bishop Gardiner against one another).

Dynasty & Destiny: Introverted Intuition

When he almost drowns in a ditch, he starts to think about his legacy – and the fact that he has spent his entire life living for pleasure in the moment, with no regard for the future. Suddenly, his inferior Ni kicks in – and wants a son. He demands this from his wives, and gives no thought to any alternative, nor the idea that a daughter could rule in his stead. He has his heart set on a single desired outcome, and he won’t accept substitutes. This is often the blind spot of low Ni, fixating on “one” thing that can solve everything, and if they can’t get it, then it’s a total disaster. Yet, the major mistake Henry makes is his inability to plan for the future in meaningful ways; his interpretations of people’s motives are shallow, he never sees what is “actually” going on behind the scenes until it’s too late, and his intentions are often thwarted by his rash, impulsive decisions in the moment – classic examples include his wrestling match with King Frances, which sets them up for diplomatic chaos; and his desire to get out of his marriage with Anne of Cleves as soon as she arrives – both disasters his councils have to scramble to avert, out of concern for the potential massive political fall-out.

The Royal Hothead: Enneagram 8

Henry is aggressive, combative, and risk-taking. He lives life to the fullest and allows no chance to indulge his hedonism to go untouched. His desire for total control and dominance destroys every single one of his relationships, from his threat to cut off his sister’s husband’s head for defying him and marrying without his consent, to his frustration when his wives do not submit to his authority. He engages in a power struggle with Catherine of Aragon, often undermined by his explosive temper and heedlessness. He destroys a potential alliance when unable to let an insult slide, by challenging Francis to a wrestling match. And his detachment does not do those around him any favors. Henry turns most things into a fight. He often explodes in public, with no regard for how this will damage his reputation, and leaves people shocked and fearful. When a servant gives him a message he doesn’t want from his ex-wife, he beats the man to a bloody pulp in front of Anne Boleyn, who then pretends nothing bad has happened.

A Royal Reveler: The 7 Wing

Henry can be a lot of fun with his friends. He is constantly finding enjoyable pursuits and looking for ways to amuse himself. He dallies with women, rides horses, goes shooting, and throws parties. His first choice is always to host a banquet in honor of his new wife, his new baby, his new alliance, and to go all-out on lavish treats, clothing, décor, even castles. Everything seems like an event waiting to happen. Part of Henry’s problem is also his relentless frustration and dissatisfaction with the present; his inability to be content with one woman for any reasonable length of time, his annoyance that he can’t have all of his needs met on the spot, etc. Henry also has a delusional sense of self-grandeur and reframes all of his instincts, impulses, and desires into being honorable. He does not want to see himself as a villain, and refuses to admit when he’s done anything wrong or accept criticism.

Bloody King Hal: A Slimmed Down Version

Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ Henry is… an interesting choice. He’s about a hundred pounds, six or more inches shorter than the real one, and of course, not a robust redhead! Apparently, the actor refused to wear a fat suit out of vanity as the series goes on, which is why his Henry remains dashing, trim, and a “sex symbol.” I think he did an excellent job of making me hate his guts and want to see him die a horrible death, but the series robbed me of even that!