Henry V (In-Class Work)

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Remember to email me an outline from the work you did in groups today. I’ll post them here and we can have an ongoing discussion on Henry V.

Updates below….

 

How is mercy related to Harry’s notion of a stable kingdom?

Thesis: King Henry, despite any compassion he may feel, must pass judgement on all wrong to ensure a stable and unified kingdom

Henry does not favour anyone on their relationship with him or their status. When it came to Scrope, Cambridge, and Grey despite their status of warriors, he still punished them because they had done wrong. However, relating back to the thesis, Henry may have felt that they had only betrayed him for their own fears, he still had them executed. Bardolph, who had been a friend throughout Henry’s life, was as well excuted (and Henry at this point claimed that anyone who had done wrong would be punished). In both these cases, Henry had felt a bit of remorse for the accused, but as a ruler of England, he could not allow such acts to happen, even among his friends and other authority figures.

Henry Rules his kingdom with authority but also with common sense. When it came to the drunks, Henry did not punish them because he seemed to realize that they were not in their right sense of mind, and had they been so, they would not have acted so foolishly. They had no reason to believe they would get special treatment, and thus would never behave in such a manner without the influence of alcohol. His friends however had to be punished because Henry had to make a point that he was now an authority figure, and not just their “mate”. Henry had to quickly teach them a lesson, before they acted to recklessly, or he lost any respect. The drunks do not need to be taught this lesson, because they had no former relationship with him, and it is unlikely they would act in such a manner again. Henry had to make it clear to all those who knew him before he became king that he is now their leader, and as a leader, they must respect him.

Henry is able to show compassion to all people. In the case of the French prisoners, despite the fact that he had them executed, Henry showed that he treated his own accused prisoners no different than his enemies’. He gave them a noble, soldier’s death and did not embarrass them by leaving them to die by common-folk, or have the embarrassing of returning back to their nation by the pity of the enemies’ king. Henry does not abuse their pride in any sense, but nor does he allow them to be freed. This shows that he combines the role of King, but also of compassion into rule.

In conclusion King Henry is able to tie in mercy to ensure equality and stability within his kingdom. He is able to show mercy to his follow people, but is still able to enforce equality with everyone.

The Role of Chorus

Chorus’ presence is a metatheatrical device used to bridge a gap between the audience and the characters in the play

1. Chorus as a connection between the actors and the viewer
-he is a part of the play, but not the “action”
-he does not interact with any of the other actors onstage. in the film, he is sometimes physically present with the actors but they do not acknowledge him or seem aware that he is there

2. Affect on the tone of the play
-sets the tone for events which will take place in the near future (a kind of foreshadowing)
-he affects the pacing of the play. he begins and ends the play, as well as punctuating the acts with his introductions
-can be a distraction, or seen as an interruption

3. Chorus’ influence on how the viewer interprets events and characters
-when the play was performed in Shakespeare’s times his role forced the audience to use their imaginations to picture things that couldn’t be physically or realistically acted onstage
-his commentary influences the way we feel about the characters
-some level of omniscience
-he has the ability to “travel” between the world of the audience and that of the play itself

Using the theme of appearance and reality, discuss the portrayal of Harry in Henry V.

THESIS:

The theme of appearance versus reality that appears throughout the play parallels the portrayal of Henry, and is emphasized by the nature of the story itself: history presented as a work of fiction.”

OUTLINE:

-the glorification of war through Henry’s speech

-Henry rallies his troops and fills their minds with ideas of bravery and the glory of battle, expressing that fighting for their country is the right thing to do

-but in reality, war is more tragic than glorious; they slaughter people and get slaughtered as well

-an example of the contrast between what is presented and what actually IS

-Henry’s bluff at Harfleur

-boasts about the strength of his army and the threat facing the French

-in reality, the odds were against the English and the French could have won

-guise of camaraderie presented by Henry

-speaks to his troops as though he is just another soldier, equal to them

-in reality, he is rallying his troops to fight FOR him

-shows how Henry can convey himself a certain way in order to convince others to take up his cause

-love between Henry and Catherine

-the scene in which they meet portrays a very lovey-dovey pair in a romantic situation

-actually, the initial purpose of the marriage is political (to make peace between England and France)

-Henry once again conveys himself in a way that helps advance his aims, but is not exactly sincere/true

-Henry is an expert at manipulating his appearance for his own motives

-exemplified above (speech to troops, bluffing to the French, being super romantic with Catherine)

-play vs. history

-then play depicts Henry in a certain way

-however, historically speaking, he could have been a very different person in real

life

-the contrast between the fiction of the play and reality highlights the contrast between Henry’s portrayal of himself and his true intentions

 

Discuss Harry’s motivations for war

Intro

Due to Henry V’s youth he has an overwhelming sense of pride and believes in the need to prove himself to his country. This idea is reflected throughout history with other rulers; Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon to name a few.

Body – Paragraph one

Explain briefly how this idea ties into other great rulers with examples of their conquests.

· Caesar’s desire to invade Gaul

· Alexander’s desire to conquer Babylon

· Napoleon naming himself First Consul and his unsuccessful invasion of Russia

Paragraph 2

Explain Henry’s “claim” to nobility in France. Use text from pages 100-105 (Canterbury’s and Ely’s rational)

· Canterbury and Elys see Henry’s youth and want to exploit it for their own gain (so the bill isn’t passed)

· They begin the idea of invading France

Paragraph 3

Use examples from the text to illustrate how Henry’s youth leads him to be driven by irrationality, by emotion rather than thought

· Start with tennis balls – injury to pride decides to go to war (pg 115)

· Other irrational decisions made

Conclusion

The pride, confidence and emotional response of youth spurred Henry V to claim nobility in France and go to war.

 

Language and Power Henry V

Thesis: It is through language that Harry contemplates the element of manipulation to demonstrate his power.

Support: 1. His speech to the army

2. His conversation with Catherine

Explain and Analyze support:

1. 1. Harry’s speech to his army is one of control and confidence. He uses language to stabilize and excite his troops for battle. Harry is very sure of his words. He extends strength and power to his troops. His role as king is very defined.

2. When Harry shares a conversation with Catherine he is at a loss for words. He is unable to capture her. He is very raw and vulnerable. There is no defined role for Harry to follow; he has to be himself in order to win Catherine’s heart. For the first time Harry has to develop his own true feelings and express them.

 

 

Film Adaptations of Henry V

Thesis statement:
In consideration of the Shakespearean piece Henry V, films are different experiences than plays.

Premise:
Directors and the historical timeframe influence film adaptations of Henry V.
Proof: Directors choose the style of the film and have the power to cut out certain scenes or emphasize certain scenes. (Olivier’s version is highly stylized and colourful, beginning in the Globe theatre before shifting to more realistic battle sets) (Branagh’s version is more gritty showing the horrors of war, and begins in a film set for the prologue before moving into the rest of the play and real scenery/realistic sets)
Proof: For Olivier’s version, he was told by Churchill to make the film as morale-boosting propaganda for British troops in the midst of fighting WWII.

Premise:
Role of actors is very different for films rather than plays.
Proof: for theatre, actors must project their voices to the last row of the audience, greater facial work to get the correct meaning and feeling across to the audience, only one “take” to get it right making rehearsal crucial
Proof: for film, actors have the advantage of multiple takes to get it right, close-up shots of the camera to capture smaller, more subtle emotional acting

Premise:
The role of imagination.
Proof: for theatre, the audience must become involved and truly believe that the stage is being transformed to the setting for the play, every performance is different due to any mistakes (a good audience can uplift a tired company or a poor audience can aggravate a frustrated company)
Proof: for film, the “believing” is done for the audience more so because there are actual battlefields, fighting, horses, castles etc, camera leads the viewer to where the action is whereas an actor on stage must command the attention of the audience.

 

 

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