~ Office Supplies ~~ Buy Posters ~~ A-Z Products ~~ Website Advertising


Henry V (play) - Wikipedia

<<Up     Contents

Henry V (play)

Henry V is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Henry V of England. It deals only with the events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt.

It is important to note that the play was one of a series of "histories" written by Shakespeare, and would have been performed as such. Audiences would already have been familiar with "Prince Hal" as depicted in the Henry IV plays as a wild undisciplined lad. In Henry V, the young prince has grown into a mature man and is about to embark on the attempted conquest of France. Because of the scene changes that would have been required in order to convey the changes of location, Shakespeare introduces the character of Chorus (a throwback to the chorus of Greek and Roman drama), who acts as a kind of narrator, explaining developments to the audience and encouraging them to use their imaginations.

The early scenes deal with the embarkation of the fleet for France, and include a dramatised version of the real-life incident in which the Duke of Cambridge and two others plotted to assassinate Henry at Southampton. Henry's clever and ruthless uncovering of the plot is one indication of how he has changed from the earlier plays in which he appears.

As with all Shakespeare's serious plays, there are a number of minor characters, some definitely comic, whose activities are intended as a diversion for restless audiences. In this case, they are mostly common soldiers in Henry's army, and include Pistol, Nym, Bardolph, and Fluellen. The play also deals briefly with the death of Falstaff, another character from earlier Shakespearean works.

The play includes several well-known speeches, the most quoted of which, beginning, Once more unto the breach, dear friends..., actually comes not from the Agincourt scene, but from the scene depicting the siege of Harfleur[?], earlier in the play. As the action unfolds and victory looks less certain, the young king's heroic character is shown by his decision to wander around the English camp at night, in disguise, so as to comfort his soldiers and find out what they really think of him.

Following the victory at Agincourt, there is a charming scene in which Henry attempts to court his future wife, Catherine of Valois. This is not historically accurate, as the princess was only a child at the time of Agincourt, and their wedding did not take place for some years afterward.

Cast

External Link

Movie Versions

The play spawned two big screen movies of the same name as well as several made for TV or video movies.

wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump




 
 
4 carat RARE Honey Yellow Gold BASTNAESITE Facet Cab Rough Golden gemstone Faceting gem jewel PRETTY
 4 carat RARE Honey Yellow Gold BASTNAESITE Cab Golden ing jewel PRETTY 
 
29 carats Tigereye red yellow gold TigerIron Jasper gem tumble polished Cabbing cab tiger iron rough
 29 carats Tigereye red yellow gold TigerIron Jasper tumble polished Cabbing cab tiger iron  
 
35 carat grape STICHTITE gemstone Cabbing lapidary tumble polished rough gem stone jewelry 7 gram 2
 35 carat grape STICHTITE Cabbing lapidary tumble polished jewelry 7 gram 2 
 
33 carats blue Tanzanite zoisite rough crystal specimen jewelry cabbing gemstone 6 grams lot parcel
 33 carats blue Tanzanite zoisite crystal specimen jewelry cabbing 6 grams lot parcel 
 
Brilliant WHITE Clear TOPAZ jewel Loose natural cabochons cut polished jewelry gemstones 4x2 half mm
 Brilliant WHITE Clear TOPAZ jewel Loose cabochons cut polished jewelry 4x2 half mm