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The Life of King Henry the Fifth Study Guide

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The Life of King Henry the Fifth Study Guide The Life of King Henry the The Dukes of Gloucester and Fifth Bedford: The Study Guide King’s brothers. Compiled by Laura Cole, Duke of Exeter: Director of Education and Training Uncle to the [email protected] King. for The Atlanta Shakespeare Company Duke of York: at The New American Shakespeare Cousin to the King. Tavern Earl’s of Salisbury, Westmoreland and 499 Peachtree Street, NE Warwick: Advisors to the King. Atlanta, GA 30308 Phone: 404-874-5299 The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely: They know the Salic Law very well! www.shakespearetavern.com The Earl of Cambridge, Sir Thomas Grey and Lord Scroop: English traitors, they take gold Original Practice and Playing from France to kill the King, but are discovered. Scroop is a childhood friend of Henry’s. Shakespeare Gower, Fluellen, Macmorris and Jamy: Captains in the King’s army, English, Welsh, The Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street Irish and Scottish. is an Original Practice Playhouse. Original Practice is the active exploration and Bates, Court, Williams: Soldiers in the King’s implementation of Elizabethan stagecraft army. and acting techniques. Nym, Pistol, Bardolph: English soldiers and friends of the now-dead Falstaff, as well as For the Atlanta Shakespeare Company drinking companions of Henry, when he was (ASC) at The New American Shakespeare Prince Hal. A boy also accompanies the men. Tavern, this means every ASC production features hand-made period costumes, live Hostess of the Boar’s Head Tavern: Nee’ actor-generated sound effects, and live Quickly, now married to Pistol. period music performed on period Charles IV of France: The King of France. instruments in our Elizabethan playhouse. Our casts are trained to speak directly to the The Dauphin: His excitable son, and heir. audience instead of ignoring the audience Princess Katherine: She will end up Queen of through the modern convention of acting England if everything goes well. with a “4 th wall.” The Duke’s of Burgundy, Orleans, Berri, You will experience all of this and more Britaine, Bourbon: Advisors to the King of when you see ASC’s Henry V. France. The Constable of France: Another advisor. Who’s Who in Henry V Rambures, Grandpre: French lords King Henry V: Hal is the son of Henry IV, who The Governor of Harfleur: Caught between a usurped the throne from his cousin Richard II. rock and a hard place- the walls of his town and Hal spent his younger days fooling around in Henry! taverns and is still a young man when he assumes Montjoy: A French Herald the throne. Alice: Lady-in-waiting to the Princess. Chorus: This figure introduces us to the world of Henry V and sets many of the scenes for the audience. Henry V Study Guide, page 2 to the skies. Henry has decides to release a prisoner who was arrested for drunkenly The Story criticizing him in public. The three men (the A Chorus enters: “O for a muse of fire that traitors) advise him to punish the man severely. would ascend the brightest heaven of invention” He hands the three men orders, which are and asks the audience to use its imagination actually evidence of their treason. Despite their while the actors portray great kings and battles pleading he says, “The mercy that was quick in within the confines of “This wooden O,” our us but late, by your own counsel is suppressed playhouse. and killed.” The traitors are arrested and Henry sails for France. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of As Nym, Bardolph and Pistol prepare to leave Ely discuss the proposed bill that would strip the and fight in France, Mistress Quickly tells them Church of most of its property. They praise of Falstaff’s death. “He’s not in Hell: He’s in King Henry V, who has abandoned the wildness Arthur’s bosom, if ever man went to Arthur’s of his youth and is a friend to the Church. The bosom.” Archbishop says that he will offer a great sum of money and support for Henry’s campaign against The King of France tells his advisors that they France to convince him to oppose the bill. must prepare to fight the English, and the Dauphin says they should ignore Henry’s threats Henry charges the Archbishop to advise him if because he is a “vain, giddy, shallow, humorous he has a rightful claim to France and to consider youth.” The Duke of Exeter, ambassador from the import of his advice. The Archbishop gives a Henry enters and demands that the French give long-winded and complicated explanation of Henry the crown or the English will invade. The how the genealogy of the monarchs of France King says he will consider it but the Dauphin should have had the French crown passing to says that no matter what his father decides he England. “ In terram Salicam mulieres ne “desires nothing but odds with England.” succedant , “No woman shall succeed in Salic Chorus tells us that the French King offers Henry land.” Henry’s advisors also tell him that he can his daughter and “some petty and unprofitable rightfully move against France . Henry asks if he dukedoms.” must also prepare to fight the Scots. He is advised to leave sufficient forces at home to Before the gates of Harfleur, a town in France, guard his country, but to still send enough to Henry gives a rousing speech to his troops, invade France. Henry resolves to attack France “Once more into the breach dear friends, once and he sends for the French ambassador. more!” Many of his soldiers are solid fighting The ambassador tells him the Dauphin (the men, but Bardolph, Nym and Pistol hesitate to French heir to the throne) replies to his claim to charge and are driven forward by the Welsh certain French lands by sending him a “gift” of captain Fluellen. Their boy relates how he is tennis balls. Henry says “I will keep my state, be ashamed to serve with them. Fluellen, the Irish like a King and show my sail of greatness when I Captain Macmorris and Captain Jamy the Scot do rouse me in my throne of France.” The all argue over the appropriate way to conduct the scornful “gift” has made Henry’s decision even battle. As they argue they hear that the town has easier! asked for a parley. Chorus now tells us that all of England is riled Henry delivers a threatening speech to the up about war with France. In a London street, Governor of Harfleur, telling him that he will not three of Sir John Falstaff’s old cronies, Bardolph be able to control his soldiers from raping their Nym and Pistol are fighting. Pistol has married women and killing all the elderly men and young Mistress Quickly. A boy enters with word that children. This half-bluff, half-truth convinces the Falstaff is dying and Mistress Quickly says, “The Governor to surrender and the gates are opened King has killed his heart.” to Henry. Exeter, Bedford and Westmoreland relate that Katherine, the daughter the French King, has an the King has found out traitors. Richard, Earl of English lesson with her lady-in-waiting. She is Cambridge, Henry, Lord Scroop and Sir Thomas scandalized that the English words for foot and Gray arrive with the King, who asks about his gown sound like French curses. chances against the French. They all praise him Henry V Study Guide, page 3 It is the feast day of St. Crispin and in future years every old man in England will wish he had The French King discusses how to respond to been at the battle to brag on the great victory. Henry’s (so far) successful invasion and he After his rousing words, Westmoreland says, orders that Montjoy, his herald, be sent to Henry “Would you and I alone, with out more help, to relay defiance and warn that a French army could fight this battle!” Montjoy enters and asks will now come against the English forces. again if Henry will ransom himself and prevent his army’s certain defeat. Henry will not and the In the aftermath of the taking of Harfleur, Pistol battle begins. is trying to get Bardolph pardoned for stealing from a French church. Bardolph is going to be During the battle, Pistol and the Boy meet a hung, because, as Henry says, “When lenity and French gentleman who offers them money to let cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester him escape. The boy comments on Pistol’s is the soonest winner.” Henry will not even cowardice and mentions that there are too few pardon his old buddy. soldiers to guard the camp, just the young boys who travel with the army. Fluellen enters and Montjoy arrives and delivers his message. Henry tells the hideous news that all the young boys in will not give himself up and tells the King’s the camp have been slaughtered by the retreating messenger “My ransom is this frail and French. This is strictly against all rules of war. worthless trunk, my army but a weak and sickly Montjoy arrives and asks permission for the guard. Yet, God before me, tell him we will French to carry off their dead. The victory goes come on.” to the English, and Henry considers it the grace and favor of God that more English noblemen The night before the battle of Agincourt the and soldiers are not dead. French leaders spend time praising themselves and yearning for morning, when they can attack Pistol relates that his wife Mistress Quickly is the English.
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