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, , 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 , as well as For the Atlanta Shakespeare Company drinking companions of Henry, when he was (ASC) at The New American Shakespeare . 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 . 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, 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 ’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 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. Chorus sets the scene in the English dead and resolves to return to England and camp thus, “Now entertain conjecture of a time continue his life of crime. when creeping murmur and the pouring dark fills the wide vessel of the Universe.” It is dark, cold Back in France, Henry is coming to terms with and raining, and the two armies are not so far his new nation. While the King of France apart that they cannot hear each other’s horses considers his options, his daughter Katherine and and see each other’s fires. The English are sick, Henry court and Henry proposed marriage to the underfed and exhausted. The French are supplied lady, saying, “England is thine, Ireland is thine, with food, fresh horses and plate armor. France is thine, and Henry Plantagenet is thine!” Katherine consents to marry Henry and the King Henry walks thru his camp, outside Agincourt, returns, agreeing to Henry’s demands. hiding his identity in a cloak. He goes from tent Chorus enters and tells us, to tent to cheer everyone and give them “a little “Small time, but in that small most greatly lived touch of Harry in the night.” He speaks with This Star of England. “ three soldiers and sits with them still disguised. He listens while they discuss their probable deaths tomorrow. They feel that the King will have much reckoning to do if they are lead unjustly to their deaths. Henry argues that Before a Performance, Think “Every subject’s duty is the King’s: but every About This: subject’s soul is his own.” Later, Henry, unable to sleep, ruminates on the responsibility of a Theatergoing Then and Now: King. He asks, “Not today, oh Lord, O not today think not upon the fault my father made in Find out what the typical Elizabethan compassing the crown.” audience was like and imagine what a performance might have been like back The next day dawns and Westmoreland wishes then. What is different about theatre going that they had more men to fight against the nowadays? The answers may surprise you! French. Henry says, “If we are marked to die, Clue: What would this play be like to watch we are enough To do our country loss, and if to outside, in the light of day? live, The few men, the greater share of honour.” Henry V Study Guide, page 4 For Further Information/Exploration:

During a Performance, Watch and Websites: Listen for This: Our website has a great “ask Jeanette”

section-email us questions about the What makes a King a good King? show you saw, and get an answer In Henry IV, part one, Prince Hal tells the back!! http://www.shakespearetavern.co audience why he behaves so badly, not like m/BTC/btcaskjeanette.html a prince at all. He begins to show us what kind of king he will become. What kind of Mr. and The Internet: king is he by the end of Henry V ? Look at http://shakespeare.palomar.edu/ this site Act I, scene ii of Henry IV pt one , Hal’s last contains excellent resources and is a great soliloquy, in particular. metasite. The Shakespeare Globe Centre USA: After a Performance, Talk About http://www.shakespeareglobeusa.org/ This : Books: Did you understand EVERYthing they Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human said? by Harold Bloom When the words are flying fast and furious, Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare by Isaac when the ideas and images are as dense as a Asimov forest, what helps the audience understand the characters? Gesture? Emotion? Diction? Staging In Shakespeare’s Theatres by Facial expressions? Movement? What else Andrew Gurr and Mariko Ichikawa would you do to make the information clear Shakespeare A to Z by Charles Boyce to your audience? Our performance text is: Original Practice Theatre: The Applause First Folio of Shakespeare in Does directly addressing the audience affect Modern Type, Neil Freeman what you think and feel about the characters? Does it affect your For more information on the First Folio of understanding of what is going on onstage? Shakespeare go to: Does it interfere? Why do you think http://web.uvic.ca/shakespeare/Annex/Draft Shakespeare wrote his plays this way? Txt/index.html What are the benefits to the actor and/or audience? What are the risks? Movie Versions: Words Invented by Shakespeare and Henry V: Kenneth Brannaugh’s version is Used for the First Time in This Play: superb. Laurence Olivier’s is also wonderful, but omits the “English traitor” Addiction scene. Made, in part, to rally English Deracinate audiences during WWII, the scene was Dawn thought too upsetting for wartime. Leapfrog Puppy dog Definitions: Savagery Addiction: leaning or habit: devotion to a habit Find for yourself where they appear in the Deracinate: to uproot: tear up by the roots. play! Can you spot them in performance? Dawn: sunrise: coming of day. Do they mean what you thought they meant? Leapfrog: game in which one leaps over another. Puppy dog: a loveable dog Savagery: being untamed: wildness; ferocious.