The Nashville Shakespeare Festival

EDUCATOR’S GUIDEBOOK

Henry V By

Directed by Nat McIntyre/Costume Design by June Kingsbury Set Design by Morgan Matens/Lighting Design by Anne Willigham Music by The Princely Players Fight Choreography by Eric Pasto Crosby

Education Sponsor: Table of Contents

Note from the Education Director, Nettie Kraft

Note from the Director, Nat McIntyre

Henry V Synopsis by Nettie Kraft

Setting the Scene by Katie Stueckle

Henry V Dramaturgy by Chad Morgan

Shakespeare at a glance

The Hammer of the by Hugh Inman

Classroom Activities

Discussion Ideas and Questions

Use of Verse and Prose by Emma Reynolds

Design and Activities

Shakespeare’s Ups and Downs by Dr. Ann Jennalie Cook

Additional Teacher Resources

Apprentice Company Training

Sponsor Page

Locus of Control Worksheet

State Standards

Project Menu

Note from the Education Director

Hello!

I am so excited to welcome you into our 28th annual Shakespeare in the Park! This year’s production of Henry V at the bandshell at Centennial Park should prove to be a wonderful theatrical experience. Long live outdoor theater!

This guidebook is to help teachers and students with classroom instruction and generate a healthy curiosity about Shakespeare, the process of theatre, and this play in particular. You will find a synopsis, historical information, lesson plans, links to additional resources such as videos and books, a map to the park, and explanations of various design and directorial choices for Henry V. Whether your class is just beginning to read Henry V or has already finished the play the guidebook serves as a tool to prepare for viewing the work as it was meant to be, on stage, with you in the audience.

If you have any further questions I am always happy to help! To book a workshop or matinee reservation for our Winter Shakes Show, King Lear, you may reach me at [email protected].

Enjoy the show!

Nettie Kraft, Education Director Note from the Director

I started visiting Nashville in 2002 and moved here in 2013. During my visits I could never quite figure out what it was that drew me to this city. It was while gathering stories in 2008, for a project called The Nashville 9, that I realized what it was. This city doesn’t just have everything, it has everyone. And because it has everyone it is a place where people have learned to speak to those with differing opinions with respect and an open heart. Now, for Henry V and why I set it on a divided Middle Tennessee farm in the Civil War. Well, Henry V is a story of reluctant brotherhood. The story of an unlikely leader bringing together everyone. Throughout this play Henry speaks, and more importantly listens, to monarchs, gentleman, officers, enlisted men, conservatives, liberals, drunks, clergy, men, women, and children. This play needed a setting where people were together in spite of inherent differences. That was Middle Tennessee then and now. It is his interactions with all of these people that give him the strength to lead in the face of great odds. And it is this interaction that makes us want to be lead by a person like Henry. We needed Henrys very badly after the Civil War and we still need them today. There are ways we still struggle to move forward. In an early meeting with Robert Hicks, author of The Widow Of The South, he shared with me how important he felt it was that we go back to The Civil War to help us move forward and heal as a country. It was exciting to think to go back to where many different voices started and attempt to listen to them differently. As I read Henry V over and over I began to realize that the fight I was interested in examining most was the fight that began after The Civil War. The fight to a fractured country together. So, when we you hear Henry say “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…” this evening my hope is that you not only think of the acts of valour that men and women of the Confederacy and Union displayed, but also the courage that it took and takes to engage and listen to different sides in our divided country after the war. And when you hear “We few, we happy few. We band of brothers.” I hope you will realize you are in that band and perhaps you are one of the Henrys this country needs. To conclude, I would like to say that the only reason I chose to make Henry a Union soldier was because I wanted to highlight how unlikely a leader he was. There are “heroes” and “villains” on each side of this conflict throughout and we never know where they may come from.

Enjoy the show!

Nat McIntyre, Director Henry V Synopsis by Nettie Kraft

Act I On an occupied Nashville farm a family nurses their wounded Union soldier son much to the disgust of their other son, a Confederate. In order to cope with circumstances the family, slaves, and soldiers perform Henry V. Exeter and Westmoreland comment on King Henry’s changed nature and talk turns to the impending war with . Canterbury contests the Salique Law forbidding rule to be handed down through female lines because it would deny Henry and their land and Kingship in France. The Ambassadors from France arrive to tell Henry that the Dauphin, the Prince of France, will admit no claim to Dukedoms in France and insults Henry by offering him baseballs instead. Henry declares war and preparations are begun. Bardolph, Pistol, and Nym, the King’s unsavory and quarrelsome friends from youth, hear that has died and leave to fight in France. Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey are revealed to be spies for France and sent to death before Henry sets sail. In France the King and Dauphin prepare for battle as Exeter arrives with messages from Henry. As the battle at encroaches Henry rouses his troops but Bardoplph, Pistol, and Nym must be forced by the Welshman to go and fight. Fluellen and MacMorris argue about tactics and Harlfeur yields to the English. Exeter takes over the city and Henry soon leaves for . The King of France sends troops to Harfleur to retake the city but forces the hotheaded Dauphin to remain with him. Princess Katherine attempts the with her nurse, Alice. Bardolph has been arrested for theft and Pistol begs Fluellen for his friend’s life. MacMorris tells Fluellen that Pistol is as bad as Bardolph and when Henry arrives he denies Bardolph mercy but orders that English soldiers do not abuse the French they conquer. Montjoy arrives to deliver a message from the King of France. Henry agrees to not go after the King but will return to Calais and recuperate. As the Dauphin and French Lords brag of horses and armor a message arrives that Henry’s army has camped nearby and the battle looms.

Act II______

The disheartened and outnumbered English army prepares for battle in the morning as Henry, disguised, walks the camp gauging the loyalties and attitudes of his soldiers. He finds Pistol a hothead, Fluellen gruff but smart, and makes a bet with Williams that Henry will never be ransomed. The morning breaks and the French move to fight. They have five fresh soldiers to every tired one of England’s but Henry says the glorious few who fight today are his brothers and those who stayed at home will regret not being at the great . Mountjoy comes again to ask for Henry’s ransom. Henry denies him and the battle begins. Pistol captures a Frenchman and ransoms him. The boys lament Pistol’s lack of character and go to guard the luggage. The Dauphin’s army is in disarray and Henry is given a list of his dead noblemen. Fluellen arrives to tell of the French theft of the luggage and slaughter of the young boys. Henry orders the killing of all French prisoners. Mountjoy arrives to ask permission to bury the French dead and informs Henry that the English have won the day. The bet between disguised Henry and Williams is turned into a practical joke including Fluellen. The dead are listed and Henry leaves to bury them. Fluellen beats Pistol for mocking leeks and after Pistol swears to return to England and steal for a living, claiming that the scars from Fluellen’s beating were from battle. The Chorus tells of Henry’s triumphant welcome in and then his return to France to mend the relations between the countries. As the King and Lords discuss peace Henry woos his cousin, Princess Katherine, and despite language differences the marriage is agreed to and peace is attained. The Chorus begs for everlasting peace between the countries. Setting the Scene by Katie Stueckle

In 1864, the Confederate army could see defeat looming on the horizon. The tide of war had turned, and they were under-supplied, homesick, and exhausted. After losing yet another battle, the weary army started to set up camp, just wanting to lick its wounds and gather together the remaining soldiers. They chose to settle on a modest Tennessee farm.

The farm, scarred by fire over the course of the war, still supported its broken little family. Just like the States, the household had been split by war- the father of the house and the elder son had gone to fight for the Confederacy, while the younger son went to the Union and the mother of the house remained at the farm with her daughter and two slaves. During the war, news came home that the father was killed in battle.

Just before the Confederate army settles at the farmhouse, the younger son returns home with wounds from the Union front. The mother cares for the family she has with her, and searches among the soldiers for her missing child. Tensions soar as the Confederate men recognize their enemy, and the farm household grows wary and even more protective of its members.

Violence is about to erupt when the Confederate soldiers threaten the family, but people from both sides know that a pact must be made. Fighting must not be allowed any longer. Slowly, the realization dawns on them that the way to reconcile the household and the soldier camp is through stories. Stories of family, fear, and even freedom abound in the ragged group that gathers at the farmhouse. Desperate for some form of unity, they are guided by the spirits of the war to the words of Shakespeare- perhaps the only storyteller who could let the voice of every soldier, nurse, slave, child, and mother be heard through a single play.

Henry V, a story of war and a struggling nation, provides this camp a chance for peace.

Figure 1 Civil War camp, laundress or wife and family of a soldier Dramaturgy for Henry V by Chad Morgan

Click here to go to NSF’s website for the full dramaturgy pdf

Shakespeare at a glance

1558 Queen takes the throne

April 23rd, 1564 William Shakespeare was born. He spent his early years in Stratford- upon-Avon where he attended school until age 14

1582 An 18-year-old Shakespeare marries 26-year-old Anne Hathaway because she is pregnant

1583 Susanna Shakespeare is born

1585 Twins Judith and Hamnet are born

1586 Shakespeare leaves his home and joins a company of actors as a performer and playwright

1592 London theatres close due to the Plague

1598 Shakespeare (and others) finance the building of the Globe Theatre

June 29th, 1613 Fire destroys the Globe Theatre during a performance of Henry VIII when cannon fire sets fire to the roof

1614 Second Globe Theatre is built

April 23rd, 1616 Shakespeare dies

1623 “The First Folio” of Shakespeare’s plays is published

1644 The Globe Theatre is demolished

“THE HAMMER OF THE GAULS” by Hugh Inman

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger." --King Henry V, III.i

“Henry of ” “” “the Prince of ” “Henry V” “Shakespeare’s Warrior King”… Only a handful of England’s monarchs have loomed as large and wielded such power. None have ever come closer to gaining the crown of both England and France. The irony of all this is that Henry was not born to be king. In fact, his exact date of birth is not known. Henry was born in August 1387 at in Wales, and he was sometimes called Henry of Monmouth. Because he was not close to the line of succession to the throne, his exact date of birth was not officially recorded. His father was Henry of Bolingbroke, and his great-grandfather had been King Edward III of England. Richard II, king of England at the time of Henry’s birth, was his father’s first cousin.

When Henry was twelve years old, his father deposed his cousin, King Richard II, in a violent takeover that left the country in disarray. He became Henry IV, and threw Richard II into prison where he starved to death. Suddenly, young Henry found himself to be the , heir to the throne. He was known to be a deeply religious youth who had attended mass every day since childhood, and he became convinced that God had created him not only to be the King, but to also be the man who would restore England’s greatness. It is said the he had such a powerful desire to become King, that even before his father’s death he kept a crown at his bedside and periodically tried it on for size.

In 1403, when Henry was only 16 years old, an event occurred that almost assuredly had a significant impact on the temperament and character of the young heir to England’s throne. It also defined the future Henry V as history remembers him. It was the . Prince Henry was leading the left flank of his father’s army against a group of insurgent forces led by the infamous rebel Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy. A great deal was at risk as he went into battle. Not only could Henry lose his life, he could also destroy his father’s and greatly endanger the Figure 2 Artist Unknown stability of England. As Henry and his troops advanced to the field of battle they came under attack from the notorious Cheshire longbow men whose bows and arrows were like medieval machine guns. Henry was caught in the middle of a barrage of arrows and was almost immediately struck in the face. The young Prince courageously fought on, however, until the victory was won and “Hotspur” lay dead. Despite the fact that the wooden shaft of the arrow had been pulled out, Henry was still in mortal danger; the arrowhead was wedged in his skull. The Royal Surgeons had no conception of what to do, and they even resorted to potions and charms. Finally, John Bradmore, one of the finest surgeons of that day, was summoned. Bradmore immediately knew the method of treatment would be groundbreaking and enormously risky. He relied not only on his skills as a surgeon, but also on his skills as a metal craftsman. In only a short time after his arrival, Bradmore devised a unique instrument to safely remove the arrowhead from the Prince’s skull. He later wrote a book entitled Philomena, in which he described the treatment and the device that he created.

“…I prepared anew some little tongs, small and hollow, and with the width of an arrow. A screw ran through the middle of the tongs, whose ends were well rounded both on the inside and outside, and even the end of the screw, which was entered into the middle, was well rounded overall in the way of a screw, so that it should grip better and more strongly. This is its form I put these tongs in at an angle in the same way as the arrow had

Figure 3 Picture by Jo Homfray first entered, then placed the screw in the center and finally the tongs entered the socket of the arrowhead. Then, by moving it to and fro, little by little (with the help of God) I extracted the arrowhead.”

For the next twenty days the ingenious surgeon washed the wound with white wine and an early antiseptic made of honey, barley, flour and flax. He even smoothed Henry’s neck with an ointment each morning and evening to prevent seizures “which was my greatest fear. And thus, thanks to God, he was perfectly cured.”

Although no detailed account describes his reaction to the traumatic injury and the miraculous recovery, it is certain that the wound left a physical scar on Henry that he carried for the rest of his life. The only surviving portrait known to have been painted from life shows him in profile, most likely to conceal his scarred cheek. Perhaps the ordeal had a certain psychosomatic effect on the young Prince that contributed to his years of wild and reckless behavior, famously dramatized by Shakespeare in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, when he depicts the young “Prince Hal” as a wayward young man who spent time with petty criminals and other ne'er do wells of society. Nevertheless, in Holinshed’s Chronicles it is recorded that when the time came for Henry to become king, his attitude abruptly changed. “For whereas aforetime he had made himself a companion unto misrule mates of dissolute order and life, he now banished them all from his presence…inhibiting them upon a great pain, not once to approach, lodge, or sojourn within ten miles of his court or presence.” Perhaps the traumatic near-death experience caused him to “sew a few wild oats” for a period of time, but once he became king, all foolishness ended. At any rate, the scar both inside and outside the young boy undoubtedly played a great part in making the man who faced the French on the fields of

Agincourt. Figure 4 Falstaff with big wine jar and cup, 1896 by Eduard von Grutzner In 1413 at age 26, Henry was crowned King , after the death of his father. His , however, was not met with widespread approval. There was still acrimonious feelings over how Henry IV had overthrown Richard II and allegedly allowed him to starve to death in prison. The new King had to demonstrate to his people that he was not his father. It had to be clear that he wanted to make amends for the transgressions of the past. To prove this, he made a dramatic gesture of reconciliation by having Richard’s body exhumed and reburied at in a tomb the late King had designed for himself, and in which his late wife Anne already lay. Whether this gesture was an attempt to make up for the misdeeds of his father or just to stamp out the rumor that Richard II was still

Figure 5 Tomb of Richard II and , alive and well will never be known, but the meaning Courtesy of Westminster Abbey was clear to everyone; Henry was determined to unite the kingdom. Apparently the message was received. The infighting and unrest subsided, and Henry became the unquestioned King of England.

Soon after ascending to the throne, what could only be called an obsession emerged in the attitude and focus of Henry, an obsession that would dictate almost every action he made as King of England. Henry had grown up hearing stories of his ancestors’ battles against the French. England and France had been at war fighting over land for almost 100 years. By the time Henry became king, England was disgraced because they had lost most of their French territory. Henry had a mission not only to take the land back, but to also take the French crown. He believed the French crown was his by right of birth in a direct line going back to his great, great-grandmother, Isabella, but the French did not recognize the claim because they only accepted the male line of succession. King Henry had picked a good moment to launch his claim, because the French were divided and anxious. Many French thought their King, Charles VI, was insane, and his court was severely divided with opposing factions. Henry sent the first volley by demanding that he should be the next King of France, and that he should marry the King’s daughter, Catherine. He also reclaimed the lost English territories of , Anjou, and half of Provence. These, of course, were outrageous demands, and the French refused. Henry had no other choice but to go to war with France to get what he

Figure 6 King Charles VI of France, artist desired. unknown By August of 1415, Henry had assembled an enormous invasion force made up of 2,500 soldiers, and 8,000 bowmen. They landed at Harfleur and laid siege to the town. After six weeks it fell, but at a heavy cost. Henry lost over 2,000 men, and many more were wounded. Judging from history, Henry should have withdrawn from this losing situation and returned to England. Instead he pushed farther into France. The conditions for the English soldiers were desperate. There was little food, and disease was everywhere. After ten days of marching, word reached the exhausted English that a French army five times their size lay ahead blocking their route. To Henry and his men, it clearly seemed to be an unwinnable battle. Little did anyone on either side know at the time that perhaps the most amazing battle ever fought between England and France lay ahead of them.

On October 24, 1415, St. Crispin’s day, the feast day of the Christian saints Crispin and Crispinian, the English and The French army were set to face each other on a field near the village of Agincourt. Henry rose at dawn and heard mass three times. The English were weary, wet, and hungry. The French were well fed and rested. Realizing his position, Henry sent a message to the French commander, the Duke of Orleans, offering the return of Harfleur and reparation for the destruction in exchange for peace.

Figure 7 The English Siege of Harfluer, artist unknown The French refused. Combat was now unavoidable. Henry gathered his men and gave them his battle plan, ordering his archers to hammer six foot wooden stakes into the ground to create a deadly defensive screen. The self-assured French had no plan, no strategy, and little self-control. They were confidant of their superior force, and they were eager to strike the first blow against the English.

The two armies faced each other across the battlefield barely 1,000 yards apart. For four hours there was a standoff. Finally Henry gave the order to shoot, and his archers pulled back their bows and let fly a thick and lethal storm of arrows. The French cavalry made their first charge and rode straight into the English arrows. They retreated in panic. The English archers continued to fire again and again at the fleeing French. When to two armies finally met, they were so crushed together there was hardly space in which to fight. Then Henry shocked even his own men when he rode his horse straight to the front line, ready for battle. In medieval conflicts it was the usual practice for several knights to act as decoys by appearing in the same outfit as the king. At Agincourt, only King Henry wore the royal battle garb, and he even drew extra attention to himself by wearing a crown on the top of his helmet. This, of course, made him a very obvious target for French attack, but it also showed the French and his own men that he was convinced that he could not be killed. Henry’s disregard for his safety was arrogant, even reckless, but this one act, above all others, made him a hero. In only half an hour the battle was over. Two French divisions were destroyed or taken prisoner, and the other division fled for their lives. What had seemed impossible had happed. England had defeated France against all odds.

The King returned to England in triumph as an all-conquering hero. His route from Dover to London was lined with cheering crowds, and groups of young ladies who sang a chorus of congratulations that included the lyric “Welcome, Henry V, King of England, and King of France.” Henry, of course, knew this was not quite true. He was not yet King of France, and his obsession now seemed to become uncontrollable. His strategy and disposition grew blacker. Two years after the battle of Agincourt, he returned to France, where his lay siege on the fortified town of . It took three weeks for the city to surrender, and when it did English troops entered and began to rape and murder its defenseless citizens. The bloodshed only came to an end when Henry himself saw a woman in the marketplace who had been decapitated with her baby still suckling at her breast. In a rare show of mercy, it is said that Henry then ordered priests, women, and children to be spared. The cruelest siege was at . After six months of fighting, the English solders took pity on the starving women and children and gave them bread, but Henry ordered there would be no handouts, and the impoverished people were left to starve. As he continued his march through Northern France, town after town surrendered.

On May 21, 1420, in the small town of , one hundred miles east of , King Charles VI gave his daughter Catherine in marriage to Henry. Just before the ceremony, Henry he had signed the , which stipulated that upon the death of Catherine’s father, the person crowned King of France would be Henry himself. From Troyes, Henry traveled to Paris where he entered the city in victory on December 1, 1420, becoming the only king of England to claim the capital as conqueror. Still, even conquering Paris was not enough. All he had to do was wait for King Charles to die, but Henry saw many French provinces that were not under his rule, and so the siege continued.

Then, on his way to a battle in the Loue Valley, in the summer of 1422, Henry suddenly became ill. Two weeks later, at the age of 35, Figure 8 The Marriage of Henry V and Catherine de Valois, Henry was dead. It is thought that he contracted 2 June 1420, Chroniques de France ou de Saint Denis, 1487, MS Royal 20 E VI f. 9v., courtesy of , a common and deadly medieval Luminarium.org affliction. Just before his death, he had named his brother as protector of his infant son who would now become Henry VI at the age nine months. Less than seven weeks later, his father-in-law, King Charles VI, also died. What an ironic twist of fate. Henry missed being crowned king of France by less than two months.

Henry’s victories in France were astonishing, but they would not last. Less than thirty years after his death all English possessions gained by him in France were lost. No sovereign after Henry V would come so close to uniting the great kingdoms of England and France under one crown. Shakespeare’s warrior king was given the funeral of a hero in Westminster Abbey. His favorite stallions from the battlefields escorted his coffin to the altar. His body was placed within a magnificent tomb, and the inscription around the ledge read "Henry V, hammer of the Gauls, lies here.”

Figure 9 Tomb of King Henry V, courtesy of Westminster Abbey

Shakespeare wrote the line “No King of England if not King of France,” (II ii) but these words could have easily served as Henry’s own personal maxim. His life as England’s king seems to be a mixture of unbelievable greatness and bravery, profound faith and humility, and reckless confrontations and arrogance. He may seem somewhat straightforward and even one- dimensional during some periods of his life, but looking from the vantage point of history, both admirers and detractors agree that he was an extremely complex man. He certainly had personal ambition, but the most overriding aspect of his life, what dictated his philosophies and his movements, was what he saw as the right of his birth, the Divine Right of being a king. In time, with the help of Shakespeare and others, Henry V became a legend, some might even say a myth, but even in his own time he was idolized. The words of a song written by an anonymous poet in the 15th century seem to recapitulate England’s true feelings for their King. “Henry of Monmouth” “Prince Hal” “the Prince of Wales” “Henry V” “Shakespeare’s Warrior King” “the Hammer of the Gauls”

The Agincourt Hymn Deo gratias Anglia Redd (England give thanks to God for the victory)

Our king went forth to Normandy Then went him forth our king comely, With grace and might of chivalry, In Agincourt field he fought manly, There God for him wrought marvelously, Through grace of God most Wherefore England may call and cry. marvelously Deo Gratias He had the field and victory. Deo Gratias

He set a siege, for sooth to say, Almighty God, O keep our king, To Harfleur town with royal array, His people and all those well willing, That town he won and made a fray And give them grace without ending; That France shall rue till doomsday. Deo Gratias Then may we call and safely sing, Deo Gratias.

Allmand, C. T. Henry V. Berkeley: U of California, 1992.

Holinshed, Raphael. Holinshed's Chronicles: Richard II, 1398-1400, Henry IV, and Henry V. Ed. Robert Strachan Wallace and Alma Hansen. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1978.

Hutchinson, Harold F. King Henry V. New York: John Day, 1967.

Lange, Shelia J. "Research@StAndrews:FullText: The ‘Philomena’ of John Bradmore and Its Derivative: A Perspective on Surgery in Late Medieval England.” Univ. of St. Andrews, 1998. Web. 12 July 2015.

Lewis, Matt. "The Scar of Henry V." Web log post. Matt's History Blog ~ Hopefully Interesting Snippets and Thoughts. N.p., 21 May 2014. Web. 12 July 2015.

"Prince Hal's Head-Wound: Cause and Effect" Medievalists.net. N.p., 20 May 2013. Web. 11 July 2015.

Seward, Desmond. Henry V: The Scourge of God. New York: Viking, 1988.

Shakespeare, William. King Henry V. Ed. Andrew Gurr. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992.

"Traditional & Folk Songs with Lyrics, Agincourt Carole." Song Lyrics: The Agincourt Carole. Web. 15 July 2015. Henry V activities for the classroom

“No king of England, if not king of France.”

(Act 2, Scene 2)

Soliloquies and Asides

In Henry V characters use soliloquies to express desires, plan, confess and reveal true intentions. I like to think of soliloquies as “solos” to remember that they occur when characters are alone on stage.

An aside happens when a character speaks to the audience or only to other characters while other people are in the scene. This clues the audience in on a character’s true feelings while leaving the other characters oblivious, like a spoken secret.

Activity I

Soliloquies (Act 4 scene 1 and Act 3 scene 2)

As a class read and discuss Act 4 scene 1. Henry’s soliloquy begins “Upon the king! Let our lives, our souls, our debts, our careful wives, our children and our sins lay on the king! We must bear all.”

As a class read and discuss Act 4 scene 1. What is Henry feeling at this moment? Who does he compare himself to? What does he wish he had or could do? What would you rather be?

Henry wants something from the audience. Deliver this soliloquy to the class and try to express his struggle with the comparison. Let the class vote on whether they believe Henry will be able to bear the burden and whether kings are merely men or made of something greater?

As a class read and discuss Act 3 scene 2. Who are the “three swashers” the Boy speaks of in his soliloquy? In your own words what are their unique characteristics? What does the boy say the men want him to do? How does the Boy feel about it? Who is the Boy talking to? Is the Boy a believable narrator? In our production the Boy is played at times by a young girl. Does the scene still make sense with gender blind casting? Why?

Activity II ______

Asides

As a class read Act 5 scene 1, the final line of Pistol’s beginning “Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now?” What has happened to Pistol’s wife? Where is he going to say his bruises and scars came from? Why? What does he gain by telling the audience his plan?

Asides are a daily part of life. They are certainly employed in schools or any other place where large groups of people are gathered and noise can mask comments and remarks. Discuss how people use asides in everyday life. When and why do they occur? As a class, or in small groups, create a list of asides (in vernacular English), which one could expect to hear from characters throughout the play. What function do they serve in telling the story? How would the play be different without them?

Discussion Ideas & Questions

“O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention…” (Prologue)

Discussion I: Imagination _

At the beginning of the play the Chorus comes out and asks us to set the scene in our minds. What are we asked to imagine? Why? What is the “wooden O” spoken of? What is a “cockpit” and why would it be mentioned here? What can imagination do that pictures can’t?

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…” (Act 4, Scene 3)

Discussion II: Honour

_

As a class read the Saint Crispin’s Day speech beginning “What’s he that wishes so?” The English are vastly outnumbered. What does Henry say to his men to give them courage? What does he covet? Is it more important to fight bravely or to win? Why? What is honour? Who has it in today’s world? How can we build a sense of honour in ourselves and others?

“ …tell the Dauphin his jest will savour but of shallow wit, when thousands weep more than did laugh at it.” (Act 1 Scene 2)

Discussion III: War

As a class read Act 1 scene 2. Why does Henry decide to go to war? How does he justify it? Why does Henry believe he has a right to the throne of France? What is he afraid will happen with the Scottish if he does war with France? As you continue to read the play how is the question of war dealt with? Who thinks war is fun? Necessary? Justified by God? Evil? What do you think about war? Is it in your control whether to fight or not? What if you were king or a leader?

Activity: There is a concept in psychology known as “Locus of Control.” It helps to identify which problems we have control over and which problems we do not.

In a journal, have students write 5-10 problems that they have. Use the “Locus of Control Worksheet” to have students evaluate whether their problem is internal or external, and whether they have control or no control over the problem. They can write the problem in the appropriate box. The more internal a problem is and the more control that a student has over it, the easier it is to change. Have them reflect on which problems they can change.

Use of Verse and Prose By Emma Reynolds

When an actor attempts to tackle Shakespeare, they must acknowledge the use of verse in his plays. The human voice when reading Shakespeare’s verse fills with the words with emotion. The dialogue Shakespeare uses allows him to maintain the character and their action, as well as grab the attention and interest of the audience in an exciting and unique way. There are two kinds of verse that Shakespeare wrote in, which were in syllabic or accentual verse. Syllabic is where there are limited number of syllables to a line. Accentual is where there are a limited number of accents to a line. A lot of Shakespeare’s verse is written in iambic pentameter, but the reasoning behind this could be the fact the iambic pentameter is the basic rhythm of the English language (Linklater). Iambic pentameter actually sounds very similar to a heartbeat which is why it is used often in love poems. You cannot always look at Shakespeare’s work as written in iambic pentameter though (Brubaker). Shakespeare wrote in blank verse, but he does not use the regular blank verse form (Pritner and Colaianni, Brubaker). He wrote in verse in order to help the actor be as clear and interesting as possible. The choices he made were perfectly planned whether it is a certain number of syllables or not. When the actor scans Shakespeare’s verse they must have confidence, while taking notice the number of syllables and the pattern in which the accents fall.

It is said that, “… major clues to the topography of any given Shakespeare play are found in its rhythmic dynamics” (Linklater). Shakespeare, like most poets, uses the rhythm in order to shape the language of his plays. Taking the rhythmic pattern of the play allows for the actor to know what kind of emotion the words are meant to evoke. In the plays he created when he was in his mid-thirties used rhyme less frequently and more for special effects (Linklater). He used more rhyming couplets and triplets to emphasize certain parts of the play. Twelfth Night is an example of one of the plays he wrote at this time. These plays are ones that tend to have more prose than verse. Verse is usually emotionally charged, whereas prose conveys factual information in Shakespearean plays (Linklater). Since it is emotionally charged, verse is very important for the portrayal of the character since is displays the emotion that the character is going through. The actor needs to pay attention to both the sound of the rhyme and the meaning of the words that are in it.

One problem that can come up is the question of pronunciation, in which it is best to go with modern pronunciation. There are only a few words that the Elizabethans pronounced differently. The use of regular verse allows for the actor to speak rapidly and clearly, as well as giving the audience certainty with what they are hearing. That is something Shakespeare liked to emphasize because to him the dialogue is more important than the spectacle (Brubaker).

Types of Verse that Shakespeare Uses in Henry V:

1. Couplets 2. Unrhymed lines in pentameter, of ten syllables or blank verse

Types of Prose that Shakespeare Uses in Henry V:

1. Prose style of low life, vulgar ribaldry 2. Colloquial prose dialogue and straight, matter-of-fact narrative 3. Witty, brilliant prose of high comedy 4. The formal, stylish prose of formal documents, letters, etc.

Works Cited

Brubaker, Edward. Shakespeare Aloud: A Guide to His Verse on Stage. Lancaster, PA: Brubaker, 1976. Print. Linklater, Kristin. Freeing Shakespeare's Voice: The Actor's Guide to Talking the Text. New York, NY: Theatre Communications Group, 1992. Print. Pritner, Cal, and Louis Colaianni. How to Speak Shakespeare. Santa Monica, CA: Santa Monica LLC, 2001. Print.

DESIGN and ACTIVITIES

Color palette

Designers often work within a specific color palette or a range of hues. If your students had to choose only five colors to employ in a production of Henry V, which five would they choose and why? Are these colors dark or light? What does each color communicate to the audience? Are particular colors associated with certain characters? Why? You can use this link to help your students explore color.

Costume

Costumes tell us about characters: age, status, occupation, personality, and sometimes what country they are in. The costumes for Henry V were inspired by actual Civil War era clothes and uniforms.

Costume design also includes details such as hairstyles, makeup, hats, and jewelry.

Lighting

Lights tell us where to look on stage and what time of day or even season it is but are also very useful when portraying mood. What feeling do you get from the following pictures?

Figure 10 Photo courtesy of Bell Shakespeare

Figure 12 Henry V at Theatre Royal, Lighting Design by Ben Ormerod Figure 11Henry V at Theatre Royal, Lighting Design by Ben Ormerod Scenery

Scenery for theatre is not always realistic. Sometimes it suggests a location and the mood that goes with it. What type of landscape is described at the beginning of the play? How could you portray that on stage?

Figure 13Figure 10 Folger Theatre, Scenic Design by Tony Cisek, Lighting Design by Andrew F. Griffin, Photo by Scott Suchman

Figure 14 Photo courtesy of Bell Shakespeare Sound

Sound design can incorporate any or all of the following: recorded sound effects, pre-recorded music, live music, and music designed specifically for that show. In Henry V the sound will be live music, Civil War era Spirituals, Folk, and Gospel music, sung by The Princely Players. http://princelyplayers.com/PrincelyPlayers/Welcome.html

Casting _

Using the characters with which your students are most familiar-perhaps Henry, The Dauphin, Catherine, Fluellen, and Pistol, cast a production of Henry V using modern-day film actors. Discuss what features, attributes, and visuals are important about the actors they choose to cast in the roles.

Sometimes it is fun to cast friends or family members when you are designing a play. Artists take inspiration from what they see every day. Unique perspectives on Henry V______Often in theatre experiments take place. Sometimes gender roles are switched, a play is cast non-traditionally, turned into a movie or deconstructed and put back together through music or other multi-media experiences.

Figure 16 Photo courtesy of RSC

Figure 15 courtesy of The National Theatre

Figure 17 Photo courtesy of the Unicorn Theatre

SHAKESPEARE’S UPS AND DOWNS

By Dr. Ann Jennalie Cook

Though the most popular and successful playwright of his day, William Shakespeare did not always bask in public acclaim. In fact, the survival of his reputation through the past four centuries was by no means certain. The publication of the First Folio in 1623 saved about half his plays that had never seen the dark of print, but when the Commonwealth closed all theaters from 1642 until 1660, few if any people saw his work on stage.

Even when performances resumed, actors felt free to cut scenes, add or omit characters, and change the plot. The public watched Nahum Tate’s King Lear come to a happy ending, and Henry Purcell turned The Tempest into a musical after John Dryden and William Davenant had both re-written it. Some famous performers could make a version temporarily popular, as David Garrick did with his Richard III, but he acted The Winter’s Tale without three of its five acts. Meanwhile, the growing David Garrick as Richard III, William Hogarth painting taste for classical principles among intellectuals led them to deplore the playwright’s presumed irregularities of writing style.

During the 1800s, the theater pillaged Shakespeare to make money. The language was “bowdlerized” to strip out any offensive language, and any works regarded as immoral, like Measure for Measure, never made it to the stage. Great actors such as Edmund Kean or Edwin Booth (pictured left) seized on great roles, great moments, and spectacular effects but heavily cut the rest of the plays in which they performed. This kind of Shakespeare traveled so widely in America throughout the nineteenth century that Mark Twain satirized the inept troupes in Huckleberry Finn.

Edwin Booth circa 1870 as Hamlet

Ironically, the Romantics of the period raised Shakespeare’s reputation, but not as a playwright. For them, he was a poet to be read rather than seen. Charles Lamb declared King Lear “essentially impossible to be represented on a stage.” Publishers began to print new editions, many with gorgeous engravings, and found them extremely profitable. Volumes of the plays became an essential part of any cultured family’s library. Even in small towns, groups of readers formed to read, discuss, and declaim passages from Shakespeare.

When literature finally entered the curriculum as a subject worthy of teaching, every student eventually encountered at least a few of the best-known plays. The reverence for Shakespeare the poet ensured his fame while dooming him to dislike and dread among most who had to study him in school. The emergence of complex literary interpretations at the university level spread to classrooms at the secondary level, further alienating pupils from “the world’s greatest writer.”

It has taken almost a century to return Shakespeare to his roots. In the early 1900s, directors began working from the original texts. Audiences responded enthusiastically to theaters like the Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company in England. On this side of the Atlantic, the Shakespeare Festivals in Ashland, OR, Stratford, ONT, and New York City have grown steadily since the mid- century. Other performing groups devoted primarily to Shakespeare have sprung up throughout the country, including the one here in Nashville. The Nashville Shakespeare Festival reconstructed Globe in London and, nearer home, the Blackfriars in Staunton, VA, delight viewers with plays performed on stages from the Elizabethan and Jacobean period. So many other countries have appropriated Shakespeare that scarcely a moment goes by on any day of the year without multiple productions in progress. Indeed, more people now see these works than all the earlier spectators combined.

With movies and television, Shakespeare has extended his influence to an even wider audience. But even without such mass media, the public would pay homage through the appropriations of his words, characters, and plots by novelists, poets, other playwrights, music, and all forms of popular culture. Any English-speaking individual spouts Shakespeare, knowingly or unknowingly.

Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh in Much Ado About Nothing

10 Things I Hate About You, 1999

Increasingly, teachers recognize that the plays will speak for themselves if students have access to them in their intended format – performance. Bare words on a page do not represent “Shakespeare” any more than bare notes on a score represent “Beethoven.” A dramatic script is fundamentally different from a poem or novel or short story because it depends on non- verbal elements to bring it to life. It depends on a live, uninterrupted encounter between audience and actors. Anything less demeans his achievement.

The Chandos portrait. Artist and authenticity unconfirmed.

It may depict William Shakespeare.

Or not. Additional Teacher Resources: Virtual Tour of the Globe Shakespearean Dictionary Technical Aspects of Theatre Flash Cards Theater Lighting & Sound Shakespeare Uncovered Documentary Series Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson No Fear Shakespeare

NSF Apprentice Company

The Apprentice Company is a training intensive for aspiring theatre lovers age 13+ led by the Artistic Director and Education Director, along with guest artists hired from the professional talent in Nashville. Apprentices receive over 60 hours of performance training in movement, voice and diction, acting, text analysis, and character work, and then perform supporting roles in the Shakespeare in the Park production. Auditions for the 2016 Apprentice Company will be announced in January. For further information on this program, visit http://www.nashvilleshakes.org/apprentice.htm

Apprentice Company, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2013 Henry V is made possible by:

This project is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Nashville Shakespeare Festival Henry V Locus of Control

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The new State Standards for Reading Literature can be largely covered through following the activities in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival guidebook, as well as reading the play, attending the play, and participating in the NSF workshops. Depending on the activities, teachers may also cover many of the other ELA standards as well. The Guidebook itself can be used for Informational Texts. Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language standards may also be incorporated.

Standard Meaning Activity Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to Honour Literacy.RL.11- support analysis of what the text says War

12.1 explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

CCSS.ELA- Determine two or more themes or central Honour Literacy.RL.11- ideas of a text and analyze their War 12.2 development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA- Analyze the impact of the author’s choices Director’s Note Literacy.RL.11- regarding how to develop and relate

12.3 elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). Craft and Structure

CCSS.ELA- Determine the meaning of words and Asides and Literacy.RL.11- phrases as they are used in the text, Soliloquies

12.4 including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

CCSS.ELA- Analyze how an author’s choices Director’s Note Literacy.RL.11- concerning how to structure specific parts of

12.5 a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

CCSS.ELA- Analyze a case in which grasping a point of Asides and Literacy.RL.11- view requires distinguishing what is directly Soliloquys

12.6 stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA- Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, Henry V in Literacy.RL.11- drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live Production

12.7 production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version Viewing the interprets the source text. (Include at least play one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)

CCSS.ELA- Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, Literacy.RL.11- nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Not Applicable

12.9 foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

CCSS.ELA- By the end of grade 11, read and Literacy.RL.11- comprehend literature, including stories, Othello scores a

12.10 dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR 1390 Lexile text complexity band proficiently, with score, putting it scaffolding as needed at the high end of the in the high range. By the end of grade 12, read and range. comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently Name: Date Nashville Shakespeare Festival Henry V Project Menu

Pick several project ideas from the menu below. You earn different points for different sections. Your total project must add up to 50 points. It is due to your teacher _.

10 points 15 points 25 points 50 points

Rewrite the ending of the Make a poster advertising Make a color design Make a 3 dimensional model story. 1-2 pages. the play. sheet that provides of a possible set for the play possible costumes for at least 5 characters

Write a 2 page summary Create a dust jacket with a Make a color design Build a board game that of the historical context front cover and back cover sheet that shows set incorporates elements of the of the play. for the play. design for at least 3 play. scenes

Write an original poem, Memorize one of the Design music for the Make a 3 minute video or song related to the monologues or soliloquies play. Include links to at reenacting a scene from the play. and perform it in front of the least 5 songs, with a 1 play. class. page write up of where they would come in and why you would use them.