Pick one of these moments, settings or relationships from Henry V to investigate how they have been staged in performance.
As you explore, you will find picture galleries from past productions and things to consider as you look at these.
Investigate this moment
Henry V is holding court in the opening scenes of the play and relations are tense with France. During these scenes, the young King receives the gift of a box of tennis balls from the Dauphin of France, a joke about how young and immature the French think the King is.
Take a look at the Things to Consider and investigate the different ways we’ve staged this moment in past productions in this picture gallery.
Henry and the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 2000 production of Henry V.
Henry receives tennis balls from the dauphin in the 2015 production of Henry V.
Henry receives tennis balls from the Dauphin in the 1975 production of Henry V.
Henry receives some tennis balls from the dauphin in the 1965 production of Henry V.
The dauphin sends a gift to Henry in the 1951 production of Henry V.
As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Henry V, think about:
How would you choose to stage this moment and what choices would you make to help show the mood in this scene?
Investigate this setting
Much of the play is set in war camps and battlefields, including some of the play's most stirring and important speeches, delivered by Henry to corral the English troops. Each of these environments is slightly different; Harfluer is a siege, Agincourt is a battle fought on large open grounds with huge numbers of soldiers, and the camp settings change as the war progresses. Even the Chorus, who delivers the prologue to the play, talks about staging these important events, saying ‘think when we talk of horses, that you see them’ asking the audience to ‘piece out our imperfections with your thoughts’ and to imagine the size and scale of the battles that can’t possibly be replicated on a stage.
Take a look at the Things to Consider and investigate the different ways we’ve staged these settings in past productions in this picture gallery.
The Company in the 2007 production of Henry V.
The battle of Agincourt in the 2007 production of Henry V.
Henry's men in the 1997 production of Henry V.
Westmoreland, Gloucester, Henry and Exeter in the 2000 production of Henry V.
How would you choose to stage these important settings on battlefields and in the war camps and help the audience to imagine them?
During the play Henry V is learning about leadership and Kingship and is having to make choices about the kind of kingdom he wants to rule. The time after he has taken the throne is understandably a difficult one, with advisors and nobles trying to win power and position. Some of those people choose to support him, and back his plans to go to war, and others do not. In this moment in the play, Henry unearths the conspiracy against him that has been lead by Cambridge, Grey and Scroop and makes a choice about how he will deal with it, as a King who has been betrayed.
Henry confronts the traitors in the 1997 production of Henry V
Henry confronts Scroop in the 1975 production of Henry V
Henry confronts Scroop in the 2007 production of Henry V
Henry V used to be friends with Bardolph, Pistol and Nym, as well as other characters who appear in Henry IV Parts I and II, but has distanced himself from them since becoming king. Henry V’s life as a young and rebellious prince can be seen in the earlier plays and they are often staged together, with the same characters playing his friends in Henry IV Parts I and II and then in Henry V, where we see him turn his back on them. In this scene, Henry V condemns Bardolph to death because of his actions. It is a highly significant moment because it tells the audience about the king he has become and how he has changed.
Bardolph is condemned in the 1984 production of Henry V
Henry and Fluellen in the 2015 production of Henry V
The following activities will help students to think about Henry and the dauphin and the comparison between them as well as setting up an exploration of warfare and the history behind the play.
King Henry and the Dauphin (2015)
This activity can be found on page 5 and takes approximately 30 minutes.
The battle of Agincourt and claiming the French throne (2015)
These discussion points and research tasks, looking at how Shakespeare presents historical events in Henry V, can be found on pages 5 and 7.
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