The History Of European Theatre Henry V: ‘A Valiant Flea That Dare Eat His Breakfast on The Lip of a Lion’
Episode 182:
Although it feels like a while since Shakespeare had produced a history play, we must remember that all the plays I have discussed so far were written and played in a very compressed timescale. If we take Henry 6th part 1 as being from 1591 then eight years and eighteen plays later, we get to Henry 5th.
The sources for the play
The dating of the play
The printing history of the play
The early performance history of the play
A brief synopsis of the play
A play that works on several levels
The central role of the Chorus
The multiple linguistic registers in the play
The conclusion of Henry’s character arc
The different aspects to Henry’s character
Henry’s meditations on the responsibilities of kingship
The supporting characters – the soldiers
Princess Katerine and her English lesson
The demise of Pistol
The later performance history of the play
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