Study Guide
Henry 5
Dear Young Company Patron
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Famous Lines from Henry 5
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The Life of William Shakespeare
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The King’s Men: Shakespeare’s Band of Brothers
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“Playing” with History
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Did You Know…
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What Do You Stand For?
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Autographs
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Dear Young Company Theatre Patron,
The Life of William Shakespeare
Welcome! And thank you for joining us for Brigham Young University’s 2013 production of Henry 5, presented by the Young Company.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-in-Avon, England, in 1564. Shakespeare spent most of his time in London writing and performing in his plays. He excelled as a playwright in tragedies, comedies, and histories, and wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets (short poems). The plays of Shakespeare have been studied more than any other writings in the English language and have been translated into numerous other languages. His plays are the most performed and most read of all time. Shakespeare died in 1616, leaving a profound and lasting impact on literature, film, and theatre.
This production of Henry 5 is an abridged (or shortened) version of William Shakespeare’s play The Life of King Henry the Fifth. The play is based on the true story of a young king whose ancestors had been promised that one day their children would become the kings of France. When France refused to keep that promise, King Henry the Fifth declared war. During this war people made choices. For instance, it used to be customary for soldiers to demand or even steal food, shelter, and money from the people they conquered. Even during war, Henry stood for the rule of law and fair treatment of people, including his enemies. When King Henry took his soldiers to France, he made laws against taking anything from the French without paying for it. He also required that his soldiers be fair and kind to the French people. Any English soldier who broke those laws was severely punished. Some soldiers chose to obey the laws that King Henry made. Others chose to break those laws. Watch for the different choices people make in the play, and what happens to them when they make those choices. What does each character stand for? The rules of his king? Fair treatment of others? Or something else?
The King’s Men: Shakespeare’s Band of Brothers
This production started in a BYU classroom, where students learned some of the most famous and useful theatre techniques developed in theatre in the 20th century. Much of contemporary theatre is based on using movement in making plays. Watch for the different kinds of movement in Henry 5. If you observe carefully, you will see many different ways of making theatre movement. Keep your eyes open!
Richard Burbage was a starring member of The King’s Men, specializing in dramatic roles. He played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard III, and King Lear.
We would like to acknowledge the great work of the United States Armed Forces Veterans. We are grateful for the service they have rendered to our nation and to the world. And to our active military personnel we would like to say: Thank you for your effort and dedication. You are missed, remembered, and honored at home. Enjoy the play! Anne Flinders, dramaturg
Famous Lines from Henry 5 Listen for these: æ O, for a Muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention. æ Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting. æ Once more unto the breach my friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead. æ All things be ready if our minds be so. æ We few, we happy few; we band of brothers. 2 Department of Theatre and Media Arts
Henry the Fifth’s Coat of Arms
As we’ll see in Henry 5, King Henry surrounded himself with a group of men who believed in what he stood for and were ready and willing to help him in his work of securing the French crown. Shakespeare also had a group of men who worked with him on almost all his plays. They were known as The King’s Men because when King James I of England ascended the throne he became the company’s patron.
William Kempe was another well-known and beloved member of the King’s Men, specializing in comic roles, including the great comic creation, Falstaff. Henry Condell and John Heminges were also actors in The King’s Men. In 1623, they collected all of Shakespeare’s plays and put them together in what was called the First Folio. If it were not for the work of these two, we would likely not have any of Shakespeare’s plays today.
Pages from the First Folio
Richard Burbage
Nick Tooley, apprenticed to Richard Burbage at age 10, was one of the boys who learned the acting trade in exchange for a place to live, regular meals, and two sets of clothes each year. He played mostly girls and women because in the 1500s females were not allowed to act on English stages. Nick had to wear dresses, wigs, and make-up to help him look like a girl. He also played the roles of boys, and sang many of the songs contained in the plays. Henry V 3
“Playing” with History Shakespeare wrote comedies like A Midsummer Night’s Dream and tragedies like Romeo and Juliet. These plays were based on imaginary people and places. He also wrote history plays, which were based on the lives of real people and real events. Henry 5 is one of those history plays, based on the life of a famous and beloved king of England. Let’s look at a few of the real people and events in this play. The Real Battle of Agincourt, 25 October 1415 æ Took place on open fields near the village of Agincourt in the north of France. æ King Henry gave a speech that morning to prepare his army for battle. æ Some of the French dukes broke behind the English lines and killed all the lackeys (page boys and young servants). æ At the beginning of the battle the English army consisted of roughly 6,000 knights and yeomen (archers). The French army had upwards of 30,000 men. æ At the end of the battle the English army had lost about 112 knights and yeomen. The surrendering French army lost over 10,000 fighting men (mostly nobles); another 1200 nobles were taken prisoner.
Henry V of England
Battle of Agincourt, 15th century painting
The Real King Henry the Fifth of England, 16 September 1386–31 August 1422 æ King of England from 1413 (age 27) until his death in 1422 (age 35). æ Led an English army into battle and won at Shrewsbury at the age of sixteen. æ In that same battle, was shot in the face by an arrow; the arrow was removed and luckily Henry survived with only scars. æ Promoted the use of the English language in place of French in his government. æ Did not live to be King of France; he died of illness before being crowned. Was buried in Westminster Abbey. His only child, Henry VI, was crowned king of England at the age of seven months.
The Real Duke of Exeter, Thomas Beaufort, 1377–1426 æ English military commander and uncle of Henry V. æ Served at various times as constable of Ludlow, admiral of the Northern fleet, captain of Calais, admiral of the northern and western seas, and Chancellor of England. æ During Henry’s French campaign was appointed Lieutenant of Aquitaine, captain of Harfleur, and Lieutenant of Normandy. 4 Department of Theatre and Media Arts
The Real King Charles the Sixth of France, 3 December 1368–21 October 1422 æ Was only 11 when he inherited the throne. æ Had multiple bouts of madness; during these attacks, he believed he was made of glass, denied he had a wife and children, or attacked his servants. æ His oldest daughter, Isabella, married England’s King Richard II; his youngest daughter, Katharine, married England’s King Henry V. æ Signed a treaty at the end of the war with England to relinquish the throne of France to Henry upon his death, but outlived Henry by two months.
Charles I d’Albret’s Coat of Arms
Charles VI of France
The Real Constable of France, Charles the First d’Albret, died 25 October 1415 æ Commander in Chief of the French army and First Officer of the Crown. æ Outranked all the nobles; second in the French court only to King Charles VI. æ Co-commander of the French armies at the Battle of Agincourt; the shared command was one of many factors that caused France’s defeat.
The Real Southampton Plot, carried out by Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey, 1415 æ The Southampton Plot was a conspiracy to replace King Henry V with Edmund Mortimer, heir presumptive to Richard II. Mortimer himself revealed the plot to Henry. æ Cambridge was the brother-in-law of Edmund Mortimer. Two of his grandsons became kings of England: Edward IV and Richard III. æ Grey was married to Westmoreland’s daughter Alice, and their son was married at age 12 to Cambridge’s 3-yearold daughter in exchange for a lordship. æ Scroop was one of Henry’s closest friends, and carried out several diplomatic missions for him, which gave him access to some of Henry’s most private information.
Portchester Castle, where the Southampton Plot was revealed.
Duke of Exeter’s Coat of Arms
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Did You Know…
What Do You Stand For?
…In England in the 1500s a bard was someone who made a living by writing poetry, songs, and plays? William Shakespeare is often called The Bard, because he is considered by many to be the most influential writer in the English language.
In the play Henry 5, the characters have a lot of crucial choices to make, and they make those choices based on the things that are important to them. In other words, their choices are based on what they stand for. For example, when dealing with the French, Henry chooses honesty and fairness, while Bardolph and Pistol choose stealing.
…French was the language spoken by royalty and people of high birth and position in England until 1415? Henry V was the first king who could read and write in English, and he made English the language of his government when he became king. …The words to the song “Something Wicked This Way Comes (Double, double, toil and trouble)” in the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban came from a Shakespeare play? The lyrics were taken from a scene in Macbeth in which three witches are preparing a potion. …Shakespeare invented about 2,000 words? We are still using hundreds of words and phrases coined by Shakespeare in our everyday conversation. Here are some familiar Shakespeare phrases in common use today:
æ Wild goose chase (Romeo and Juliet)
æ Eaten out of house and home (Henry IV, Part 2) æ Fair play (The Tempest)
There are things that are important to each one of us. What are some things that are important to you? Circle four or five things you feel are really important. (You can use the extra lines to write other things you think of if you like.)
My community
My country
My education
My family
My friends My religion/values My school
My hobbies My pets My talents
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______________
_______________
______________
æ Foul play (Love’s Labor’s Lost) æ Good riddance (Troilus and Cressida) æ Too much of a good thing (As You Like It)
After you choose, think about which one or two things are essential to you, or the most important. What one or two things are so important to you and your life that you would give up other things in order to have them? Write about these in the space below.
æ Neither here nor there (Othello)
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æ Set your teeth on edge (Henry IV)
æ Not slept a wink (Cymbeline) æ The devil incarnate (Henry V) æ Vanish into thin air (Othello)
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æ All of a sudden (The Taming of the Shrew)
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Autographs Meet the actors after the play! Ask them where they are from, or how long it took to memorize their lines, or what they like most about being at BYU, or what their favorites classes are. (After all, they’re students just like you!) And be sure to ask them to sign your autograph page!
(GRAPHIC/BOX FOR AUTOGRAPHS) Regal look, 1400s, army/soldiers?
Bibliography on The 4th WALL For a full bibliography and resource guide, scan the QR code or go here: >>http://4thwalldramaturgy.byu.edu/henry-5-bibliography
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