Tag Archives: audience

To build on what we already discussed in class, I’d like to take the Chorus of Henry V into consideration.  It is both unique and brilliant in which the way Shakespeare initially uses the Chorus in this play—having the members apologize to the audience for any inaccuracies that will occur while attempting to recreate authentic settings/plots within the confined area of the stage.  By doing this, Shakespeare uses a transition into the play itself, while simultaneously giving the audience additional responsibility and immedietely captivating their attention.  Before Act 2, the Chorus again offers apologies for innacuracy and serves a transition, however I am still not entirely sure as to why they claim the play will shift to Southampton, when it actually shifts to London…exact purpose; intention?  I know we spoke about this in class but it is still unclear to me.  Moving on, the Chorus in Act 3 seems rather different than the aforementioned appearances.   There is the use of alarm and cannon sounds in the background—I thought that this was noteworthy as it clearly defines a difference in the Chorus and would be extremely effective to further captivate the audience, though I wonder how it was done during that time period.  Also, the Chorus in Act 3 actually tells the truth (in rather great detail) of the upcoming scene, rightfully depicting the King and his men arriving at Harfleur and using cannons.