Tag Archives: Henry V

The Winter’s Tale – Act IV and Disguise

Posted on December 12, 2011 by asmit

Act IV reminds me of previous plays we’ve read as it brings the heavy use of disguise and unknown identity. We see Perdita, whom nobody knows is actually a princess; Florizel, who hides the fact that he’s a prince and is going by “Doricles”; Autolycus in multiple disguises; and Polixenes, in disguise so no one see’s he’s the king.

Florizel as Doricles reminds me of The Taming of The Shrew, where Lucentio disguises himself as Cambio to gain access to Bianca. Also, Polixenes in disguise reminds me of Henry V, where Henry disguises himself in order to find out what people really think of him.

The use of disguise doesn’t seem to bring about much disaster here; it is the “Spring” (read: happier) part of the play after all. However, I wonder about whether it’s right for Florizel and Polixenes to be in disguises. There seems to be a recurring theme in Shakespeare of kings and noblemen disguising themselves as “lesser” men – and like we brought up in Henry V, is that really moral? And how do we judge its morality – if disguise is a means to a good end (as is what happens to Florizel), is it still moral, or is the very act of disguise – of leaders taking a peek on society without its knowing – immoral?

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Henry V and his multiple personalities

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Djenane Desrosiers

From the moment Professor Berggren explained to us how Harry or should I say Henry V altered his behavior from vagabond to true royal model seemingly overnight I thought there was something odd about his personality only to be proven right. He takes on a different role depending on who is speaking to or the situation he is in.

He pretends to be merciful in Act 2 scene 2 when he finds out about the treachery of his officers. But he is shown as heartless in Act 4 scene 7 when he commits a war crime by ordering the war prisoners to death. He is brutal in his war speech in act 3 scene 1 yet inspiring in act 4 scene 1. He is harsh on the people of England when he speaks of them in private in act 4 scene1 but empathetic of them when he speaks to his cousin in act 4 scene 3. Then we have the smooth talking arguably deceitful Henry V in act 5 scene 2 as he tries to woo Katherine.

We only see a sliver of the real Henry V and how he is truly feeling when he is alone and does not have to put on a mask. I can’t say I don’t like what I see under the mask because I know we all wear them in our modern society. Henry V being faced with greater responsibilities has many more faces than we do. Shakespeare captures his different faces well among his emotions.

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Katherine: What is she to Henry?

Posted on October 22, 2011 by me101282

What I found very curious about the exchange in Act V, scene II between Henry and Katherine (or some may argue, a monologue on Henry’s part) was the overdone and flowery language used by Henry to express his seemingly overwhelming love, although this was the very first time they had met. What I also found strange was that throughout this exchange, Henry had not bothered to speak in a way in which she would understand. Most of her answers throughout this scene were “I cannot tell,” meaning that she doesn’t understand him. Yet despite this, Henry continues on his raving about how much he loves her. On top of this, when he attempts to kiss her, and she tells him its against her customs, he immediately brushes it off, and seems to force her to kiss him. This is telling of not only Henry’s arrogance, but also disregard for Katherine’s feelings and his selfishness when it comes to making connections with other people. It is evident through this example, as well as through the strong language he uses when encouraging his soldiers to fight the French army, he views people as commodities, or resources. I wonder, what do you all think about Henry’s character when it comes to dealing with other people?

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Henry V ” The importance of language in the propsal scene”

Posted on October 19, 2011 by raquel.ortega1

http://youtu.be/3jBu4sQFC60

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The Chorus

Posted on October 5, 2011 by ef082014

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.

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