Today we’ll focus primarily on the changes in depiction from history to drama to film of Henry V.

Key questions:

What changes in the representation of a complex character like the young King Henry across the ages? Particularly, how does the change in time period and cinematic history affect the depiction of the anti/pro-tagonist between the Olivier film (1948) and the Brannagh film (1989).

• How does the historical events of the time influence our mode of viewing the character? Think: WWII vs. Vietnam War, what has changed?
• How does the movement from the Classical Age of Hollywood to the post-classical, contemporary Hollywood change the direction that the film can take? Where can morality be a little more grey?

What has changed from the original Shakespeare text, and what has changed in the Shakespeare text from the historical events? Is there a “correct” reading?

How is the morality of war depicted in the various texts? Is there a true victor in war?

What is the role of Pistol in the play, besides comic effect? How does the depiction of Pistol vary with today’s concepts of child soldiers? What does Pistol’s barbaricism say about the impact of war?

What does Olivier’s recitation of the famous St. Crispin’s day speech say about the time in which it was made?

Branagh’s film is certainly shaded more in terms of grey, but is that conveyed in his recitation? How does youth play a factor in his depiction? Does youth affect Olivier’s representation of Henry?