1. The long, complicated speech of the Archbishop of Canterbury (1.2) defending Harry’s right to claim the French crown “with right and conscience” is difficult to stage successfully before modern audiences. Laurence Olivier’s film version played it for broad, farcical comedy, and the 1989 film version exaggerated the play’s suggestion of devious and financial motives on the part of the churchmen to such an extent that the bishop and the archbishop become positively sinister characters. What motives, motifs and themes would you emphasize if you were producing this scene? Refer closely to specific lines in the play in your answer and explain why you would make certain specific decisions.

2. It seem that nobody in the French court has any trouble speaking English except Princess Katherine—though it is, of course, inherently absurd that everyone at court, except the royal princess could speak English without interpreters. Study the scenes in which Katherine appears: 3.4 and 5.2. In the first scene we see the Princess attempting to study English with her lady-in-waiting (and being shocked by the bawdy meaning that certain English words have in French). In the second scene in which Katherine appears—when King Henry proposes marriage to her—she apparently still has considerable difficulty with the language, though apparently no one else at court does. Why do you suppose Shakespeare completely ignores language difference except in her case, where he deliberately draws a great deal of attention to it?

3. In today’s lecture, I briefly recounted the history of the proto-Protestant movement, the Lollard uprising, which took place during the reign of Henry V and which culminated in the execution of Sir John Oldcastle, the Lollard leader. It is often claimed that Shakespeare omitted all these internal problems of Henry’s reign and that he had good reason to do so. But, in fact, Shakespeare’s play originally included a deliberate reminder of this episode: his character Falstaff was originally named Sir John Oldcastle, and the name was only changed later, when descendants of the historical Sir John objected. The historical and the fictional character are obviously very different—almost complete opposites—yet it could be argued that thematic echoes of the whole historical episode, and its implications about the relationships between a ruler and his friends, recur throughout Shakespeare’s play. Can you point out some of these thematic echoes of the historical episode? (If this question does not ring any bells, never mind; just skip it.)

4. The disguised ruler, meeting his subjects incognito, is a common theme in folklore, and one that Shakespeare uses in both Henry V and Measure for Measure. In the history play, the disguised ruler, King Henry, is also the commander about to lead his soldiers into a very dubious battle. According to the Chorus, the night-wandering King cheers and comforts his troops, providing “a little touch of Harry in the night.” Yet the scene that follows Chorus’ speech (4.1) provides a rather different picture. The disguised King hears some things he is not intended to hear, attempts to respond, becomes embroiled in a quarrel, and is challenged to a duel. The scene concludes with Henry, all alone once more, searching his heart in a rare soliloquy, and then praying. Write a detailed analysis of the whole scene, spelling out as fully as possible what you think Shakespeare is attempting to accomplish at each point in the action. Notice the various changes in mood, partly accomplished by the switches between verse and prose throughout the scene.

5. What is the function of the Chorus? Why would such a figure appear in Henry V but not in Midsummer Night’s Dream or As You Like It? What does Chorus do in Henry V that makes this figure invaluable to the play as a whole?

6. Note the characterization of King Henry. If you are familiar with the Henry IV plays, you may be surprised at the change in the fun-loving prince Hal, who hung out with "low-life" characters (with Falstaff, Pistol, Mistress Quickly, etc.) and seemed unlikely to develop into a responsible ruler. Look for references to the king's past in the text of Henry V (see, for example, Canterbury and Ely in 1.1.; Henry’s interactions with Falstaff here; and the French Dauphin's opinion of him). While Henry's past may seem to be in stark contrast to his present role as King, is such a wild youth necessarily an impediment to effectiveness as a ruler? What advantages does Henry gain from his close association with the common people? How does it help him later, for example, in his interactions with his soldiers? Look in particular at the “a little touch of Harry”- scene mentioned earlier.

7. Consider the political dimensions of the play, which not only spans a war and a peace treaty between England and France, but also alludes to a number of domestic political conflicts (the conflict between the Church and the Parliament, which wants to pass a bill confiscating much of the Church's wealth, alluded to in 1.1; the treachery of Scroop, Grey and Cambridge; the bickering between the officers Gower, Fluellen, MacMorris and Jamy (who, by the way, represent the four lands united under Henry’s crown: England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, respectively). In your opinion, to what extent is Henry a politician? Is he a Machiavellian ruler or an idealist? (How would you define a Machiavellian ruler?) To get you started: do you think that Henry would truly renounce his claims to France if Ely and Cambridge were to tell him they were not well founded, or is he simply asking them to give him an excuse to pursue those claims? Can they be trusted to tell him the truth, or are they just saying what he wants in exchange for his support in the conflict with Parliament?

8. Consider the conflict between the public and the private in Henry V. In becoming king, did Henry lose all affection for the companions of his youth? Or does he simply feel that, as king, he must sacrifice private inclinations to public duty? Consider in this regard his rejection of Falstaff (which according to Mistress Quickly causes the death of the old knight); his statements to and treatment of the traitors; the hanging of Bardolph; his interactions with Bates, Court and Williams the night before the battle of Agincourt; his "Ceremony" soliloquy; his famous speech to the troops before the battle of Agincourt; and his wooing of Catherine. (She is his as part of the peace settlement. Why woo her?)

9. Note the symbolism and themes that connect Henry V to Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It, e.g. a movement from conflict to harmony (war to peace); the devastating effects of that conflict on nature, sterile as a result of the war (see Burgundy's speech in 5.2.23-67); and on marriage (and the implication of fertility) which resolves the conflict and symbolizes harmony and the promise of fertility. Consider also the role of language, a persuasive force which, as in As You Like It, is not necessarily to be trusted. Henry is clearly a master of rhetoric (see his inspirational speeches to the troops, for example). Can we take him seriously when he tells Katherine that he has no eloquence and speaks to her as would a "plain soldier"? Is she right to think "the tongues of men are full of deceits" (5.2.120)? To what extent is this play about the disjunction between appearance and reality and the related theme of deception?

10. What is the purpose of the scenes dealing with the common people (Bardolph, Nym, Pistol, Mistress Quickly, and the Boy; Bates, Court and Williams; the captains Gower, Fluellen, MacMorris and Jamy)? What purposes do they serve? How do the scenes with the common people serve to underscore the more serious themes explored in the play? Can they be considered foils to other characters in the work? Does the scene of the French lesson between Katherine and Alice serve a similar purpose?

11. Compare/contrast the French rulers and court with the English ones. How would you characterize each? What does this characterization imply about the relative claims of Henry and the Dauphin to the throne of France? Why might Henry want to avoid unnecessarily humiliating or mistreating the French? (consider 3.3.54; 3.4.112-119; 5.2.174-182). Who among the French appear laughable? Why or why not? Why is Katherine intent on learning English?

12. Be sure to have the details of the Battle of Agincourt straight. How many French and English forces are there? What is the relative condition of the English and French armies? What are the odds? What two obstacles must Henry overcome, as dramatized in 4.1 and 4.3, and how (by what methods or talents) does he do so?