SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS HENRY IV & V. A companion study guide to FAMILY OF KINGS EDUCATION TOUR COMPANION STUDY GUIDE & ACTIVITIES

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1 SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS HENRY IV & V A companion study guide to FAMILY OF KINGS EDUCATION TOUR COMPANION STUDY GUIDE & ACTIVITIES

2 This collection of resources was developed to accompany our 2014 Education Tour production FAMILY OF KINGS. It contains information and activities you can use in your classroom to prepare your students for the performance, and to follow up with them afterwards. The goal of all Festival education programs In the Schools is to deepen our community s appreciation for and connection to Shakespeare, providing only the highest quality theatre education to inspire people of all ages - to creatively engage, explore, and delight in the works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare s poetry and plays are a primary element in any process of lifelong learning. In the season, more than 40,000 students in area schools and community venues experienced Shakespeare through the Festival s education programs. We welcome as many as 66,000 people annually to our mainstage production in Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. Through the Festival s education programs, students are challenged and engaged while enhancing their ability to read, watch, and perform Shakespeare. We appreciate this opportunity to Share the Shakespearience with your students and faculty. Thank you for bringing the Festival to your school! MICHAEL B. PERKINS Senior Teaching Artist Shakespeare Festival St. Louis TABLE OF CONTENTS About This Adaptation...1 HENRY IV Sources & Themes...2 Characters in HENRY IV...3 HENRY IV Synopsis...4 Graphic: Family Feud...5 The Real Falstaff & Puritan Censorship...6 HENRY IV Stage History & Adaptations...7 HENRY V Sources & Themes...8 Characters in HENRY V...9 HENRY V Synopsis...10 HENRY V Stage History & Adaptation...11 Pre-Show & Post-Show Questions...12 Activity 1: 15-minute HENRY IV...13 Activity 2: Prophecies of Doom...16 Activity 3: Characterization...17 Activity 4: Cultural Context...17 Activity 5: Puns...17 Written Source Material & DVDs...18 Additional Teaching Resources...19 STUDY GUIDE COMPILED BY Michael B. Perkins SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS 5715 Elizabeth Ave. St. Louis, MO (314) Rick Dildine, Executive Dir.: rdildine@sfstl.com Roze Wolownik, Constituent Relations & Operations Mgr.: rwolownik@sfstl.com SFSTL EDUCATION TOUR 2014 SPONSORS MISSOURI ARTS COUNCIL ARTS & EDUCATION COUNCIL REGIONAL ARTS COMMISSION MONSANTO FUND DANA BROWN FOUNDATION FIRST BANK ii

3 Do you have some other specific information about Shakespeare that I can use to prepare my students? To begin fostering this lifelong connection with Shakespeare, a general introduction is helpful for your students before viewing the in-school performance of FAMILY OF KINGS. Our website offers materials which provide a foundation about Shakespeare and his world in London: SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS A Resource for Grades K - 12 About the Life and Times of William Shakespeare On Shakespeare and His Times ON SHAKESPEARE & HIS TIMES: BIOGRAPHY, THE GLOBE THEATRE, AND MORE and ON SHAKESPEARE S PLAYS: SHAKESPEARE S WORKS AND LANGUAGE A Resource for Grades K - 12 About the Works and Language of William Shakespeare SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ST. LOUIS On Shakespeare s Plays In addition to these, we have available guides for several other Shakespeare plays, including TWELFTH NIGHT, OTHELLO, AS YOU LIKE IT, RICHARD III, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT S DREAM, and more. To download these additional guides, visit sfstl.com/programs/educational-resources/ To foster a lifelong connection with Shakespeare, a general introduction is helpful for your students before viewing FAMILY OF KINGS. iii

4 ABOUT THIS ADAPTATION: FAMILY OF KINGS In 2014, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis takes on the ambitious task of presenting Shakespeare s Second Henriad, which includes both parts of HENRY IV as well as HENRY V, presented on alternating evenings. Therefore, it became the goal of the Education Tour to bring all three of these plays to life in less than an hour with only five actors. What becomes important, then, is the overarching theme of the story: the transformation of the unruly Prince Hal into the courageous King Henry V. Over the course of the story, Hal is influenced by two opposing father figures: his noble, weary father Henry IV and the jolly, cowardly, plump Sir John Falstaff. Each seek to mold Hal into the man and king he s destined to become...in their own ways. Most of this adaptation is taken from HENRY IV PART 1, where King Henry IV laments that the charismatic rebel Hotspur is more a model of royal behavior than his own son. Hal soon proves himself worthy on the battlefield at Shrewsbury, killing Hotspur and gaining his father s favor. Most of 2 HENRY IV is omitted, as: a) Falstaff and Hal spend much of the play apart, and b) most of the action of the play is centered on a second wave of rebellion led by Hotspur s father. We kept the two most vital scenes: the death of Henry IV, and Hal s disowning of Falstaff. To avoid confusion during this fast-paced adaptation, characters such as Westmoreland, Poins, and Bardolph replace similar characters in HENRY V, such as Exeter, Fluellen, and Pistol. Also, the comedic aftermath of Agincourt, where Henry V awkwardly woos Katherine, has been omitted. The conclusion of Hal s transformation is his rousing, valiant campaign against France in the events of Shakespeare s HENRY V. The young king becomes the product of both his father figures. 1

5 HENRY IV SOURCES AND THEMES As with his other histories, Shakespeare put Holinshed s Chronicles (1587 edition) and possibly Halle s Union (1548) to good use. It seems likely that he also read Samuel Daniel s verse Civil Wars (1595), other chronicles by John Stow, and the anonymous play The Famous Victories of Henry V (c. 1580s). Both highly topical and immediately popular, the play was published in 1598 (a few fragments survive of what is called Quarto Zero ) and reprinted seven more times in quarto form by An altered version was printed in the First Folio of The grand theme of Shakespeare s tetralogy, the four plays stretching from RICHARD II to HENRY V, is the so-called Tudor Myth, which held that the deposition of Richard II by Bolingbroke (Henry IV) fatally weakened the English throne and directly instigated the Wars of the Roses - a conflict brought to a close only by the ascension of Henry VII of House Tudor in In 1 HENRY IV those abstract arguments, extensively worked over by the Tudor-friendly historiographers who constituted Shakespeare s reading, acquire a somber human dimension. But in Shakespeare s masterful 1 HENRY IV, the King s tragedy - which will eventually grow into the tragedy of England in the HENRY VI trilogy - is less than half the story. The playwright shunts the conflict into another generation, and what results is a kind of competitive comedy between King Henry s wastrel son Hal, Prince of Wales, and his dashing rival Hotspur, son of the King s main foe, Henry Percy of Northumberland. Historically spurious though it is (the real-life Hotspur was over twenty years older than Prince Hal), this dynamic story of two young sons competing for supremacy dominates the action of the play, offsetting the political narrative and often threatening to eclipse it altogether. 2

6 CHARACTERS FROM HENRY IV FEATURED IN FAMILY OF KINGS KING HENRY IV: Formerly Henry Bolingbroke, he is plagued by guilt over his deposition and murder of Richard II. He worries that his oldest son, Hal, has fallen in with disreputable company; he compares the prince unfavorably to Hotspur and is surprised when Hal is victorious against the Percys at the Battle of Shrewsbury. HENRY, PRINCE OF WALES: Henry s oldest son, a wild young man known to friends as Hal, he spends his time in taverns with Falstaff and lives up to his reputation of being irresponsible; but he shows his mettle in battle. SIR JOHN FALSTAFF: A decadent aristocrat whose appetite for wine, women, and song is matched only by his wit and intelligence, he leads Prince Hal toward a life of debauchery but also teaches him the ways of the world. He hopes to prosper when Hal is king, but he is instead rejected and jailed. HENRY PERCY (aka HOTSPUR): A valiant warrior, he rebels when the king refuses to help free his brother-in-law Mortimer (who Hotspur believes to be the rightful heir to the crown) from capture by Owen Glendower; he is killed by Prince Hal at Shrewsbury. THOMAS PERCY, EARL OF WORCESTER: Hotspur s uncle, he organizes a rebellion but is executed after the Battle of Shrewsbury. EARL OF WESTMORELAND: A loyal adviser to King Henry IV. MISTRESS QUICKLY: Hostess of the Boar s Head Tavern, she tries in vain to maintain order when Prince Hal joins Falstaff and his collection of disreputable drinking cronies at her inn; she offers comic relief in times of war. NED POINS and BARDOLPH: Falstaff s companions. ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS HENRY PERCY, EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND: Hotspur s father who once supported the king, he encourages the revolt against the king but fails to join Hotspur in battle. EDMUND MORTIMER, EARL OF MARCH: Richard II s rightful heir, he is captured by Owen Glendower and marries his daughter; he supports the rebellion. OWEN GLENDOWER: A Welsh rebel, he captures Mortimer, then backs Mortimer s claim to the throne. ARCHIBALD, EARL OF DOUGLAS: A brave Scottish noble, he joins the revolt against Henry IV; although he is captured at the Battle of Shrewsbury, Prince Hal saves his life. LADY PERCY: Hotspur s widow; she convinces her father-in-law Northumberland to abandon the rebel cause. RICHARD SCROOP, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK: Leads the rebellion after Hotspur s death. ROBERT SHALLOW: A Justice of the Peace. DOLL TEARSHEET: A rough-tongued lady of the night. 3

7 SYNOPSIS OF HENRY IV, PARTS 1 & 2 After deposing King Richard II, Henry Bolingbroke has ascended the throne as Henry IV. Guilt about the deposition troubles his conscience, and the stability of his reign is threatened by growing opposition from some of the nobles who helped him to the throne. His son, Prince Henry (also called Harry and Hal), is living a dissolute life, frequenting the taverns of Eastcheap in the company of Sir John Falstaff and other disreputable characters, with whom he participates in a highway robbery. Opposition to the king becomes open rebellion, led by Henry Percy, also called Hotspur, known for his courage and impetuous nature. The Percy family supports the claim to the throne of Hotspur s brother-in-law, Edmund Mortimer. The rebellion brings Hal back to his father s side, while Falstaff musters a ragged troop of soldiers. The king s army defeat the rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury, where Hal kills Hotspur. Falstaff lives to fight another day. In the despair and death of his son Hotspur, the Earl of Northumberland lends his support to a second rebellion, led by the Archbishop of York. As the threat of civil war looms over the country, King Henry IV grows sick, while also fearing that Prince Hal has returned to his old life with Falstaff and the other disreputable denizens of the Boar s Head Tavern in Eastcheap. Falstaff is sent on a recruiting expedition and renews old acquaintances in Gloucestershire. The rebel army is met by the king s forces, led this time by Hal s younger brother, Prince John of Lancaster. On his deathbed, King Henry is reconciled with his son, who distances himself from his former companions and disowns Falstaff. A new, mature Hal accepts the crown as King Henry V. 4

8 FAMILY FEUD Hotspur and his rebellion seek to overthrow King Henry IV in favor of Hotspur s brother-in-law, Sir Edmund Mortimer. Looking at this condensed family tree, do the rebels have a legitimate heir in Mortimer? KING EDWARD III EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES THE BLACK PRINCE LIONEL OF ANTWERP, 1 ST DUKE OF CLARENCE JOHN OF GAUNT, 1 ST DUKE OF LANCASTER KING RICHARD II HENRY PERCY, 1 ST EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND PHILLIPA OF CLARENCE, 5 TH COUNTESS OF ULSTER KING HENRY IV HENRY HOTSPUR PERCY ELIZABETH MORTIMER SIR EDMUND MORTIMER KING HENRY V 5

9 THE REAL FALSTAFF AND PURITAN CENSORSHIP Shakespeare s gaffes are few but famous; one came close to endangering his career. In the first versions of 1 HENRY IV, Sir John Falstaff is nowhere to be seen: instead, a character named Sir John Oldcastle appears. All well and good, except that Shakespeare had made the mistake of naming one of his finest comic creations, the whoreson round man of the Second Henriad, after an unimpeachably zealous Protestant martyr. Oldcastle s descendants - one of whom was Queen Elizabeth I s influential Lord Chamberlain - were none too impressed, and the playwright was forced not only to rename him, along with Russell (renamed Bardolph) and Harvey (renamed Peto), but to insert a grovelling retraction in the epilogue of 2 HENRY IV insisting that Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man. Shakespeare was usually more careful, for Elizabeth I s government kept a wary eye on theatre professionals. In 1581, the Queen made Edmund Tilney, her Master of the Revels, responsible for approving all plays that were publicly produced, and as Tilney s interventions to tone down Shakespeare s collaborative play SIR THOMAS MORE (c. 1595) demonstrate, he took his role seriously - as did his successor George Buck. In the last years of Shakespeare s career, things had got even harder for the players. The Puritan parliament passed the Act to Restrain the Abuses of Players in 1606, and players were forbidden from acting anything that took the Lord s name in vain. An energetic tradition of stage swearing celebrated by Shakespeare s deliciously rude HENRY IV was over at a stroke. Those plays and others, among them KING JOHN, were henceforth purged of irreligious language (outlawed words includes zounds, short for God s wounds ; S blood / Christ s Blood and many others). The Act initiated a dishonorable tradition of cleaning up Shakespeare to suit the supposed sensitivities of his audiences, a practice that continued until the mid-1800s. Starting in the 20th century, the British government eased their censorship of Shakespeare s works, and theatres could once again perform Shakespeare s texts as originally written. 6

10 HENRY IV STAGE HISTORY AND ADAPTATIONS Bursting with actorly and comic detail, both parts of HENRY IV have long been favorites and it s been hypothesized that 1 HENRY IV was Shakespeare s most successful play in his lifetime. Richard Burbage seems to have created the role of Hal, and John Heminges (future co-editor of the 1623 First Folio) possibly originated Falstaff. The runaway fame of Sir John Falstaff made it possible for actors in the 17th and 18th centuries to become career Falstaffs, and in the 20th century, prominent classical actors such as Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier produced acclaimed productions of HENRY IV and V. Immediately after the Second World War, John Burrell directed starry productions of both parts of HENRY IV at the Old Vic, with Laurence Olivier as Hotspur (who employed a speech impediment), Sybil Thorndike as Mistress Quickly, and Ralph Richardson as a particularly nuanced and sensitive Falstaff. Anthony Quayle s cast at Stratford in 1951 was equally impressive, with Michael Redgrave as Hotspur, Quayle himself as a gentlemanly Falstaff and Richard Burton as a hard-boiled Hal. Since Clifford Williams staging as part of the huge WARS OF THE ROSES cycle in 1964, with Roy Dotrice as Hotspur, Hugh Griffith as a roguish Falstaff, and Ian Holm as Hal, the tendency has been for both histories to be played as part of the Second Henriad cycle, and sometimes of both cycles (the First Henriad being three parts of HENRY VI and RICHARD III). Productions have frequently debated the contrast between comedy and drama when staging HENRY IV. In 1991, Adrian Noble, in his first production as director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, emphasized the first part s spectacle, culminating in an epic Battle of Shrewsbury, but this production was not lacking in human detail: Michael Maloney s Hal was full of restless energy, Owen Teale s Hotspur was roundly portrayed, and Robert Stephens delivered an impressive Falstaff. In 2010, Shakespeare s Globe produced a very physically comedic and spectacular HENRY IV with Roger Allam in a commanding baritone Falstaff and Jamie Parker as a low-key, but effective Hal. The most artistically memorable film version of HENRY IV remains Orson Welles CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1966), but variations on the play surface in Gus Van Sant s MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991), in which William Richert s Falstaff-like Bob joins Keanu Reeves Hal analog, Scott, on the road as they traverse the Pacific Northwest. Then in 2012, the BBC presented an epic four-part Henriad miniseries called THE HOLLOW CROWN with Jeremy Irons as Henry IV, Tom Hiddleston as Henry V, and Simon Russell Beale as Falstaff. 7

11 HENRY V SOURCES AND THEMES HENRY V is based primarily on the 1587 edition of Raphael Holinshed s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as some probable use of Holinshed s main source, Edward Halle s Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancaster and York (1548). Like the HENRY IV plays, HENRY V also draws on the anonymous play, THE FAMOUS VICTORIES OF HENRY THE FIFTH (published 1598). The old play includes such details as Canterbury s justification of the claim to France, the tennis balls (a mocking gift from the Dauphin to Henry V), and the courtship of Princess Katherine. The Admiral s Men, a rival acting company, also had a HENRY V play, but it is lost, so its influence on Shakespeare cannot be determined. The sequence on the night before the Battle of Agincourt is influenced by a 1590s dramatic tradition of scenes in which a ruler goes in disguise among his people. The approximate date Shakespeare wrote HENRY V is 1599; it must ve been written soon after 2 HENRY IV. It is nearly always assumed that the general...from Ireland coming (Act 5 Chorus) refers to the Earl of Essex s Irish expedition, which lasted from March to September Self-conscious theatrical references ( this wooden O ) suggest that the play may have been written as a showpiece for the newly-built Globe Theatre, which opened sometime between February and September 1599, but it could have opened at the Curtain. With its depiction of a miraculous English triumph at Agincourt under a glamorous, youthful king, HENRY V is often thought of as Shakespeare s most overtly patriotic play. Rousing, flag-waving productions have made it into a symbol - even a cliché - of England and English resoluteness. Stirring snippets have passed into common usage; politicians regularly cite it as their favorite play; even the history books still seem in thrall to Shakespeare s boyish king. But there are more complex meanings to Shakespeare s drama than critics sometimes allow. HENRY V does not shy away from the savage realities of conflict, and though it celebrates military glory and heroism, those who ignore its complicating counter-currents are deaf to much of what the play is about. Like all great works of art - and unlike propaganda - the play contains the potential to be understood in radically and creatively different ways. 8

12 PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS FROM HENRY V KING HENRY V: Also known as Harry or Hal, once a wild young man, he becomes a brave warrior, skilled strategist, and fine orator; he defeats a larger French force at Agincourt, then marries the French king s daughter, Katherine, and succeeds to the French throne. LOUIS THE DAUPHIN: The Dauphin is the son King Charles of France, and heir to the throne (hence the title Dauphin ). He is a headstrong, impulsive, condescending, and foolish young man who disregards King Henry entirely and pays the price for it. DUKE OF EXETER: The Duke of Exeter is King Henry s uncle and one of his chief supporters and closest advisors; he is eager for war with France. CAPTAIN FLUELLEN: A Welsh officer who takes great pride in his heritage and military prowess. He s also a source of comic relief with his mispronunciations of many words in his thick Welsh dialect. CONSTABLE OF FRANCE: The Constable is a high-ranking French nobleman, one of the more cautious of the French war leaders. He considers the Dauphin foppish and full of himself, and is an honorable man somewhat disappointed at how small a task the French have. BARDOLPH, PISTOL, & NYM: Three of Falstaff s former companions that fight in Henry s army, but with intentions of robbing the towns they attack. MICHAEL WILLIAMS: A common English soldier that argues with a disguised Henry V, believing that the king doesn t care for the common soldier. He challenges the hooded king to a duel, but Henry reveals his true identity after the battle, rewarding Williams with gold. KATHERINE: The Dauphin s sister, who Henry woos and eventually marries. She is learning English, leading to a comical scene where she speaks broken English. HOSTESS QUICKLY: The hostess of the Boar s Head Tavern in Eastcheap, she mourns for the late Falstaff. ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: The Archbishop uses old laws to urge King Henry to declare war. 9

13 SYNOPSIS OF HENRY V Soon after his ascension to the English throne, King Henry V is considering asserting his right to rule France as well. Consulting the Archbishop of Canterbury as to the justness of his claim, he receives a gift of tennis balls sent by Louis the Dauphin - a scornful jibe at his youth, which spurs the king to invade France. The king s former companions from his days in the Eastcheap tavern hear of the death of Sir John Falstaff from Hostess Quickly. They take their leave of her and set out to join Henry s army. Despite the Dauphin s insistence that Henry is an unworthy opponent, the French king receives the English ambassadors but finally rejects Henry s claim to the throne. Henry s forces beseige and then capture the town of Harfleur. While her father rouses his nobles to retaliation, Princess Katherine begins to learn English with the help of her handmaiden Alice. Following the victory at Harfleur, the English forces begin a retreat through Normandy on account of the poor condition of the men, who are disheartened by sickness and foul weather. Even so, Henry rejects the French herald s offer of ransom and the two armies prepare to fight. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, Henry tours the camp in disguise and, sounding out the opinions of his men, is led to consider the heavy responsibilities of kingship. In the French camp, by contrast, confidence is high. As battle is joined, Henry rallies his troops and places them all in God s hands. English victory is confirmed, with miraculously small losses. As part of the subsequent treaty, Henry woos and wins Katherine to ensure the linking of the two countries through marriage. 10

14 HENRY V STAGE HISTORY AND ADAPTATIONS HENRY V has enjoyed a rich life on stage, though not in Europe, where it is the only one of Shakespeare s histories to be virtually ignored. Although it may have premiered in 1599 at the newly erected Globe (probably with famed actor Richard Burbage in the lead), there is little to suggest that it was popular, and the next recorded performance took place in 1605 at King James I s court. Nor was it revived after the restoration of James grandson, Charles II, though a spin-off was staged by Thomas Betterton in Shakespeare s play didn t return to the London stage until Over time, many productions attempted to subvert expectations, most obviously Tyrone Guthrie s Old Vic staging in 1937, in which Laurence Olivier tried a bombast-free Henry in a version pushing an overtly pacifist message. Olivier would later play an appropriately rousing Henry in his epic 1944 film adaptation, which raised British morale during the Second World War. Other productions placed HENRY V in the context of the two plays that came before it, such as Anthony Quayle and John Barton s THE WARS OF THE ROSES that epically combined the plays RICHARD II, HENRY IV, HENRY V, HENRY VI, and RICHARD III. Some productions have been used to present anti-war sentiments, many provoking controversy. For example, Michael Kahn went for outright controversy at Stratford, Connecticut, with an anti-vietnam HENRY V in which Henry s famed St. Crispin s Day speech was surmounted by a message reading The Machine Creates the Believable Lie. Later productions have usually turned their backs on such overt politicking and concentrated instead on HENRY V s human cost. Kenneth Branagh s Henry was commanding in Adrian Noble s 1984 Stratford production, and despite the production s brutality, it persuaded Prince Charles and Princess Diana to name their second son Harry. Branagh would, like Olivier before him, adapt his HENRY V to film in a successful 1989 film with Derek Jacobi as the Chorus, Brian Blessed as Exeter, and Robbie Coltrane in a cameo as Falstaff. In 2012, the BBC presented an epic four-part Henriad miniseries called THE HOLLOW CROWN, with Tom Hiddleston as Henry V and John Hurt as the Chorus. This film made use of the medium by making Harry s inspirational speeches more intimate, speaking only to those within earshot, not assuming the entire army could hear his words. 11

15 PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS What do you know about Shakespeare? Do you know where he was from? Where he worked? Does anyone know his nickname? Do you know what Shakespeare s theater was called? Do you know what it looked like? Does anyone know what a groundling is? Does anyone know what Shakespeare s theater company was called? What do you know about the plays depicted in Family of Kings? Do you know any of the main characters? Shakespeare wrote his plays in verse. Does anyone know what this is? Have you ever heard of iambic pentameter? Do you know what characterizes this type of meter? What is a history? What makes it different from a comedy or tragedy? How would you explain a villain to somebody who has never heard that term? How about a hero? Do you know the literary terms for these characters? What do you know about play themes? Can anyone give an example? From what you ve heard of Henry IV & Henry V, what do you think the themes might be? Has anyone seen another Shakespeare play before? Which one? What do you remember thinking about that show? Are you all excited for the show? Nervous? Any questions you want to ask before we all go to see the play? POST-SHOW QUESTIONS What did you think about the play? Was it what you expected? Is there anything you particularly liked or disliked about the show? Did you relate strongly to any particular character? Who? Why? Were there characters you didn t understand? What did you think of the production aspects of this show, such as the set, sound, and costumes? Did they help you understand the show? Did they distract from the action? How was the language for you? Did you find it difficult to understand? Were there parts you understood better than others? Can you explain what made the difference? After a civil war and invasion of France, has Hal believably reformed his wild ways? Why or why not? Why do you think Hal dismissed Falstaff the way he did? Most of the actors in the touring production portray more than one character. Was there any part of the doubling that was interesting to you, or confusing? The Chorus in the beginning of the play describes cramming the Battle of Agincourt within a wooden O, which indicates Shakespeare s Globe. How do you think the different spaces would impact the play? Now that you ve seen the play, what do you think are the major themes? Why? How do these themes impact the main characters? 12

16 ACTIVITY 1: FIFTEEN-MINUTE HENRY Our Education Tour has to condense a great deal of action in a short span of time, and with a few actors playing many parts. This activity provides you with an example of our production process. Divide the class into groups of 4. This is a summary of the first part of HENRY IV for a narrator and three actors: the Court, the Reveler, and the Rebel. The narrator will read the lines that are in regular type. The three actors will perform their respective lines, indicated in bold. Henry IV (formerly Henry Bolingbroke), having deposed the profligate but rightful King Richard II and caused his murder, seeks to atone for his crimes: COURT: I ll make a voyage to the Holy Land, To wash this blood off from my guilty hand. Learning that rebellion is raging along England s borders, Henry postpones his trip to Jerusalem. A rebel army led by the great Welsh warrior Glendower has defeated Henry s forces, but another uprising in Scotland has been put down by the brave young Harry (Hotspur) Percy. King Henry regretfully compares the valiant Hotspur to his son Henry, Prince of Wales (also called Hal), who is leading a life of riot and dishonor : COURT: O, that it could be proved That some night-tripping fairy had exchanged In cradle-clothes our children where they lay, And called mine Percy, his Plantagenet! Then would I have his Harry, and he mine. While King Henry worries, Prince Hal carouses with his friends Poins, Peto, Bardolph, and the hugely fat knight Sir John Falstaff at the Boar s Head Tavern in Eastcheap. Falstaff, although more than twice Hal s age, accuses Hal of being a corrupter: REVELER: Before I knew thee, Hal, I knew nothing, and now am I...little better than one of the wicked. Poins suggests a robbery and deception of Falstaff, which Hal supports. When he is alone, however, Hal reveals that his wild behavior is a mask he will discard when it is time to assume responsibilities: So when this loose behavior I throw off / And pay the debt I never promised, / By how much better than my word I am, / By so much shall I falsify men s hopes... REVELER: I ll so offend to make offense a skill, Redeeming time when men think least I will. The King meets with Northumberland, Worcester, Sir Walter Blunt, and Hotspur, and demands that Hotspur deliver his prisoners. After the King leaves, Hotspur speaks his mind: REBEL: An if the devil come and roar for them, I will not send them. I will after straight And tell him so... But he doesn t. Instead, he and the others hatch a plot to join forces with Mortimer, Owen Glendower, and the Archbishop of York, as Hotspur concludes: 13

17 ACTIVITY 1 (continued) REBEL: Uncle, adieu. O, let the hours be short Till fields and blows and groans applaud our sport. On the darkened highway near Gadshill, Falstaff and his accomplices rob some rich pilgrims. Hal and Poins, in disguise, rob Falstaff. Meanwhile, Hotspur reads a letter from a reluctant lord, is scolded by his wife Kate for neglecting her, and rides off to join the rebels. Back at the tavern, Hal accuses Falstaff of cowardice, and fat Jack defends himself with lies and exaggerations. When a summons to court arrives, Hal and Falstaff improvise a scene between King and Prince in which Jack, playing the wastrel son, pleads for his favorite knight : FALSTAFF:...for sweet Jack Falstaff, kind Jack Falstaff, true Jack Falstaff, valiant Jack Falstaff...old Jack Falstaff, banish not him thy Harry s company, banish not him thy Harry s company. Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world. HAL: I do, I will. Mistress Quickly, the tavern s hostess, announces that the Sheriff has come, and Hal covers for Falstaff, who hides and falls asleep. Hal realizes that in the morning they must all go off to the wars. In Wales, the rebels meet to decide how to divide England into three shares after they win. Hotspur taunts Glendower about believing in magic and says of music: REBEL: I had rather be a kitten and cry mew I had rather hear... Nothing so much as mincing poetry. Tis like the forced gait of a shuffling nag. Yet Hotspur asks his wife to sing to him as Lady Mortimer has to her husband. The couples enjoy a peaceful interlude on the eve of war. Back at court, King Henry suggests that Hal might join the rebel forces against him, but the Prince assures his father that he will be loyal, redeeming his past sins on young Hotspur s head when they meet in battle: COURT:...I will wear a garment all of blood And stain my favors in a bloody mask, Which, washed away, shall scour my shame with it. The King consents to Hal joining him in battle and sends him to gather troops, so Hal returns to the tavern to enlist Falstaff and his men. Then Falstaff accuses Mistress Quickly of picking his pocket, but Hal exposes Jack as a fraud. To his further dismay, Falstaff has been given command of foot soldiers: REVELER: I would it had been of horse. Where shall I find one that can steal well? O, for a fine thief of the age of two and twenty... In the rebel camp near Shrewsbury, Hotspur learns that his father is ill and will not send troops and that Glendower will be delayed two weeks. Undeterred by reports of the gallantly armed Prince Hal at King Henry s side, Hotspur promises a warm welcome for the enemy: REBEL: They come like sacrifices in their trim, And to the fire-eyed maid of smoky war All hot and bleeding will we offer them. 14

18 ACTIVITY 1 (continued) Near Coventry with his charge of foot soldiers, Falstaff meets Hal, who observes that the men are pitiful rascals indeed. Jack, who is much richer with the bribe money he has taken from the able-bodied men who are safe at home, is less concerned: REVELER:...good enough to toss; food for powder, food for powder. They ll fill a pit as well as better... mortal men, mortal men. At Shrewsbury, Hotspur insists on an immediate attack but sends the King a list of grievances, then sends Worcester as an emissary in the morning. As the sun begins to peer bloodily above the hills, Hal suggests a single-combat solution with Hotspur, whom he praises: COURT: I do not think a braver gentleman, More active-valiant, or more valiant-young, More daring or more bold, is now alive... In the battle, Prince Hal saves his father from death then kills Hotspur in a brutal fight. Alas, he sees the still form of Falstaff on the ground: COURT: O, I should have a heavy miss of thee If I were as much in love with vanity. But Falstaff has merely been pretending. He ups and stabs the dead body of Hotspur, hoists it on his shoulders, and takes credit for killing him, to which Hal s brother John responds, This is the strangest tale that ever I heard. The day ends in a victory for the forces of King Henry IV: ALL: Rebellion in this land shall lose his sway. 15

19 ACTIVITY 2: PROPHECIES OF DOOM William Shakespeare wrote four plays which scholars call the Henriad. The series starts with RICHARD II, in which Henry Bolingbroke is banished, then later crowned as Henry IV. Next is HENRY IV, PARTS 1 & 2, both about the time when Henry IV was on the throne struggling with insurrections and an errant son, Prince Hal. The series ends with HENRY V, when Prince Hal becomes King Henry V and leads an English army to France. In Act 1 of 1 HENRY IV, Henry is troubled with rebel armies forming in northern England, Wales, and Scotland, with some of the most admirable men in his court joining the revolution. Looking back to the play before this in the Henriad, we see predictions that if Henry is named king, England will degenerate into tumultuous wars, corruption, and bloodshed. Read these predictions carefully. Then answer the questions they raise: PASSAGE ONE: A group of nobles come to depose Richard II. Knowing he is outpowered, he gives up his crown to Bolingbroke, also known as Hereford and later as King Henry IV. One of Richard s supporters, the Bishop of Carlisle predicts: What subject can give sentence on his king? And who sits here that is not Richard s subject? My lord of Hereford here, whom you call king, Is a foul traitor to proud Hereford s king, And if you crown him, let me prophesy, The blood of English shall manure the ground, And future ages groan for this foul act. Peace shall go sleep with Turks and infidels, And in this seat of peace tumultuous wars Shall kin with kin and kind with kind confound. Disorder, horror, fear, and mutiny Shall here inhabit, and this land be call d The field of Golgotha and dead men s skulls. O, if you raise this house against this house, It will the woefullest division prove That ever fell upon this cursed earth. Prevent it, resist it, let it not be so, Lest child, child s children, cry against you woe! PASSAGE TWO: Richard II addresses the men who betrayed him and sought to put Henry on the throne: Northumberland, thou ladder wherewithal, The mounting Bolingbroke ascends my throne, The time shall not be many hours of age More than it is, ere foul sin gathering head Shall break into corruption. Thou shalt think, Though he divide the realm and give thee half, It is too little, helping him to all; He shall think that thou, which knowest the way To plant unrightful kings, wilt know again, Being ne er so little urg d, another way To pluck him headlong from the usurped throne. The love of wicked men converts us to fear, Then fear to hate, and hate turns one of both To worthy danger and deserved death. 1. What nobleman does Richard II mention by name? What part does this person play in the overthrow of Richard? What part does this person play in HENRY IV? 2. What foul sins will happen when Henry is on the throne? 1. Paraphrase the first two lines. 2. List the horrible things that will happen when Henry is crowned king. 3. For how long will the horrible things go on? 4. How does this affect Prince Hal? 16

20 ACTIVITY 3: CHARACTERIZATION Through each character s speech and actions, we learn about the character s desires, intentions, motivations, and dreams. Divide the class into groups and assign each group an act. Allow the group to select one major character that frequently appears in that act. Have them analyze the speech and actions of the character and list what each speech and/or action tells us about the character s motivation and desires. They should divide the paper in half and list on the left, the lines or behavior in the act, and on the right list what the lines or behavior tells us about the character s desires. After each group has completed this exercise, have them create an internal monologue based on one or more of the speeches of the character in the selected act. In an internal monologue, the character speaks directly to the audience or him/herself about her/his desires and motivations. The group then presents their internal monologue to the class as a dramatic reading or recitation. Understanding the minor characters and the roles they play leads students to a clearer sense of how to analyze characters in general. The following exercise helps students think about the minor characters and what they add to the understanding of the play. INSTRUCTIONS Choose one of the secondary characters NOT King Henry, Hal, Hotspur, or Falstaff. Write a journal entry in the voice of the minor character after s/he encounters one of the three main characters. Explain what happened in the encounter and how the character feels about it. This should be based on what you know about that character from the play. For example, choose the scene in which Poins and Hal rob Falstaff. As Poins, write about that encounter in your journal. Ask and try to answer in the journal entry questions such as: Why does Poins decide to convince Hal to do this? And why pick Falstaff? Use only information from earlier in the play in your entry. Now select a scene from later in the play to contrast or compare with the earlier one. For example, write from Poins perspective at the end of the play. What would the rebellion look like to a common soldier as opposed to the king himself? Quote Poins lines from the play in the entry, to support her belief, if applicable. ACTIVITY 4: CULTURAL CONTEXT Have students rewrite the play as a contemporary soap opera, perhaps through a week of episodes. After the script has been drafted, they might perform and record or film it. The recording or film can be shown in class or placed in a classroom media library.. Have students stage an episode of a daytime talk show on which King Henry confronts Hal. Who appears and in which order? What is the headline for that day s show? What questions does the host ask? What questions do members of the audience ask? Have students design, either by hand or on the computer, costumes for each of the characters. The costumes should reveal knowledge of the historical period and analysis of the personality of the character. These sketches can be presented to the class or posted. ACTIVITY 5: PUNS A pun is play on words based on the similarity of sound between two different words with different meanings. Puns are as common a source of jokes today as they were when Shakespeare wrote the Henriad. Have the students keep a running list of the puns they notice as they read HENRY IV and who said them. What do the puns tell us about the characters who said them? In one column, list some (if not all) of the puns used throughout the play. In another column, have the students record the meaning of the pun - why is it funny/important? For example, one of Hal s lines in 1 HENRY IV (2.2) is Thou art not colted, thou art uncolted, which takes the verb colt (to trick or fool) and compares it to a colt (another term for horse). (For younger students, you can identify and discuss them together; for older students, have them do this on their own.) 17

21 WRITTEN SOURCE MATERIAL & DVDs As you may know. not much exists about Shakespeare s process. There was no autobiography or memoir, and little historical material aside from the plays themselves. It is as if Shakespeare wanted his work to tell his story, and in many ways it does. There are many biographies and recently a wealth of very accessible critical writing, which uses exhaustive historical research to imagine and offer theories about what Shakespeare might have been like and why he made the artistic choices he did. BOOKS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE COMPLETE WORKS, edited by Jonathan Bate & Eric Rasmussen. Royal Shakespeare Company, ESSENTIAL SHAKESPEARE HANDBOOK by Leslie Dunton-Downer & Alan Riding. Dorling Kindersley (DK), THE ROUGH GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE (2nd Edition) by Andrew Dickson. Penguin Publishing, SHAKESPEARE S WORDS: A GLOSSARY & LANGUAGE COMPANION by David & Ben Crystal. Penguin Publishing, A SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR PREPARES by Adrian Brine & Michael York. Smith and Kraus, VIDEOS PLAYING SHAKESPEARE, a masterclass presented by John Barton and featuring Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, and more. Royal Shakespeare Company, SHAKESPEARE: THE ANIMATED TALES, featuring several of Shakespeare s most popular plays in various animated forms WHY SHAKESPEARE? Produced by the National Endowment of the Arts. Lawrence Bridges, SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED, a six-part documentary exploring Shakespeare s life, histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances; presenters include Derek Jacobi, Jeremy Irons, Trevor Nunn, David Tennant, Joely Richardson, Ethan Hawke. PBS,

22 BOOKS ON SHAKESPEARE AND TEACHING SHAKESPEARE Asimov, Isaac. Asimov s Guide to Shakespeare. Doubleday, Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare. HarperCollins, Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakespeare. Penguin Books, Gibson, Rex. Teaching Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press, Kermode, Frank. Shakespeare s Language. Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, Linklater, Kristin. Freeing Shakespeare s Voice. Theatre Communications Group, Pritchard, R. E. Shakespeare s England. Sutton Publishing Limited, Papp, Joseph and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare Alive. Bantam Books, Reynolds, P. Teaching Shakespeare. Oxford University Press, library.thinkquest.org/23293 Shakespeare Magazine: Absolute Shakespeare: absoluteshakespeare.com Everything Shakespeare: Ready to Use Activities for Teaching: Shakespeare Curriculum Resources from The Center for Learning: ONE MORE ACTIVITY Write and let me know your thoughts. YOU are the reason we do what we do, and it s your responses that help us to provide theatre experiences that are exciting, meaningful and educational. Write care of: Shakespeare Festival St. Louis 5715 Elizabeth Ave. St. Louis, MO, info@sfstl.com SHAKESPEARE WEBSITES Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: The Shakespeare Resource Center: Shakespeare s Globe Center USA: Shakespeare: A Virtual Field Trip: Life in Elizabethan England: elizabethan.org/compendium Shakespeare Birthplace Trust: Shakespeare Lite: 19