Oliviers Film As Henry example essay topic

Henry V was written in the year 1590 by William Shakespeare and it was regarded as a great patriotic play. However in our modern society there are perhaps ironic attitudes in Shakespeare's presentation of the hero. I will be discussing the play and two films made about the play to determine the different attitudes to war and kingship throughout time. The play is introduced by the chorus, who's speeches open each of the five acts in the play.

It describes to us that the play is about grand battles and fighting kings so this plays with our imagination, making the play seem reality. The chorus is perhaps used in the first act as a means to apologise for what follows. "O for a muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, And monarchs to behold the swelling scene". (1.1 1-4) The invocation of the muse brings to my mind ancient epics of war. In this speech Shakespeare uses slightly irregular iambic pentameter as there is a emphasis on the second syllable and due to the irregularity this causes attention to be made to important, producing an energetic speech, almost powerful. As the play was written in 1590 at this time the monarchy was not sure who was going to be the successor of the throne.

The fact queen Elizabeth I did not have any children and at the age of 66 this in turn was an important issue to be discussed. However the time came when Henry was next in line to the throne and he acted accordingly when the time came". The courses of his youth promis'd it not The breath no sooner left his father's body, But that his wilderness mortified in him, Seem'd to die too; yea, at the very moment Consideration like an angle came, And whipp'd th' offending Adam out of him, Leaving his body as a paradise" (Act 1 Scene 1) This reflects with events which are happening at the time which the play Is made. We get our first taste of henry's character, a powerful compelling figure. Henry is sent tennis balls as a joke and the Dauphin is implying that henry is unworthy of an adult exchange due to his so called wild youth. He turns the joke upside down and is very cold in his speech, however begins with a slightly sarcastic comment.

"We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us" (1.260) Then he makes this the whole incident about the tennis balls into a metaphor for a real war". When we have matched our rackets to these balls, We will in France, by God's grace play a set, Shall strike his father's crown into a hazard". By these words Henry is saying that the price of this joke will be his kingship of France. As henry the V was written in Shakespearean times brutality was a part of war And he even punishes his own friends in public, such as Lord scroop, (Exeter calls Scroop Henrys, "bedfellow" This is not however meant in a sexual nature it just shows the closeness of the two friends but henry shows that he is powerful and a worthy king as he works by the means of the law not by the means of his heart. He has defined the line between king and man, also to his old friend Bardolph he feels no remorse: "We should have all offenders so cut off" (Act Scene VI) This is an example of his strength and power over people and his hope to have all offenders in this case hung, it is to show that the English are respectful conquerors.

There is three soldiers (Bates, Courts, Williams) who doubt Henry which makes this part of the play a little more interesting and realistic, "If the (kings) cause be not good the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads chopped off in a battle shall join together at the latter day and cry all "We dies at such a place", some swa ering some crying for a surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon the children rally left. I am afeard there are few die well that die in a battle, Act (132-142) Henry denies the responsibility on behalf of the king. He gives a religious argument that the idea of men who die in battle die "badly". Die in their sin are condemned to hell.

But Henry does not take responsibility for deaths as he is there more for the land and power, however does this really justify the number of deaths? However good or bad henry is certainly powerful and suitable for the role of king, this is a major theme throughout the play. Lawrence Olivier in 1944 created a film adaptation of Shakespeare's classic and it is triumphant in every way. Henry V was designed as a morale booster for the British public during the war (at their darkest hour so to speak) The film opens on a globe theatre production and oliver wants war to be seen in a good light, to put forward that is the right thing to fight for your country no matter what the circumstances. Henry is seen as heroic in theses times however nowadays he would be seen as brutal and immoral. The film hides the dark side of war and lets the audience look upon the brighter, positive aspects of the war.

Thrust upon the audience is furious full blown battle of agincourt this is what has happened so henry can strengthen his domestic authority, and unify a country that is in a state of little order. Henry invades France in hope of the promised lands, but his army is outnumbered, however havoc occurs and the french cannot compete with the agility of the british therefor the two countries are united. Throughout the film Olivier tends to stick to the script and we are not confronted by such wrong doings as Bardolph, a good friend of henry's, execution. This is so we don't see what war is really about or how a king could betray a good friend with little thought.

People want to see heroism, not the blood and the tears of a true war, therefore this is what olivier delivers to them, that it is only right to fight for your country and in doing so their will be little heartbreak caused. He is seen as a peoples king, a follower, someone who has goals, and a chives them with great success. We are then brought on to a different interpretation of the play, directed by Kenneth Branagh in 1989. This is a modern film therefore looks upon every aspect of war.

It is a more gritty adaptation of Shakespeare's play and deals with henry's "bloody" conquest of France. As it was written after the Vietnam war peoples perspectives and outlooks were entirely different to that of olivier and Shakespeare. The atmosphere and mood throughout the play is dark and dreary resulting in his picking out negative aspects of the play. When Bardolph is sentenced to death for instance we are confronted with the sight of him being hung, however in the text it is only reported not carried out. What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop, thou cruel, it is not a thing to re- juice at. For if, look you, he were my brother, I would desire the Duke to use his good pleasure and put him to execution; for discipline ought to be used.

This is said only in Branaghs version, it shows us that Henry has a heart and is compassionate about the loss of his friend. Henry is an individual with feelings, this is not shown in oliviers film as henry must be portrayed as a strong dominant leader. Also we see a flashback during the hanging of Bardolph and see him drinking proving their friendship and good times they shared, this makes being king difficult for henry, but this is not the case with olivier as he is portrayed as a confident king. Overall the two films are both adaptations of the same play put forward in different ways due to the time they were written. I feel at the end of the play by Shakespeare's there is a feeling of fake peace, a feeling of unsettlement.

However he is seen as a true king and is determined to lead his country into battles for land and power, which is Shakespearean times he would have been seen as heroic and noble. Nowadays we don't have the same outlook on justice politics and other issues in the play. Olivier and Branagh focus on what is happening in the world around them and focus on the audience at that period in time, this is so the film will be seen as successful throughout that era. Certain scenes of the original play are changed for ex. battles in oliviers are seen as victorious unlike the bloodshed (vision of death version) of Branaghs film. Concepts of war and kingship have changed throughout the years and the opinions of the government and the public have also, resulting in different beliefs as shown in the three versions of henry V.