Henry V / Kevin Ewert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ewert, Kevin, 1965-

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Series:

Shakespeare handbooks (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm))

The Shakespeare handbooks

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Henry V.

Shakespeare, William.

Henry V, King of England, 1387-1422--In literature.

Henry.

Henry V, King of England, 1387-1422.

Kings and rulers in literature.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Stage history.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Film adaptations.

Genre:

Film adaptations.

Physical Description:

vii, 166 pages ; 21 cm.

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Summary:

Under cover of being a rousing adventure story, Shakespeare's Henry V manages to become something much more open and complex - a play whose possible meanings point in many directions, often all at once. In this Handbook, chapters on critical assessment and performance history take the reader in some of those many directions - from unproblematic reflection of an Elizabethan World Picture to cultural materialist reappraisal of how power works, and from Olivier's brilliant technicolor pageant to the National Theatre's 2003 re-engagement with the play at the start of the Iraq war. Focusing on stage directions, implied action in the dialogue, and various production choices available at key moments, a theatrically aware commentary encourages the imagining of a physical narrative where the play's meanings and our responses are shaped by the constantly shifting stage action.

Multiple, competing voices and often daring structural choices make Henry V an invigorating occasion for theatre. With a fresh and engaging style, this Handbook explores all the spiky, disruptive and debatable aspects of a tale Shakespeare could have told in a simple, straightforward and heroic fashion, but chose not to.

Contents:

1 The Texts and Early Performances 1

2 The Play's Sources and Cultural Context 8

4 Key Productions and Performances 97

5 The Play on Screen 115

6 Critical Assessments 139.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-163) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

1403940762

1403940770

OCLC:

65469097

Publisher Number:

9781403940766

9781403940773