King Henry V As A Valiant leader

I, Orlando Evans the director producing the performance of Shakespeare’s play Henry V, will be directing the play to demonstrate Henry V was a valiant leader who had a legitimate claim to the throne of France and led his men into battle in a way that inspired confidence, loyalty and courage. I have chosen two scenes that clearly show Henry’s Valiance: Act 3, Scene 7 - Near a Bridge over the river Ternoise and Act 4, Scene 3 - The English camp near Agincourt. I have used an adaptation of Henry V; Hollow Crown to demonstrate how I shall direct and produce the play. I have chosen several performance elements to go into depth on how he is represented as a Valiant leader. These are the tone of delivery, lighting as well as actors movements.

In order to produce an effective portrait of Henry V as a right and valiant king we must first look into Act 3 Scene 7 - Near a Bridge over the river Ternoise. The scene begins with Henry speaking about Bardolph; (a soldier that wrongfully stole a crucifix from a church in France).

Lines 91-96; ‘We would have all such offenders so cut off, and we give express charge that in our marches through the country there be nothing compelled from the villages, nothing taken but paid for, none of the French upbraided or abused in disdainful language; for when lenity and cruelty play for a kingdom, the gentler gamester is the soonest winner.’

This scene perfectly portrays Henry as a just and Valiant king and demonstrates that he is willing to take the lives of his own soldiers for the greater good of the people. He shows courage and determination to take over France and does not want his soldiers distracted by the people but rather focus on the task at hand. Although Henry is in the process of taking over France, he spares the lives and possessions of the innocent people that dwell in the land. That is the true work of a Valiant Leader.

To further understand how we will perform and demonstrate Henry as a Valiant Leader, we must look into the performance elements. An example of this is in Hollow Crowns adaptation of Act 3 Scene 6. While Henry speaks about Bardolph to Llewellyn, Henry looks out to the horizon and upon the hung body of Bardolph. The sheer greatness and leadership that he projects is created via the low viewpoint, giving him a commanding presence. The lighting renders him the brightest and therefore the most important element in the scene, while the stillness of his body as he delivers the monologue slowly in a commanding voice adds to the sense of drama. Additionally, music in the background creates tension and anticipation. All of these elements combined powerfully represent Henry as a Valiant king. I will aim to replicate these for my variant of the scene.

The second scene that portrays Henry as a Valiant leader is Act 4 Scene 3 - The English Camp Near Agincourt. In this scene, Henry walks in on his soldiers talking fearfully on learning that they are outnumbered by 5 to 1 on the upcoming battle. He then gives a speech that truly demonstrates the courage and determination that he holds and motivates his soldiers to fight for honour.

Lines 30 - 35; ‘But if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God’s peace, I would not lose so great an honor. As one man more, methinks, would share from me, For the best hope I have. Oh, do not wish one more!’

Henry tells his men of the honour that they will gain from this battle, and inspire them to thirst for honour as he does. In this scene, Henry could be perceived as reckless in this scene, forcing his men into battle with terrible odds. But being the Valiant Leader he is, he makes up for this, through the offering of money and a ticket home for those that are too scared to fight.

Lines 37 - 41 ‘That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart. His passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse. We would not die in that man’s company. That fears his fellowship to die with us. We would not want to die in the company of a man who fears to die with us.’

To immerse myself deeper into the scene, I will look into Hollow Crowns Variant of Act 4 Scene 3 to analyse the performance elements used to display Henry as a Valiant Leader. The scene opens with Henry approaching the circle of men which seems quite dark and gloomy to begin with. This represents the dark and bad thoughts that the men are having on the upcoming battle. However, when Henry approaches the circle and begins preaching to them on the upcoming battle. The circle lights up and Henry's face is the centre of it. This is an excellent execution of simple dramatic lighting to help tell the story. Additionally, Henry’s tone of voice is once again strong and powerful as he lightens up his men's mood. Although this time his tone seems to be more inspiring to get the men focused and ready for the battle. Once again, Hollow Crown has executed the scene well and has represented Henry as a Valiant and inspiring leader.

In conclusion, Henry V was a Valiant leader that led his country and army into France in an attempt to become the first English King to rule France. Along the way, he demonstrated core values that made him such a powerful and successful king. It is for these reasons that I will be creating and producing my own adaptation of Henry V in which he will be portrayed as a Valiant leader.