tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post1641618263262059327..comments2024-02-09T16:13:32.416-08:00Comments on Classical Carousel: Henry V by William ShakespeareCleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-85274505019387389622016-08-27T20:09:36.460-07:002016-08-27T20:09:36.460-07:00Thanks Jane. I'll check it out.Thanks Jane. I'll check it out.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-57698127858850122212016-08-26T14:20:21.900-07:002016-08-26T14:20:21.900-07:00I must say, though, that the RIII with Ian McClell...I must say, though, that the RIII with Ian McClellan set in a Nazi-esque world was exceptionally good and worked remarkably well.JaneGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11094501834387622997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-44373676132485135532016-08-15T23:25:02.492-07:002016-08-15T23:25:02.492-07:00Ah yes, I need to get the Kenneth Branaugh version...Ah yes, I need to get the Kenneth Branaugh version out of the library. I didn't know that Emma Thompson was in it! That would be fun!<br /><br />I, too, prefer a conventional setting. I've seen a few plays where they try to go with a modern or simply a different setting and they aren't quite as good, IMO.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-63343035794788495192016-08-15T21:45:05.396-07:002016-08-15T21:45:05.396-07:00The Kenneth Branaugh version is a good movie. The ...The Kenneth Branaugh version is a good movie. The scene between him & Katherine (Emma Thompson) was fun & very well done. Didn't mind the Olivier version and it was interesting to see how the different movies compared. We went to see a performance where it was placed into the setting of WW2. Clever, but I preferred the original.Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820925595506920754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-87953586277636551002016-08-15T20:49:28.823-07:002016-08-15T20:49:28.823-07:00either result in the promised land on erth or the ...either result in the promised land on erth or the end of civilization as we know it...Mudpuddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17194891656971454279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-3747245222704739452016-08-15T17:59:06.407-07:002016-08-15T17:59:06.407-07:00Not only that, what if people were actually honest...Not only that, what if people were actually honest with themselves about their motivations before they chose to act? That would be even more revolutionary! :-)Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-52282304159372070952016-08-15T12:09:00.595-07:002016-08-15T12:09:00.595-07:00tantalizing thought: if we knew the REAL reasons ...tantalizing thought: if we knew the REAL reasons people do things (write plays, conduct wars, even help others), we might have a totally different opinion of their conduct....?Mudpuddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17194891656971454279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-66762324096903577542016-08-15T09:49:28.982-07:002016-08-15T09:49:28.982-07:00I think that I'll like it more with a re-read,...I think that I'll like it more with a re-read, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. <br /><br />Yes, that is a stretch. Probably because his actions <i>appeared</i> to be only for the benefit of the people. Each gained power through their actions, so one wonders if their actions were really as self-sacrificing and altruistic as they made them appear. :-PCleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-21776874819595609482016-08-15T04:12:28.693-07:002016-08-15T04:12:28.693-07:00I really enjoyed Henry V I must say. So sad when F...I really enjoyed Henry V I must say. So sad when Falstaff's death was discussed, a rather moving though at times funny scene :)<br /><br />One of our politicians, Boris Johnson, was likened to Henry V by some journalist. Bit of a stretch I though!ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01245931629228090133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-48671213026955188272016-08-12T15:47:51.802-07:002016-08-12T15:47:51.802-07:00Wow, what an experience! Your dad should be comme...Wow, what an experience! Your dad should be commended. Often we believe children wouldn't be interested in something we see as over their heads, but you never can know the lifetime benefit a visit to a Shakespeare play can have! :-)<br /><br />I think this play will grow on me with a second and third reading. I did enjoy the royal grandeur of it all. <br /><br />Oh yes! -- The French lesson scene was hilarious!! I audibly laughed while reading that part.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-34187470624652184822016-08-12T14:17:23.899-07:002016-08-12T14:17:23.899-07:00Henry V will always hold a special place in my hea...Henry V will always hold a special place in my heart because my dad, who loved Shakespeare, took me to see the Laurence Olivier version one night (just him and me), when I was about 12. It was my intro to Shakespeare, and while I had no idea of the history behind the play, I was hooked. I've seen it onstage multiple times and all the movies at least a few times each. It has some wonderful speeches, and I always enjoy the French lessons (between Kate and her maid, and HV and Kate). One of those plays that prompted me to learn the history behind it, and fostered an intense love of English history.<br /><br />For me, I think the play lacks the ambiguity of some many of the other plays and hence less room for thought.JaneGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11094501834387622997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-86131677959855609142016-08-11T07:52:21.427-07:002016-08-11T07:52:21.427-07:00I would suspect your theory to be accurate but I&#...I would suspect your theory to be accurate but I'm not 100% certain either. He certainly goes out of his way to connect Henry to the people, and the discarding of Falstaff, one person who would have a hold over Henry, is certainly telling! After I finish reading the plays, it would be nice to read some of the history behind them.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-25121295589561875962016-08-10T23:04:29.508-07:002016-08-10T23:04:29.508-07:00Now I have a theory here...I always felt that Shak...Now I have a theory here...I always felt that Shakespeare for all his brilliance was a tad sycophant and this was Elizabeth's (his patron) great grandfather, and firmly established the legitimacy of the Tudor dynasty. I think this was more to please the monarch than written with any actual creative/intellectual purposes! Of course this is my theory and I am possibly completely off base!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-40535923004665084792016-08-10T22:35:54.773-07:002016-08-10T22:35:54.773-07:00Oh, and I remember the last of the St. Crispin'...Oh, and I remember the last of the St. Crispin's speech from the Magnum P.I. episode, "The Case of the Red-Faced Thespian". Weird, huh? ;-)Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-32386180390047237342016-08-10T22:34:59.424-07:002016-08-10T22:34:59.424-07:00The Folio is the version used now. It sounds like...The Folio is the version used now. It sounds like the Quartos would omit your St. Crispin's speech --- can you believe it?!! Criminal!Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-689414486953182732016-08-10T22:33:23.795-07:002016-08-10T22:33:23.795-07:00That's wonderful to know, Sharon. I do need t...That's wonderful to know, Sharon. I do need to see a performance of it myself, either live or on DVD. My library has a few versions that bear checking out. And I do have an Archangel audio version that I might listen to over the summer. As I said to Mudpuddle above, my mistake was not watching a performance. I'll have to rectify that.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-23752302964951448242016-08-10T22:30:43.423-07:002016-08-10T22:30:43.423-07:00I'm probably the minority, but I didn't mi...I'm probably the minority, but I didn't mind the missing Falstaff.<br /><br />All the best with your Shakespeare reading!Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-48243945077600786312016-08-10T22:30:04.675-07:002016-08-10T22:30:04.675-07:00I think I made a mistake with this play in that I ...I think I made a mistake with this play in that I didn't watch it as I read it. Bad me. I felt it was a little flat after I finished, but that feeling might not have developed if I'd actually seen a version of it. Should I add the St. Crispin's speech to my review? I was thinking of it ........ oh dear ...... I do like how Henry would refer to the English as "friends", "brothers", etc. A king who was very much in touch with his country and its people. Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-59396442568321337772016-08-10T19:56:36.072-07:002016-08-10T19:56:36.072-07:00I just saw a very good performance of Henry V at o...I just saw a very good performance of Henry V at our summer Shakespeare festival. I was expecting to be bored but I wasn't. It had a nice balance of seriousness and humor. Also, the man who played Henry V really made this king out to be a fascinating individual. All of the actors were excellent, making it a rewarding experience.Sharon Wilfonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17466621290140789056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-25042540447339638552016-08-10T15:26:48.959-07:002016-08-10T15:26:48.959-07:00Shakespeare could not continue with Falstaff in H5...Shakespeare could not continue with Falstaff in H5. Henry needs the room to be the leader rather than the follower, so the fat fellow had to go. Moreover, since Shakespeare often wrote with specific actors in mind, there might have been some changes in the acting pool. In any case, I enjoyed reading your posting even though you make me feel guilty about procrastinating on my planned-announced-postponed return to reading all of Shakespeare from beginning to end. Perhaps I should just start with H5. RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-87374389462497604632016-08-10T11:42:38.509-07:002016-08-10T11:42:38.509-07:00soo... which one is the version usually read? th...soo... which one is the version usually read? the first folio, or one of the quartos? a clear analysis of the play and the admirable and noble portrait of lewis waller as henry... the st. crispin's day speech still chills the spine a bit even at this late date... as well as" once more unto the breech dear friends"...Mudpuddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17194891656971454279noreply@blogger.com