Henry V by William Shakespeare. is supposed to hold been written about 1599. It expresses the narrative of King Henry V of England. concentrating on events environing the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years’ War. The drama is the concluding portion of a series of dramas. following Richard II. Henry IV. Part 1 and Henry IV. Part 2. The original audiences would accordingly be familiar with the rubric character. which was depicted in the Henry IV plays as a wild. undisciplined lad known as “Prince Harry” . In Henry V. the immature prince has flourished into an grownup and embarks on a comfortable overthrow of France. BYU’s Young Company’s version of Shakespeare’s Henry V utilizes the influence of Fun. ’s stone ballad “Some Nights” . including audience members in the action. simple film editings of the original piece. and projecting a adult female as King Henry in order to make a war infused coming of age children’s theatre drama.

In the Young Company’s version of the book. the prologue of Act I introduces the audience to what will be displayed before them and to see the “imaginary forces work” . The thought to conceive of the big ground forcess and the action works good with the thought of a simple theatre with simple costumes and props. Keeping it simple allows for a children’s theatre piece that still stays true to the original version of Henry V. Besides. in Henry’s foremost set of lines. she states in a more conversational linguistic communication. “I know. right? I don’t look like a Henry” to more clearly define that yes she is Henry and yes she is female. The facet of a female Henry softens the strength of the piece as lone about war and allows a younger audience to see more of the importance of character motives and internal struggles.

Within the book. wordss to “Some Nights” every bit good as other pick vocals are placed in order to stress the point of “What do I stand for? ” or to the audience. “What do you stand for? ” ( every bit good as create entertaining spectacle ) . This thematic component is meant to remind the audience of the overruling subject of two sides –French and British. corrupt and guiltless. good or evil. The construct of good and immoralities are easy identified by younger audiences. Act I is the first show of Henry’s duty to do determinations –go to war and shed blood or trim lives? Most of the drama trades with Henry’s struggle of going an grownup. of holding to do difficult determinations and fighting to reply merely what does she stand for. The thought that Henry is non yet an grownup is commented on by Dauphin’s “gift” of tennis balls. The sarcastic spirit of this gift implies that the Dauphin considers the English male monarch to be unworthy of an grownup exchange. angering Henry to pay war. This is the beginning of Henry doing a pick.

Another determination Henry must confront is killing a friend who has become a treasonist merely after covering with the decease of an old friend. The contrast of the proclamation of Falstaff’s impending decease and the ulterior proclamation of Scroop’s impending decease creates an interesting suggestion—that the sum of power a individual has plays an of import function in finding what it is right or incorrect for him to make. Falstaff. one of the king’s former friends. is deceasing because Henry betrayed him. Scroop. another former friend. is besides traveling to decease. but because he betrayed Henry. There is irony to this fact. but. at the same clip. one of the grounds that power dramas such a big function in finding a person’s behaviour is that with increased power comes an hypertrophied set of duties. To trim Scroop would weaken the stableness of the throne. This sense of duty and the necessity of moving impartially underlines Henry’s passage into a true grownup. The events of Act III. scene VI besides contribute to one of the play’s chief concerns: the extent to which Henry has developed from a playful young person into a disciplined leader.

Knowing a history of friendly relationship between Henry and Bardolph. we might anticipate Henry to excuse her old friend. Yet King Henry condemns Bardolph to decease. Her edict here that “ [ w ] vitamin E would hold all such wrongdoers so cut off” –meaning that all plunderers should be hanged –shows merely how much Henry has had to turn up and do hard determinations. Act II. scene III is the first clip in the drama that we get the Gallic point of position. As the climactic conflict draws nearer. the play’s point of position begins to jump between the English and the Gallic sides. We see that King Charles is prudent and wise in his appraisal of King Henry. But to the Dauphin –Charles’s boy –Henry is still the “vain. giddy. shoal. humourous youth” that he has heard spoken of in the yesteryear. Ironically. the Dauphin’s attitude reveals merely his ain rawness and juvenility. While King Charles recognizes Henry’s true character. the stubborn Dauphin has to larn about it the difficult manner –through experience.

From his opening supplication of “Once more unto the breach. beloved friends. one time more. ” in Act III. scene I. Henry unifies his work forces for his cause. The whole of the rousing transition uses the techniques of poesy to observe and laud war. In peculiar. Henry invokes images and metaphors from nature to press his work forces to switch into a province of animalistic fierceness for conflict. After his address a group of soldiers begin merely to jest. A immature male child remarks on their behaviour. “I am boy to them all three ; but all they three. make non amount to a adult male. ” His remark demonstrates his ain adulthood and the others lack thereof. Having this in their production entreaties to a younger audience by demoing no affair what age you have to take what you stand for. Before conflict Henry visits her soldiers in camouflage. One can reason that because most of the soldiers don’t even cognize what Henry looks like good plenty to acknowledge her. this scene emphasizes the distance between the male monarch and her soldiers every bit much as it highlights the similarities between them.

In a soliloquy. Henry describes the awful duties of power. which both isolate and lay to a great extent upon the male monarch. Everybody seems to put all their concerns. concerns. and guilt upon the shoulders of the male monarch. who has nil to ease this awful duty except an empty show of power and glorification. “What infinite wild pansy. Must male monarchs neglect that private work forces bask? ” Henry asks. offering us a rare position on the negative facet of power and showing her apprehension of the distance between herself and her work forces. In her St. Crispin’s Day address. meant to beef up the assurance of her soldiers before they head into a conflict that they are about certain to lose. Henry demonstrates her endowment with words. She convinces her work forces that they have all come at that place to contend for award. for justness. and for glorification. She makes the conflict sound like a privilege. one that will let for more glorification than anything else could. Henry besides brings up. one time more. the motive of the bond between king and common man.

Henry claims that even a common man will be made baronial by contending at her side and that the consequence will be womb-to-tomb award. The conflict ensues and at its terminal. Exeter and a herald return to describe the entire figure of casualties. Ten 1000 Gallic soldiers are dead. but somehow the English have lost merely 29 work forces. Acknowledging their astonishing good fortune. the Englishmen give congratulations to God. At plays terminal. we are left with a narrative of growing. decease. and finally success. Henry teaches that all must do hard determinations and turn up. The Young Company’s Henry V leaves the inquiry. “What do I stand for? ” Overall the production of the book was successful at accommodating Shakespeare’s Henry V into a piece more suitable for younger audiences. There were times of addled confusion due to persons playing multiple characters or certain passages that were non successful. Elementss of spectacle did make an entertaining version of classical theatre with stone infused costuming. props. and moving. Elementss of stage dancing and modern music allowed for a piece that was entertaining for younger audiences and got the narrative across while learning certain lessons.