KY+Assignment3


 * Assignment 3**

The tactics utilized by the directors Olivier and Branaugh allow for two interpretations of King Henry V. The changes made slant the focus of the play in very distinct directions.

Olivier directed the first version of King Henry V in the era of World War II, just a couple years after The Blitz – the strategic bombing of Britain by the Nazi forces. Olivier was therefore broadcasting to an audience of disheartened people. The play is set in either spring or summer, in broad daylight. Olivier opens the play with the enemy camp, as ostentatious colors splatter the garb of the French and grandiose music plays in the background. From the script, dialogue that suggests an inevitable win for the French is excluded, leaving behind only words that seem to suggest the French are overly confident and foolish in their ways. As the French mount their horses and prepare for battle, they laugh and drink from ornate goblets. Everything about the depiction of the French suggests that they are foolhardy and presumptuous in their attitude of the war. The transition to the English camp is modulated by a change in the music – the music becomes more serious, more morose. In contrast to the celebratory mood of the French camp, the English are preparing for battle in a more practical manner, as they carve weapons from wood. As the emissary arrives at the camp, King Henry is on his horse, taking the superior position, suggesting that despite the previous hardships of the English, they will still be the ones to overcome the desolate situation. Olivier uses the play as a form of bringing hope to the dejected nation.

The version of King Henry V directed by Branaugh was created in 1989, during the Falklands War. The Falklands War took place between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands, and it caused strong waves of patriotic sentiment to rush through both nations. These sentiments are seen in Branaugh’s interpretation of the play, while negative undertones of war in general also pervade the work. The play is set in winter, with the weather foggy and gray. The introduction of the French is slanted in a much different direction, as the music of the French is not joyous as in Olivier’s work, but much more threatening, with the delivery of the lines by the French echoing the evil and solemn mood. In place of the bright colors worn by the French in Olivier’s version, the French are all clad in shades of gray, and the actors picked to play Frenchmen are very seedy looking. In the English camp, the soldiers all speak fearfully of the battle ahead. The Englishmen are dressed in shades of gray, minus King Henry V, who is the only one in the play wearing color. During the speech of the king, the music swells, stirring feelings of optimism and hope, and the dreadful situation initially depicted is reversed. When the emissary arrives, the emissary remains on his horse and King Henry V stands on the ground, yet the king’s delivery is proud, almost angry, and the emissary takes his hat off to the king. Branaugh uses the play as a means to stir patriotic emotion and to establish a sense of pride in the nation.