Henry V: Act IV Discussion Part I

We work our way through the beginning of Act IV of Henry V - this episode covers the Chorus speech through scene 3 (all of the pre-battle scenes).

Among many things, we discussed the complicated metaphorical transformation of Henry into the sun across three plays, how he is affected by the responsibility he feels for the army, how the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him on the eve of battle, the entanglement of the role of the king with personal identity, the English army feeling desires for dignity in the midst of fear, the different class experiences of warfare and Henry’s yearning for a smaller world.

Our ensemble for Henry V includes Nazlah Black, Esther Boles, Zoe Burke, Andrew Codispoti, Xdzunúm Danae, Zoë Goslin, Isabel Karp, Colin Kohrs, Alexander Lane, Julia Larsen, Amy Meilander, Jesse Van Buren, facilitated and directed by Ariana Karp.