/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.6553245]

Does anyone else feel like Henry V is not only the best of the history plays (or at least tied at the top with Richard III), but one of Shakespeare's best plays, period?

The language is particularly good- the blank verse is among the purest and most rhythmic in all of Shakespeare. Of course the St. Crispin's Day Speech is the highlight, but it seems that every time Henry or Gloucester speaks, it's poetry. The play is also thematically compelling, with its tense contrast between violence and peace, between divine right and good sense, between the noble deeds of warriors and the cruel treatment of civilians.

It also has, I think, the funniest scene in all of Shakespeare, the scene where Fluellen makes Pistol eat his leek.

GOAT play.

[Anonymous No.6553988]

>not prefixing the argument with a discussion of King Henry IV...
I-I don't know what to say...

[Anonymous No.6553994]

>>6553245
Hamlet is better

[Anonymous No.6553995]

>Does anyone else feel like Henry V is not only the best of the history plays (or at least tied at the top with Richard III), but one of Shakespeare's best plays, period?

That's quite a common opinion, actually.

[Anonymous No.6554008]

Oh wait, yes I do. I would like to say that Henry V is overrated, and the only reason why we see new productions of it is because it manages to gear up the war machine. Henry IV is infinitely better, but you might be better off finding an RSC production of it than attending a live show.

[Anonymous No.6554015]

The problem with Henry IV is that Prince Hal is never performed viciously enough. He should be a far more malignant figure than Falstaff in some respects, they're competing for the audience's hatred as much as their love. It's a great balancing act.