Henry V: Act III Discussion - Part II

We work our way through the end of Act III of Henry V - this episode covers scenes 4-7. We puzzle over the singular scene almost entirely in French, how it amplifies the conflict of communication, and as a continuation of the consequences of war, we question if Shakespeare brings the Frenchmen onstage so they can make fun of themselves, or perhaps praise their wine? We take a moment to mourn Bardolph, talk about Fluellen’s knowledge of the ‘ancient wars,’ imagine the Dauphin in the camp as the rich kid at home without his parents for the first time, and, rather alarmed at the implied relationships of the soldiers and horses…we are left with the question: how many fools does it take to replace Falstaff? 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.