A Powerful Play in "Henry V"

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.” So goes the famous St. Crispin’s Day speech, delivered by King Henry V at the climax of the eponymous Shakespeare play. In a departure from more popular Shakespeare comedies or dramas, director Matthew G. Warner ’13 says, the decision to perform “Henry V,” an English historyplay, illuminates a different, lesser-known aspect of Shakespeare’s work. Presented by the Hyperion Shakespeare Company, “Henry V” will open at the Agassiz Theatre on May 3.

“Henry V” continues the story of Prince Harry, an unruly young boy previously seen in “Henry IV, Part 1” and “Henry IV, Part 2” as the new king of England. The play depicts Henry V’s newfound maturity as he embarks on a military conquest of France. Central to the play’s development is not Henry V’s military difficulties, but rather his lack thereof.

“What appealed to me about [this lack] is the way that this image of Henry is constructed and what the play does to show you that he’s supposed to be perfect,” Warner says. Warner has also decided to use period costumes to capture a layer of authenticity that some modern Shakespeare productions deliberately forgo.

Eli E. Kahn ’13, who plays Henry, adds that Henry’s character demonstrates significant development.

“There are parts of the play especially…where he’s humbled or confronted with the falsehood of some of his assumptions. There are definitely places to find nuance and evolution in the character,” Kahn says.

According to stage manager Matthew B. Barrieau ’16, the internal struggles that Henry faces resonate across eras, from Shakespearean England to modern-day Harvard. “In the course of our rehearsals, we’ve really worked to impact some of the psychological depth of Harry that necessarily explores…what it means to be in power, what it means to be an ideal figure that people look up to,” Barrieau says.