King Henry V

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title King Henry V
Authors and Contributors      By (author) William Shakespeare
Edited by Emma Smith
SeriesShakespeare in Production
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:260
Dimensions(mm): Height 225,Width 153
Category/GenreDrama
ISBN/Barcode 9780521595117
ClassificationsDewey:822.33
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 1 Tables, unspecified; 12 Halftones, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 27 June 2002
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This is the first stage history of Shakespeare's King Henry V to cover the play's theatrical life since its first performance in 1599. Staging this play has always been a political act, and the substantial introduction traces its theatrical interventions into conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to Vietnam and the Falklands crisis, offering a complete account of the play's fortunes: from its absence in the seventeenth century to its dominant position as historical spectacle in the Victorian period, through twentieth-century productions, which include the popular films by Olivier and Branagh. Together they raise vital interpretative questions: is Henry V an epic of English nationalism, a knowing and cynical piece of power politics, or an anti-war manifesto? The volume also includes the play text, illustrations and detailed footnotes about major performances.

Author Biography

Emma Smith is Fellow and Tutor in English at Hertford College, Oxford. From 1991-97 she was a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. She has lectured and published widely on Shakespeare and early modern drama, including an edition of Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy (1999).

Reviews

'I cannot recommend too highly the whole series (a bargain at GBP16.99 for each play) to all theatre lovers, theatregoers, theatre practitioners, and anybody who enjoys Shakespeare.' Robert Tanitch, What's on in London