Focus on "Henry V":

Navigating Digital Text, Performance, & Historical Resources

 Main Menu Overview by Sujata Iyengar and Nathalie Vienne-Guerrin 'Henry V' : A Guide to Early Printed Editions by Daniel Yabut “with rough and all-unable pen…” : Source Study and Historiography in Shakespeare’s 'Henry V'  by Mikaela LaFave Pistol and Monsieur Le Fer: An Anglo-French Encounter by Charlène Cruxent Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, IRCL, UMR5186 CNRS Making & Unmaking National Identity: Race & Ethnicity in Shakespeare’s 'Henry V'  by Nora Galland 'Henry V' Onstage: From the Falklands War to Brexit (1986-2018) by Janice Valls-Russell The Problematic Reception of 'Henry V' in France: A Case Study by Florence March “For ’tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings”: Henry’s Popular Afterlives by Philip Gilreath “On your imaginary forces work”: How 'Henry V'’s Chorus Changes the Play Text during Olivier’s Film by Julia Koslowsky A Guide to Teaching 'Henry V' and its Sources by Hayden Benson Study Questions Key Scenes and Speeches from 'Henry V' Back Matter

Introduction

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In Act 4, Scene 4, Pistol, a Londoner fighting in King Henry V’s army, meets the French soldier Monsieur Le Fer in Agincourt, France. Pistol interrogates his French counterpart in order to know his identity, but the communication is made difficult because of the language barrier. A character called “Boy” masters French enough to translate the two men’s words and enables the conversation to take place. Pistol takes Le Fer hostage and promises to free him once the latter gives him a significant amount of money. The French soldier agrees and even appears grateful that Pistol does not kill him on the spot.  

Knowing that the scene preceding this encounter displays Henry V galvanizing his troop before the decisive battle, and that the next scene announces the defeat of the French army, Act 4, Scene 4 is the only moment when the audience can observe the confrontation between a British and a French soldier. As such, this scene encapsulates the battle of Agincourt in the play. It reveals the Anglo-French strained relationships during this war; firstly because Pistol meets and disparages the other, the French soldier, and secondly, because the way in which the English soldier addresses Le Fer is a linguistic embodiment of the ongoing invasion of France by England. Despite Pistol’s efforts to ridicule Le Fer, the heroic figure of the English soldier is here debunked since Pistol’s words and actions contrast with the warlike attitude of his king. 

This page has paths:

  1. Pistol and Monsieur Le Fer: An Anglo-French Encounter by Charlène Cruxent Julia Koslowsky

Contents of this path:

  1. 1. Meeting the Enemy: Point of Friction on the Battlefield
  2. 2. Invading the Other (Through Language)
  3. 3. An Unheroic Scene: Qualifying the War Against the French
  4. Conclusion
  5. Bibliography