Focus on "Henry V":

Navigating Digital Text, Performance, & Historical Resources

Eleventh and Twelfth Grade Lesson Plan

Materials 

ELAGSE11-12RL7 Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare as well as one play by an American dramatist.) 

This unit will involve comparing Shakespeare’s text to two starkly different film adaptations. Begin the unit by having students read through Henry V, during class or as homework.  

If your students prefer audiobooks, I recommend using the SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Henry V on Audible, which is free with a 30-day trial ($18.08 otherwise). The narrator provides context for the scenes and offers study tips for how to better understand Henry V. Furthermore, the reading is engaging and well-performed. If you or your students prefer a budget-friendly and shorter alternative, there are free audiobooks of Henry V without commentary available on YouTube. 

Provide a synopsis of the scenes with them in class to break down what is occurring, as Shakespeare’s language can be difficult for students to grasp initially. The synopsis provided before each scene in the Folger print edition are useful for this.  

To encourage active learning, you can make a game where students pair off into groups to answer questions about their assigned reading and the groups that answer correctly win prizes (candy, school supplies, etc.). You can also have them act out scenes with props, which can help students better visualize the events of the play. 

 Whichever way you choose to explain the play, be sure that students have a clear understanding of the play’s theme of war and how Henry’s character is portrayed in a way that makes him neither an entirely good nor bad king. 

Now that your students have a better understanding of the fictional Henry, we will have them observe the historical Henry that Shakespeare from whom based his play. To do this, you will be using a database called The Holinshed Project, which allows users to access the sources Shakespeare used when writing his history plays. 

To begin, search “Henry” in the “search the texts” search box. Afterwards, the documents that have any mention of “Henry” will appear on your screen. When you click on one, several names will appear, including multiple “Henry’s.” Use the ctrl+F function (command+F for Macs) on your keyboard and narrow results to “Henry V.” Doing so will provide you with only the mentions of Henry V. Looking through these documents will show you the source text Shakespeare used when writing Henry V.  For each page, you can use the blue box on the righthand side to compare between the 1577 and 1587 edition of Holinshed.  

After understanding how to access this database, walk your students through using The Holinshed Project. Guide them through the database and encourage them to find moments that were left out or altered in Shakespeare’s play (Montjoy coming shortly after the battle concludes rather than arriving in the morning; Bardolph, Henry V’s fictional former friend, being hanged for stealing, which creates an inner conflict for Henry, when the hanged man was not close to Henry in reality; etc.).  

Have them write the changes they notice in their notes, as they will come in handy for one of the optional assignment choices. You can also have them share them with the class to encourage discussion and active learning. 

After these crucial elements have been established, play Olivier’s Henry V for the class. Have them take notes about the film and especially highlight the importance of removed scenes or dialogue (the removal of the threatening speech outside Harfleur in 3.3, for example). Also, have them discuss how the cinematic elements (costume, lighting, acting) portray Henry’s noble and merciful side. 

Once the students have finished this, play Branagh’s Henry V in class. Again, have them note any major changes they notice and discuss the tone of the piece. Have them use the cinematic elements as textual evidence when discussing how this film portrays Henry V differently than Olivier’s version.  

After watching the two films, engage the class in a group discussion comparing them to one another and the play. Particularly focus on the films’ portrayal of Henry and their tones toward the subject of war. You can create columns on the whiteboard or use an overlapping Venn diagram to visually depict their similarities and differences.  

After this comparison, create a similar diagram or chart comparing Shakespeare’s text with Holinshed, based on the previous activity. This will refresh their memory and allow them to connect all interpretations together, leading into the optional assignment for this unit. 

ELAGSE11-12W2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 

Optional Assignment (choose 1 of the 2 options): 

  1. Comparative essay between Olivier and Branagh’s film adaptations, analyzing and explaining how their films portray particular versions of Henry by removing or adding elements that are not found in their source material.
  2. Comparative essay between Shakespeare’s Henry V and his source material, Holinshed. Analyze the differences and similarities between the two. Make a claim for why Shakespeare adds and removes elements from Holinshed and support it with textual evidence.  

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