The 30-Minute Shakespeare Anthology. William Shakespeare

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       That this same child of honor and renown,

       This gallant Hotspur, this all-praisèd knight,

       And your unthought-of Harry chance to meet.

       For every honor sitting on his helm,

       Would they were multitudes, and on my head

       My shames redoubled! For the time will come

       That I shall make this northern youth exchange

       His glorious deeds for my indignities.

       This in the name of God I promise here,

       The which if He be pleased I shall perform,

       I do beseech your Majesty may salve

       The long-grown wounds of my intemperance.

       If not, the end of life cancels all bands,

       And I will die a hundred thousand deaths

       Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow.

      KING HENRY IV stands and helps PRINCE HENRY to his feet. They hold a long handshake and eye contact.

       KING HENRY IV

       A hundred thousand rebels die in this:

       Thou shalt have charge and sovereign trust herein.

      Exit KING HENRY IV stage right. PRINCE HENRY follows.

       HENRY IV, PART 1: PERFORMANCE NOTES

      I directed this performance of Henry IV, Part 1 in 2008 with a group of high school seniors. Young actors love this production for its generational conflicts. The clash between the older and younger characters is particularly attractive to adolescents and young adults.

      As detailed in the “Performing Shakespeare” essay, performers and directors can use Wordle.net (www.wordle.net/create) to create a “word cloud” graphic that emphasizes which words appear with greatest frequency in a character’s speech. Actors can use this information to color their words and shape their characters. What others say about a Shakespearean character provides additional clues as to his nature—and allows us to a portray a three-dimensional living, breathing person, with faults as well as good qualities, i.e., someone like ourselves!

      HENRY IV, PART 1: ACT III, SCENE II

      Interestingly, art imitated life in this short scene (Act III, Scene II) during our production of Henry IV, Part 1. The actor playing Hal in this scene had recently been expelled from school and then reinstated. He had just spent a lot of time apologizing for his behavior, and now he was playing a son apologizing for the same. Needless to say, I encouraged him to use recent occurrences as inspiration as his character begged for his father’s pardon.

      We do not always have the opportunity for the play’s exact mirroring of our own experiences, but with a bit of searching, it is not difficult to find conflicts in our own lives or others’ that are similar to those in Shakespeare’s texts. Sometimes it takes imagination or a metaphorical leap. In this particular case, the young actor playing Hal simply had to act the same way he had been acting in his real life: genuinely contrite and apologetic. When he stood up and looked straight out at the audience, saying, “This, in the name of God, I promise here,” I believed he meant it.

      There is no secret answer to how to prevent the unexpected in theater, nor are we guaranteed the audience response we desire. But by delving into the text, committing to the characters, and playing with passion, your group can deliver a production that not only brings joy and satisfaction to audiences, but also builds performers’ confidence, opening them up to the vivid worlds that Shakespeare creates. Henry IV, Part 1 is a magnificent story of a young king and his friends—but it is also a story about how we all grow up and, in doing so, change.

       HENRY IV, PART 1: MONOLOGUE NOTES

      ACT III, SCENE II: PRINCE HAL MONOLOGUE

      The first three words in this monologue—“I will redeem”—set the tone for what is to follow: Prince Hal’s promise to turn his shame into glory at Hotspur’s expense. It is important to know how Hal has behaved up until this point: wasting his time in the company of drunkards. However, there have been hints that this was not the “real” Prince Hal or at least not his sum total.

      When performing a monologue, it is essential to know where the character has been and what has brought him to this point. The monologue might stand alone when you perform it, but to give the piece justice, you must familiarize yourself with the character within the context of the entire play.

      In Act I, Scene II, Prince Hal expounds, “I’ll so offend to make offense a skill/Redeeming time when men think least I will.” Likewise, in Act II, Scene IV, when Falstaff and Hal have been role-playing and Hal play-acts the role of his father, King Henry, Falstaff proclaims, “Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world.” Prince Hal then responds prophetically, “I do. I will.” Hal’s monologue represents the turning point that Shakespeare has hinted at; Prince Hal is going to seize his birthright and his destiny and redeem his past shames.

      Hal must convince his father, King Henry, that he can and will change. Remember that this is both a private talk between a father and son and one between a ruler and his heir. To make his case, Hal uses strong words that require emphasis and color. Prince Hal’s bad reputation is represented by words like “stain,” “scour,” and “shame.” These stand in contrast to the words he uses to describe his future: “glorious,” “bold,” “honor,” and “renown.”

      How do Prince Hal’s face, body, and voice express these contrasting images? Perhaps he looks down when discussing his shame. When he speaks of what will happen when he meets Percy, known as Hotspur, he might look his father directly in the eye and shows his true confidence and fire. Between Hal’s past and future is the day of redemption: “And that shall be the day, whene’er it lights.” Hal can imagine that day and picture the sun rising. How does a sunrise look and feel when it is a day you have been waiting for your whole life? Show this in your eyes, and let it ring in your voice.

      Hal contrasts Percy’s honor with his own shame. In the notes included with the Folger edition of the text, the phrase “every honor sitting on his helm” is explained as “Hal imagines them as insignia worn on Hotspur’s helmet and contrasts them with the shames worn on his own.” This reminds me of when I first played tackle football in the seventh grade; our coach, who was a cool high school football player, would put gold stars on our helmets for outstanding play. I remember how it felt to get a gold star.

      If you can find a personal connection to the images painted by your character’s words, you will be able to personalize your monologue and bring your own life experience into it. As mentioned in the performing notes, when we СКАЧАТЬ