Henry V Agincourt Speech
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- William Shakespeare - Henry V (Act IV, Scene III)
Henry V has settled onto the throne and has the makings of a fine king when the French ambassador brings a challenge from the Dauphin. Inspired by his courtiers Exeter and York, Henry swears that he will, with all force, answer this challenge. The chorus tells of England's preparations for war and Henry's army sails for France. After Exeter's diplomacy is rebuffed by the French king, Henry lays a heavy siege and captures Harfleur. The French now take Henry's claims seriously and challenge the English army to battle at Agincourt.
WESTMORELAND
O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!
KING HENRY V
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Re-enter SALISBURY
SALISBURY
My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed:
The French are bravely in their battles set,
And will with all expedience charge on us.
KING HENRY V
All things are ready, if our minds be so.
WESTMORELAND
Perish the man whose mind is backward now!
KING HENRY V
Thou dost not wish more help from England, coz?
WESTMORELAND
God's will! my liege, would you and I alone,
Without more help, could fight this royal battle!
KING HENRY V
Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men;
Which likes me better than to wish us one.
You know your places: God be with you all!
I'm a French maid, watching this during quarantine, I can't stay more than a few minutes on my legs (they're too weak) and I now want to stand up, pick a sword, put an armour and a helmet and fight for England.
What are you on about? What did they put into your 8th vaccine this time?
@@jcosk8 her whole statement went over your head 😅
Fight against England you mean
@@jai-kk5uu I think she's trying to defect?
i am German and i will stand in front of you (not by your side because you are a woman) but i will be right there with you :--)
Speaking as a Black man, what's a Black man doing there?
Johannes Liechtenauer
Anglia thanks I'll look into this!
The full Bond
Lol
Even history has to bow at the alter of political correctness.
www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/hundreds-africans-tudor-england-none-slaves-black-tudors-miranda/
Tom Hiddleston is a great actor, but Branagh made it more epic
With the better lighting and the booming soundtrack.
Different interpretations though. Toms one you get the feeling that these men have nothing to lose on brink of death.
@@pjmathison9787 Sure, I get that he's playing it as being the underdog. But the speech is supposed to give everyone confidence for victory, not comfort them as martyrs.
@@willlund2185 Every actor feels, rightly or wrongly, that they must do it differently from their famous predecessors. In each case this has meant a step downwards from the "heroic" style of Olivier. I've seen the speech delivered in an even more low-key manner than above. It's time the trend is reversed; we are now seeing anaemic performances.
He just had a different approach- this is much more intimate and has a lot more emotion in it than Branagh's
As usual the contribution of the Asians, Arabs, Aboriginals and Eskimos at Agincourt is overlooked.
prez58 project Zeus
@@gopr3117 you will not be informed of the meaning of project zeus until the time is right for you to know the meaning of project zeus
Don't forget the Somalis.
prez58 lol I’m replying 1 year after you wrote this and it’s a brilliant comment
Lol
This shows how versatile Shakespeare's work is. Kenneth Brannagh delievered the lines in a bombastic speech to rally the rank and file while Tom Hiddleston delivered it as a personal conversation with his senior commanders. Same lines, different use.
Branagh
Yea both send shivers down my spine
Both Brannagh and Hiddleston must kneel at the feet of Olivier, who is simply magnificent.
Well said
You have to hand it to Hiddleston he did something different and went for it
Kenneth Branagh understood !
the Speech is for raising the
Spirit of the Soldiers !!!
Bon Chance oh really? I Didn’t know that. What Shakespeare quote reveals this?
No, actually it was for his commander, for whom Branagh's bellowing is totally wrong.
I like this version. He tried to make it real, like he really sat down and thought about how a real person would have said those words. I love the Branagh version, but I'm going to say, if I saw someone speaking like that in real life, I would think they were crazy. If I saw a Rylance, I'd think he was on the verge of tears and I'd leave. This is confident, down to earth, calm, and real. Coupled with the inspiring words, I would absolutely follow that king to battle. It's as good as I've seen, though I do love all the others (except Rylance, can't stand that one).
Lol good point about Rylance. Always thought that was different for difference sake and really made no sense. Would have been more rousing if he delivered it as his annoying Flop character from Bing.
On the Brannagh version though, if you have seen any pre match rugby speeches from the captains before a big match you might think they are crazy but that sort of over the top delivery is sometimes what is needed to fire people up.
I see your point, but it's Shakespeare, there's supposed to be energy, jingo and wit. Obviously this is affected by having to perform on stage and fill up a room without microphones. This version just feels totally bland and soulless.
I quite like this version. It finds a nicely calibrated middle way between the Olivier/Branagh rousing approach and the diffidence of Rylance.
This is my favorite version of this speech. Deliberately differing from traditional performances, this version portrays a quiet, intimate moment of brotherhood between the king and his closest advisors, men who had practically raised him and been with him shoulder to shoulder for the better part of his life and his father's. These men understand that they are likely to die that day, but the king gives them hope and reassurance of what their sacrifice will mean for the future.
It’s not meant to be that way tho it doesn’t fit a quiet speech
The single trouble is it just couldn't have existed in our reality. To that matter, Shakespeare's piece is (naturally) noticeably anachronistic itself, but nonetheless.
First and foremost, all these men (at least as far as the knights are concerned) are feudals - the people whose main job is to kill and get killed for their liege and who actually see it as the main reason putting them above anyone else in the first place. They do *not* normally plan to die in a bed anyway. As Bertran de Born had written a couple of centuries before the events described by Shakespeare: "And when he enters the combat, let every man of good lineage think of nothing but splitting heads and hacking arms; for it is better to die than to live in defeat." And the king is the person who has actually brought everybody else there, for money and honor (preferably both at the same time, but sometimes crap happens, you know).
Even if that is supposed to be the intention, the delivery is just bad, specially in the begining. It doesn't need to be like Branagh, but it must be inspiring, it must be rousing, even if it is done in a intimate way. This is just flat, dull, has no spirit whatsoever.
Branagh did this much better
I agree.
I like his script edit better too.Branagh I mean,
love Tom, love Ken, Love Will...just love Shakespeares words, appreciate all delivery of them x
Hiddleston slays Branagh here.
Branagh was addressing all of his men, which means he is projecting for all to hear. (As someone else pointed out, this was necessary in classical stage acting)
Hiddleston is addressing his top officers, trying to win them over and encourage them to fight in his name. His communication is personal and direct.
Branagh's speech is certainly rousing, but given the actual script, it seems that this is truer to the intent of the play.
I certainly *hear* Branagh's delivery when I watch this, which makes it difficult for me to really appreciate this version. But the play has been staged many, many times and we need to consider differences in the staging in order to appreciate the acting.
Why are people debating this? Both actors did this speech beautifully, when Branagh did it was a rousing battle speech that made you want to fight, when Tom did it was a loving speech to his men, who knows they might die and probably will but he instills his trust and love for them in one last touching speech. Both were great. Why can’t people just appreciate the talents of both actors? Goddamn people, are y’all really that sour?
I agree with you completely. You don't have to be an expert of "Shakespearian language" to understand every nuance of what Henry is imparting. I admit that mine is the opinion of someone uneducated in theater arts, but this version resonated with me more than any other I have seen.
BaconCrazy it’s called historical accuracy.
That is the beauty and artistry of acting - it allows any actor to interpret the part, and to bring meaning to it.
It's simple, Tom does a good Henry V, but this speech isn't about convincing himself or his lords that victory is possible, it's supposed to be a rousing battle cry that doesn't just say we can win this. No, it's supposed to say that we WILL win this, no matter the odds. Branagh just did that infinitely better than Hiddleston. I enjoy both versions of Henry V, and Tom does a FANTASTIC job as young Hal, one that I don't think Branagh could have pulled off. In the end, each does some things better than the other, but especially here, Branagh wins hands down.
Welcome to RUclips
The single most uninspiring reading of King Henry's speech.
The one from Age of Empires II was even worse
The Crispin Day speech would be inspiring even with Elmer Fudd delivering it
Agreed. This guy is a prize ham. he reminds me of people who go on holiday and make wild gestures while talk loudly in English as they think they will be understood. Mark Rylance's Henry V a million times better (there are clips of it on RUclips). Rylance understands Shakespeare.
wtf, the Duke of York was not black..
I've got a 32" plasma in mine. You get a document up on that baby, and you are seriously looking at that document.
Alex Valin lol
Is now
No so good. He doesn't give it as a speech. He just says it in a conversational tone like he's only talking to a few people. Brannagh and Olivier give a rousing speech that can motivate all their soldiers.
The black man is just standing there likes it's nothing out of the ordinary, thinking I KNOW WE WUZ KANGZ.
Hiddleston sounds much more like an experienced soldier who knows exactly what lies ahead than either Brannagh, who sounds like a bullshitting cheerleader, and Oliver who sounds like a spokesman for the Ministry of Propaganda. The quiet sincerity of Hiddleston is powerful and moving.
Peep Show's Alan Johnson as the Duke of York!
Branagh's version is definitely superior, but I do appreciate that they proclaimed the entirety of the speech in this movie.
And here the armour is far more realistic.
Commanders traditionally address the troops, prior to an engagement, with rousing words, but Shakespeare nailed it.
As a French I appreciate the different approach but I would be more afraid of Kenneth Branagh's version. I feel that before such a battle, you need to be inspired by some fiercer speech. Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, imitate the action of the tiger!
This doesn't strike me as a very good rendition of the speech. The version with Kenneth Branagh is still number 1 for me!
Malicant why?
@@gopr3117 8 months late but i think because , there's no " awkward blck man " , Kenneth's speech has more spirit in it and with zeal voice is loud enough , the following soundtrack suit that scene very well also , and there were more men feel more crowded , you can look it up for yourself then compare it to this then this version will feel empty not " passionate " enough
His version is superior to Olivier’s in my opinion.
If this weren't Shakespeare I'd be wondering why there's a black guy here. But because this is Shakespeare and that it has been done countless times before, I don't feel like it's a big deal. So what's the alternative? Black actors should never do Shakespeare? Ever? Other than Othello?
Branagh owns this speech
Olivier's is good too; but this one sucks.
No. Olivier owns this. No discuss.
Alan Johnson - Duke of York Circa 1415AD (Colourised)
I was going to watch this. But there was a black guy in Harry's Entourage. The sjw revisionism of history is too much to bear.
tewkewl maybe he just forgot his factor 50? We all know what the French sun can be like
I didn't know Alan Johnson was at Agincourt?
PhinfanUK you know what I’m hearing? Poor me...poor me....pour me another drink
Mark and Jez at agincourt
Of course he was.
Must have been on his way back from Frankfurt
What's Tom Hiddleston doing at the battle of Agincourt ?
How many people would complain if Othello was not represented by a moor?
Let's be honest: it's a historical piece where actors are set as historical characters. If you adapt this into modern day or some weird dystopian thing, then it's OK, but damn, the Duke of York is black? That kills much immersion, honestly. Next, Shylock in the Merchant of Venice will be Chinese, and Antonio will be a Native American gangsta.
Or perhaps Hamlette, the Princess of Denmark?
Just because the play is categorized a "history", that does not make it historically accurate. Shakespeare had as much care for historical fidelity as Ridley Scott, preferring instead to instill his works with drama. Little or none of the speech in the play is historically recorded yet you don't complain about the historical inaccuracy of that? This isn't an issue of historical fidelity for you, it's about your issues with race and you need to fix rather than complain about the casting of a fictional drama. Casting works - or at least should work, when prejudice is excluded - on a basis of who is best for the role from the options present, race - and, yes, even gender - are not important.
Moor...moor...give me more
@@carefullyinspired The level of brain rot that has to exist to believe this is depressing.
Why is Loki impersonating Henry V?
hah ! good one
It is canon
Now I want to join his army. I can't resist to his eloquence.
Absolutely agree: it's a question of personal taste, not one of talent between the two.
You want me to go against 5:1 odds after THAT? Passport and crowns, if you please.
Hahahahaha
England was already diverse.
Hiddleston didn't do it justice... It is not even becaue Branagh made it more epic, but the stresses are wrong and the speech just falls completelly flat. It is a rousing battle speech, doesn't have to be like Branagh, but it can't sound meaningless.
0:11 what the man from Harlem is doing there? In medieval France?" yo! gangsta! knighta! yo yo"
I think there's a time traveler in this video.
I didn’t know King Henry imported African soldiers into his army. I feel like I missed something in my history class 😳
I have eyes on Loki, 14th floor.
And dont call me a racist for pointing it out. You couldn't have Kenneth Branagh play Ray Charles, now could you?
You CAN call me a racist for pointing out that a black dude as an English Lord is stupid....and typical Hollywood pandering. My racist eyes are rolling out of my head.
Can I have my passport and crowns for convoy please. After this speech, I'm more worried than before.
I agree- but I do commend Mr Hiddleston for making it his own by doing it differently. It's a big risk and had he not been able to do it justice it would have fallen flat on its face.
I know there are disagreements with his version, but I love it.
Maha yeah the decision to underplay it was an interesting choice
I am afraid that putting a black person at Azincourt is political and historical incorrectness.
"Salisbury and Exeter; Erpingham, Westmoreland, and York."
I love how everyone is whining about a black guy being in a fucking Shakespeare play, while absolutely nobody seems to care that _Erpingham, Westmoreland, and York aren't mentioned at this point in Shakespeare's speech._ As everybody is having their reactionary meltdown, nobody's noticed that they've actually altered the original speech.
Ok but if you did your research you would know that York and Erpingham actually fought at the battle of Agincourt. The duke of York was Edward of Norwich, a very white man who’s great nephew would become king Edward IV of England.
As you are using your Bolshevik dogwhistle terms like "reactionary", of couse you disagree with the criticism of anti-White psychological warfare, as your ideology demands it.
Gotta be the most indifferent Henry V yet. I generally enjoy Hiddlestone's work, but this is atrocious. And on another note: who the hell did the costumes!!??
Branagh had a silly smile on his face throughout the speech, yes the music in background created a certain atmosphere, but this for me is more sincer.
Such a relief, and an inspiration and insight, watching this compared to the overblown interpretation of Olivier, and then of Branagh who tries so hard to outdo Olivier. This interpretation by Hiddleston is so refreshing and so thoroughly original, and really gets to the truth of a group of men, in a little moment, genuinely facing death. It's a very important rendition in terms of the performance history of the play.
I'm confused!
Where in the hell did they get a "Black" Knight?
Is this revisionist history at it's worst?
Robin Jacobs the RSC has been doing colour blind casting for like the last 20 years
It isn't history. It isn't documentary. It is a play.
And the poor man died during the battle but his nephews became Kings and great neice was the mother of a dynasty
AYO HOL UP
WE WUZ SHAKESPEARE N SHIEEEEEEEEEET
Tom is way too good for Marvel
This was supposed to be a rousing final speech to men who were going to commit their lives and souls to battle, not knowing if those next few moments will be their last.
The director should have had Henry V shout to his men and spurring them to victory
It was decided that the speech would be interpreted as an intimate moment between the king and his nobles. I don’t want to watch attempted carbon copies of Brannagh over and over again
This is just... poor. After hearing that pitiable speech I would happily join the french.
You are right.. Not a patch even on Branaghs.....
It's not a speech.
@@ralphmartin5191 Branagh did it in a "theater" kind of way. Hiddleston in a "movie" kind of way. There IS a difference between how you act in theater and how you act in a movie.
And I would happily let you.
Henry isn't pleading with his men at this stage, he's completely taken with death or magnificent victory against the odds. This is why I find the night before more interesting, that is where he takes on his doubts, fears and sins, and does so conversing incognito with ordinary men. Branagh did it well, He convinced himself the night before and knew he had to raise his voice to spread that conviction among his men and command that battlefield . This is a script being told by men who had never once faced an enemy. I feel no Hal here.
Oh look down oh look down how is he said today he loves you
In these days you have to ignore the elephant in the room.
I really like this nuanced version far more than the more popular screaming Branagh version, or Olivier for that matter.
My god, what a blowhard Branagh is in his version. His range of emotion goes from A all the way to B. Such an overblown rendition of a speech filled with Shakespearean subtlety demanding modulation and volume at their proper place and time. This is all BELLOWING with none of the human engagement that this speech must have in order to be convincing. Branagh is all about himself and not about the words and the psychology of the moment.
HERE instead is only one example of how it should be done, though others criticize if for lack of passion (noise?).
Henry V could not have been speaking to his army of thousands, but rather to his commanders, obviously much fewer in number. A stentorian presentation is not what is called for, which might work for a larger audience, but rather an appeal to the love and loyalty to country, sovereign and honor. This message would then be expected to be carried back to the troops. I always cringe when I here this speech bellowed. Here, this Henry V engages his commanders as individuals, exactly what Napoleon did so effectively.
In my opinion, the only lines Branagh delivers with sincerity are "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, for he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." Gives me goose bumps no matter what actor is saying them, but that attests to the greatness of Shakespeare and not to the privilege of actors speaking his words.
This is the best I have seen this speech done, I am moved to tear.
Babatundé, duke of York
We had Moors at Agincourt, never knew that
He's trying to sound colloquial and avoid the very iambic pentameter the language is designed for. No emphasis in the right areas, no passion conveyed, no inspiration. Dismal, really.
Funny how nobody complains about ancient Romans being played by a bunch of pasty Brits
i think the problem with this speech is that it feels like he is just talking to his friends before going playing tenis after a hangover. And the other one it felt like king Henry was speaking to the entire army, his voice is laud and his diction is paused so people understand it
I enjoyed the way he memorised his lines and then said those lines when a camera was rolling....I'm glad he preferred recitation over acting......
And then Hulk tosses him around like a dishcloth...
The fact he’s giving this speech to like 6 guys removes any impact it has. Bad directorial choice.
there was no black people at Agincourt in 1415.
i curse myself for having listened to 3 minutes of this
Is Henry reading a shopping list?
As a native Spanish speaker, I´ve had trouble to get the difference between sounds like "list" and "least", "fit" and "feat". And this is somewhat important, since I doubt King Harry really wanted to say:
"He that shall live this day, and see old age
Will yearly on the vigil fist his neighbors"...
Feast but ha ha anyway
Yes your majesty down your uncle is a lord
Weakest speech ever! Makes me wanna take a nap.
A black guy next to the king...PC piety.
It is, after all, a PLAY, by William Shakespeare. Do you insist it be a caucasian?
So the cast of Black Panther should have been white, right? Or do you insist otherwise?
Take it easy folks Henry had several black servants that he valued highly. Who's to say one or more of them was not there? He also had white servants, no doubt some of them were there as well. I would take mine would't you?
polemeros revisionist history at its worst. There is a history of black presence in England, but not at that time and not in that capacity. It's distracting to see the guy just standing there while prince Hal delivers his speech. Distracting because it is historically incorrect.
The Black man is the Duke of York, Hal you eejit.
That black guard behind the king, the choice on him is a disgrace. Choose your PC somewhere else, as long as you dont put a Chinese centurion.
Thanks Al
this piece got me into drama school
When I saw the "black knight" next to Henry V, I knew this was amateur hour. Branagh or Olivier are so much better.
Not amateur hour, PC hour unfortunately. The Left doesn't care about historical accuracy as much as they care about diversity
Branagh is rubbish
Gopr311 how so?
Most assume the comments are coming from Western,People will never understand the meaning of his words,Get a book and learn about it maybe you will get his message!!
I know what he's saying.
In the early fifteenth century the Earl of York was black?
Sorry, but this soliloquy can't hold a candle to Kenneth Branagh's "Band of Brothers" version.
This speech needs a grand stage. This version is like a bloke rambling at strangers down the pub, they are waiting for him to go away.
since when the africans fought at Agincourt- in steel armour ?
No actor seems to get this somehow. Either overdo it like Branagh or underdo like this. There's not enough.... something
A black knight.... fucking modern television..
Hay yo Regae.......! We got a problem on dis here hill. Regae: What seems to be yo problem? Hay yo we only got one colored fellows oh 2 me and you REGAE.......
did he go for a sprint before making this speech?
the expression of Henry mentioning York at 2.34 is worth watching .
The sense of scale kills this scene for me. Branagh's version is crowded with people and his movements throughout it make show more who are listening, it makes Henry actually seem like a guy who is a king, with men who look to him, whereas here we've got little more than the important characters, seems more like some bros just kinda hanging out. I didn't realize how vital that sense of scale was to this speech, even in the play setting that Henry V was written for they'd at least have a whole audience there, who I'm sure would have been reacting along with it.
Yes Stephen here's a live
It is great watching both versions of this Speech ....Branaghs powefull speech to his troops and Toms here more personnel and modern approach...both are valid.
I looked for Henry Eacker vs Philip and I got this. Not disappointed
Alan Johnson!
Oh for Christ sake PC rules and we have a TOKEN black man backing up Henry V !!!!!!!!
stormywindmill what, you think the makers of google sat around watching Trumpton?
A very modern and subtle rendition
meowmeow1244 wrong. No cheesy music and no poetic delivery. So obviously this is terrible
Random Subsaharan African in the background: "What the hell am I doing here? Well, at least this political virtue-signaling gives me a paycheck."
First of all, Branagh, no doubt about it. This was way too passive for the rousing speech it is. I don't mind that they put a black actor as the Duke of York. I do resent the revisionist intention. If they were there, fine, put one there. If not, what is with the liberal "lets make a whole group of people feel better by inserting them into an event they had no part in"....
DoroteoVilla and yet any cinema portraying Romans utilize British actors with their British accents. I’m sure Italians have something to say about that; but hey there’s a Black guy portraying the Duke of York. Smh at the hypocrisy.
I want a remake of ZULU where all the characters are played by White Actors. Fair's fair.
@@kobiimpraim5894
That's not the same thing.
If British people make a film about Romans then fine, cast Brits.
Just like if Africans want to make Shakespeare they'll obviously cast black actors.
But neither of them are purporting to be accurate representations of England at that time.
This, by virtue of being a British film, for a mainly British audience, cast entirely with Brits, based on the work of one of Britain's greatest literary figures, about an important event in British history, has no need of such things and should be historically accurate.
Just that same way that an African film, for Africans, about an African event, should be accurate.
Imagine if they cast a white guy as one of the main characters in that same African film that was about Robert Mugabe, for argument sake.
It would be an utterly incomprehensible piece of casting that would make no sense.
Just like if a random black guy, playing a Chinaman, was in an historical Chinese epic about some great dynastic leader.
Having a black man playing a Chinese noble, with no explanation, would be totally bizarre and utterly ridiculous.
It would be in any circumstance, and would be self evident, and acknowledged as such...except when it's white history, where suddenly the rules don't apply.
The men fighting with Henry, the dukes and lords, the average infantry type, those in the supply lines, would have been white...like 99.9% of the army, like the country at the time in fact.
Simple as.
The addition of a black man is an insulting example of modern political correctness distorting the history of our great nation.
It matters because we say it matters, and it is inconsistent intellectually, historically, and morally.
This play is dramatizing a historical event. The subject essentially amounts to an ethnic conflict between the French and English. King Henry's speech is specifically meant to rouse ENGLISHMEN. I don't care if an African came to Europe during the Crusades and asked his fairy godmother to make him landed gentry; living in England does not make you English. Putting minority actors where they don't belong is not only inaccurate but also muddles the narrative themes of the work. Warping our perception of the past to fit the present destroys the true history. Shakespeare is by the English, for the English, end of story.
Cole Tiffany historical revisionism does seem to be at an all-time high, though I would say that the conflict between the English and the French was a national one, not an ethnic one. They had so much blood in common, that it was really more a question of finally deciding, even so long after Duke William arrived in 1066, how to delineate France from England.
Cole Tiffany Gotta love the hypocrisy. So when a white person plays a minority, we should focus on talent instead of race but now that it's flipped, suddenly you "I don't see race" idiots see race.
Brittany Williams I never said I don't see race. You seem to have made a lot of assumptions lol. Is this the part where you tell me Cleopatra was really black and she's been whitewashed from history? Can't remember the last time I saw a white guy cast as Shaka Zulu or Nelson Mandela. You'll probably cite some 1950's film with John Wayne portraying Moses or something.
It should take 45 minutes, I’m done in 10. Stick that up your dojo
Yeah bloody immigrants, coming over here from Saxony and Normandy, mixing with the Celts to create for us a whole language for Shakespeare to write his plays.
This speech was wonderfully delivered by the actor who played the private from the Bronx in Renaissance Man (the movie that Danny Devito did way back when).
low energy and uninspiring
You can tell its a BBC production with the in your face politically correct BS.
I think this is a pretty great job. Kenneth does well but probably hams it up too much.
Not good.. its like a poor school play...
MrRRHHMM maybe you should show us how it’s done?
Why is there a black man there... that's god damn ridiculous. Henry V will be black and a Muslim next.
He who controls the past controls the future, eh.
ur a clown
You base the lack of black people based on American history, Black people have been in England and fought with the English during the battle of Agincourt. also many fought on the side of the French there as well. Many of them came to the west during the crusades. Also they were not treated as second class citizens like they were here in America. They were treated like any other of their standing. Peasantry for the most part but there were many who were given land and believe it or not title based on their deeds.
Scott Tootell don’t spurt out utter nonsense. What sources do you have that blacks fought for the English at Agincourt?
Scott Tootell what a load of bollocks. Why do you think it is that Othello is so touchy about his skin colour? Because blacks were a common everyday occurrence in England, just one more of your next door neighbours? I think not. There was no black utopia in England at any time.
too ùuch crap in this comment section go to play at Kingdom come Delivrance
Greetings from June, 2019. I think this version is low key because Henry V is speaking to a few men not hundreds or thousands. Therefore he doesn't have to recite it in a loud voice. A soft voice will do. For this reason this is my favorite version of Henry V's Crispin's speech or whatever it is.
thats my problem with it. i think it is not terrible acting but seems out of place. the speech is about how the experience of this battle and the honour of a victory is a common denominator between men. it makes sense as rallying cry to soldiers who might think they are about to die and have nothing to gain. the king is basically saying "we will all be the same after this battle" so doesn't really make sense to say it to his commanders of nobles and elites who aren't true fighters per se thus it seems hammy
Surely you meant "I think this version is Loki".😀