Article Summary: “Henry V: King, Chorus, Critics”

The article by Lawrence Danson, takes a very critical stance on the performance of Henry V. Beginning with the very date the play was performed in is scrutinized by comparison to the Chorus mentioning the return of Henry V to that of the Earl of Essex prior to his demise to determine the actual location of the first performance of the play. The article states that, “Essex’s campaign was in shambles by late summer; by the time the Globe was ready to open, his defeat looked certain.” (Danson 27). This would mean that the play was first performed in the interim theater known as, The Curtain, which leads the Chorus to take on an apologetic tone and points out the lack of scenery to provide the audience with a clear image of the play’s setting. This is another point that Danson makes in that, “The Chorus’ apologies violate that elementary rule of English good breeding, “Never apologize, never explain”-not too much, at any rate, lest you keep the offense fresh in mind.” (Danson 28). However, Danson does go on to further explain that this sort of tone puts the audience in a more attentive state, thus praising the way it is used so wisely.

A key theme that is brought up throughout Danson’s article is the notion that less is more. Danson praises the Chorus’ ability to reflect King Henry in an optimistic and imaginative light and the ambiguity that is created by the voice of the Chorus. The play itself being a work of fiction, the Chorus helps define the parameters for how the audience should interpret the play. King Henry’s Saint Crispin’s Day speech reflects the imaginative and aesthetic voice that the Chorus aims for. The speech sheds a triumphant light onto King Henry, but like all Shakesperian plays, as Danson points out, “Harry, committing himself (with the aid of Chorus) to the status of fiction, becomes by that token an object for interpretation.” (Danson 35). Danson states that such characters as King Henry self-create themselves in their speeches, but the Chorus of Henry V without limiting the audiences thinking, “…shows us and in his words tells us the spirit in which we are to understand Harry’s plays-both the one he writes on Crispin’s Day and the one Shakespeare and history wrote for him.” (Danson 35). The audiences’ interpretation of the play is a major theme of this article and how the Chorus creates ambiguity yet guides us in the right direction of how all audiences should view King Henry.

This article paints Henry V in a light that is critical yet praising because of its limiting factors that may hinder the audiences’ imagination, but the playwrights’ ability to overcome that.  Danson praises the apologetic voice of the Chorus which successfully puts the audience in the right train of thought while leaving room for all to interpret the play as they please. As Danson states, “It is Shakespeare’s celebration of theatricality, on stage and off.” (Danson 43). This article praises Shakespeare’s ability to overcome apparent physical limiting factors and success in delivering the play in the way it was intended to.

Works Cited

Danson, Lawrence. “Henry V: King, Chorus, Critics.” Shakespeare Quarterly 34.1 (1983): 27-43. www.jstor.org/stable/2870218.