Revivals of this history play usually reflect the politics of the moment. Now a fresh RSC retelling arrives in a world of instability and fractured alliances
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have long argued that Shakespeare’s history plays have more urgent relevance today than his tragedies. The issues they raise – such as the nature of good governance and the difficulty of deposing a tyrant – are precisely those that still haunt us. Henry V, shortly to be given a new RSC production directed by Tamara Harvey, seems especially timely as we are living in a world where the threat of war is painfully real.
It is also a play that constantly changes its meaning. James Shapiro wrote in the Guardian in 2008: “There’s no better way to know which way the cultural and political winds are blowing than by going to see a performance of Henry V.” He reminded us that in 1599, when the play was first performed, playgoers anxiously waited to hear whether an Irish uprising had been suppressed.
Two major film versions have a wildly different emphasis. Laurence Olivier’s 1944 movie was dedicated “To the Commandos of England” and seen as a major contribution to the war effort. Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 film, in contrast, was haunted by the spectre of Vietnam and substituted grey and muddy brown for Olivier’s heightened colours.
