Henry IV, Part 2 (1990, Michael Bogdanov) part 13 of 15

Shakespeare's "King Henry IV, Part 2" from "The War of the Roses" (English Shakespeare Company, UK, 1990) is a direct filming, from the stage, of Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington's 7-play sequence based on Shakespeare's history plays.

Robert Shallow - Clyde Pollitt
Falstaff - Barry Stanton
Bardolph - Colin Farrell (actor born 1938)
Henry Prince of Wales - Michael Pennington
Lord Chief Justice - Hugh Sullivan
Duke of Clarence - Stephen Jameson
Prince John of Lancaster - John Dougall

Director Michael Bogdanov

Commentary By Henry Norman Hudson on Prince Henry:

Prince Henry was evidently a great favourite with the Poet. And he makes him equally so with his readers: pouring the full wealth of his genius upon him; centring in him almost every manly grace and virtue, and presenting him as the mirror of Christian princes and loadstar of honour; a model at once of a hero, a gentleman, and a sage. Wherein,if not true to fact, he was true to the sentiment of the English people; who probably cherished the memory of Henry the Fifth with more fondness than any other of their kings since the great Alfred.

In the character of this man Shakespeare deviated from all the historical authorities known to have been accessible to him. Later researches, however, have justified his course herein, and thus given rise to the notion of his having drawn from some traditionary matter that had not yet found a place in written history. An extraordinary conversion was generally thought to have fallen upon the Prince on coming to the crown; insomuch that the old chroniclers could only account for the change by some miracle of grace or touch of supernatural benediction. Walsingham. a contemporary of the Prince, tells us that " as soon as he was invested with the ensigns of royalty he was suddenly changed into a new man, behaving with propriety, modesty, and gravity, and showing a desire to practise every kind of virtue." Caxton, also, says " he was a noble prince after he was king and crowned; howbeit in his youth he had been wild, reckless, and spared nothing of his lusts nor desires." And various other old writers speak of him in the same strain.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Shakespeare
• King-Henry-IV
• 2H4
• Michael-Pennington
• Falstaff
• Barry-Stanton
• play
• theatre
• English-history