"ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH, DEAR FRIENDS, ONCE MORE.”

On Wednesday 21 May, VCE Literature and Language students were fortunate to be able to travel to Melbourne and view Bell Shakespeare’s production of ‘Henry V.’

The story revolves around England’s Young Prince Hal, who has left his wayward adolescence behind and assumed the mantle of kingship. Following a humiliating insult by the French prince, King Henry launches England into a war with France to claim the throne he believes is rightfully his.

Against all odds, he leads his troops from despair to climactic victory at the Battle of Agincourt. He is hailed a warrior and a hero. But at what cost?

The students were emerged into a brilliantly choreographed and thought-provoking production of the play- one which encouraged them to consider the nuance and complexity of human behaviour.

Students were asked to reflect on the stagecraft in the production- in preparation for their analysis of Shakesperean stagecraft conventions in their exams.

Many thanks to the students for being fantastic ambassadors for Damascus College.

Student Reflections:

The most interesting element of the play to me was the use of the cage, I enjoyed how the actors were able to employ the use of transformation to create the effect of being in different settings without having to use multiple props. I noticed that the layout of the play was contemporary style which made it more engaging to the younger audience in the crowd. (Year 11 Lit)

In Bell Shakespeare’s production of Henry V, the use of microphones to emphasise bodily sounds, such as the close-up sound of stomping boots, employed during the battles of war, created an echo and enveloped the audience in the sounds of the battleground. The convoluted echoes captured the complexity of Shakespeare’s words. (Year 11 Lit)

The production was able to clearly convey the central theme that the effects of war far out way the temporary glory. There was a sense of condemnation for the higher power and gentry folks ignorance of the suffering they cause when they distort the narrative of triumph as an end with no loss, as if the fatalities were worth it. (Year 11 Lit)

Heightening the timelessness of conflict, the calculated use of intense dramatic music and sound effects at the onset of the battle intensifies the jarring atmosphere and signals the gravity of the moment. As the music builds, characters begin to move and run with increasing urgency, amplifying the chaos and emotional stakes of the scene. (Year 12 Lit)

Bell Shakespeare utilises monarchical imagery in the cross that is created in the closing scene of the play. The mud is swept away and is repurposed, becoming reminiscent of St Georges flag. This minimalism on stage symbolises central concepts of the play, reminding the audience of what is at stake for King Henry- nation and superiority. (Year 12 Lit)

The main views and values I took away from the play was the extreme distinction between royalty/upper-class and the lower-class who were fighting in the war. Whilst Henry V was shown actively engaging with the soldiers, and showing ‘mercy’ to criminals, there was a lack of care and humanity towards the lives lost in war. He wasn’t at a place where he could truly understand the perspectives of the soldiers, and their disregard for his plan of war, further emphasised at his celebration of the lack of noblemen lost, as he ignored the number of the lower-class lost despite the pile of bodies behind them. (Year 11)