Literature Spring/Summer 2019 Volume
Chen Si and Wang Dewei, editors-in-chief
Fudan University Press
Wonderful book reviews
Fu Guangming – Reading Shakespeare's Henry V
Stage photo of Henry V at the Old Vic Theatre in London in December 1955
Richard Burton plays Henry V
Perhaps for the British, at least, Shakespeare's Henry V will never be out of date.
Shakespeare understands the play, knows the stage better, and knows that in order to make this heroic epic praising Henry V put on the stage and look good, only the "local" comedy characters are obviously not enough to toss back and forth in the play, and it is also necessary to call the big people of the "enemy country" as a foil, with the embarrassing moment of the history of the French defeat of Agincourt to sign the treaty of Troyes, which is a humiliating and humiliating country, highlighting henry V's brilliant achievements.
The characters in the play have revealed the historical embarrassment of the French defeat of Agincourt and the signing of the alliance under the city: King Charles VI, the French Grand Marshal, the Duke of Burgundy, the Governor of Havre, the Duke of Bourbon, the Duke of Orléans, the Duke of Berry, the Lord of Lambourt, the Lord of Glampree, etc.
Shakespeare, in the second and final scene of Henry V, designs the plot in this way: King Henry himself does not come forward, and entrusts his uncle Duke Exeter, his brother Duke Clarence and the Duke of Gloucester to negotiate with the powerful French line-up led by Charles VI, who stays alone and courtes Catherine like a chicken. In the end, Charles VI had to sign a treaty and agreed to Henry V's marriage to his daughter Catherine.
Needless to say, this pinnacle of Henry V's life glory was won by him in the war against France.
From this, you can return to the first scene of the first act, which echoes the final scene, that is, the opening scene. As Jonathan Bate points out: "The play does not begin with a ceremonial ceremony and a grand court scene. First, the plot shows that the man appears alone on a bare stage.
Audiences are invited to think only of one thing: what they are about to watch is a performance, not a fact, and that the audience must be imaginative in order to facilitate the transition of stage and the throwing of the troupe into the battlefield and the army. The play is intended to influence us in the same way that King Harry influenced his followers: extraordinary rhetorical forces create victories in extremely limited resources.
The plot illustrates people
In between each scene, the illustrators return to the stage, reminding us that it is all a theatrical technique: we simply assume that we are transported to France, and that a small group of actors and extras form a great army, or march, or die in hand-to-hand combat. Just as Macbeth and Prospero would remind later Shakespearean audiences that actors are just a shadow.
After the hourglass was reversed two or three times, the ended and the action disappeared, like a dream. Harry's victory was the same: the finale is an ingenious sonnet that compares the author's imaginative work ('confining great men to small spaces') to the short reign of the victorious king ('Life is short, but this star of England lived/brilliant life'). Is it possible that the key to Harry's success lies in the power of language, not in the justice of his cause? ”
Bate's question deserves reflection, which he goes on to analyze: "At the beginning, the representatives of the Church confirm that the king has been 'reformed', from 'barbarism' in Henry IV to piety. He turned himself into a master of theology, political affairs, and the theory of war.
The dialogue between the two bishops also led to another theme known in the 16th century for its historical reforms: the seizure of church assets by the state. This led to a political deal: the archbishop would provide a legal basis for the king's intention to invade France, and in return the king would support the church in the property debate between the church and parliament.
In the ensuing scene, the archbishop elaborates on precedents, genealogies, and debates about the applicability of the Salic Code in a lengthy speech, laying up a whole set of legal bases, which are disguised for political purposes. The king's question consisted of only one sentence: 'Can I demand this right of succession in good faith and in good conscience?' He got the answer he wanted to hear: Yes. ”
Bett, who is sharp-minded and sharp-tongued, argues that "Shakespeare opens with intrigue bishops to suggest that the war was motivated more by political pragmatism than by noble principles." King Harry, fearful of a possible Scottish invasion and aware of his precarious throne, necessitated the execution of the traitors Cambridge, Scroop, and Gray, a scene that shows that his benevolence and harsh law enforcement reveal his outer tenderness and inner strength.
Having heard so many words of Britain's kingship over France and the backlash of the humiliation of tennis since ancient times, one cannot help but wonder that Harry's real motive for going to war against France was driven by the dying teachings of his father, the King: 'Therefore, my Harry, your strategy is: to keep restless men busy fighting on the outside; to fight with soldiers outside the country can erase their memories of the past. Henry IV (PART II) Act IV, Scene II: There is no better way to unite a divided nation than to use foreign troops. ”
Bate summed it up: "At this point, it is clear why Prince Harry behaved in Henry IV, it was a well-designed game, a show. When he becomes king, he continues to play the game: in the second act, his treatment of several traitors and the gloves on his hat after the Battle of Agincourt are pre-designed theatrical means to show that he has almost magical powers and can see through the souls of his subjects. The acting style of an actor who plays King Harry depends heavily on how far he can perform the character. In this regard, courting Catherine is a key: to what extent is his performance a combination of charisma, wit, childish embarrassment and liking for power? ('But if you love me, you are a friend of France, for I love France so much that no village can give it up.') [5.2]) Or, did Harry really succumb to Kate? ”
Carefully analyzed by what Bate said, I wonder if this is Where Shakespeare's painstaking ingenuity lies: on the surface, he portrayed a heroic king warrior, as evidenced by the epic hymns of the play, which is not false at all; but at the same time, on a deeper level, he portrays a king statesman who is skillful and plays everyone in the hands of the game. On the one hand, he used the Archbishop of Canterbury to temporarily preserve the church's assets in exchange for a huge donation from the church, so that the war against France was guaranteed money; on the other hand, he confirmed that he had the right to inherit the French throne, only to be able to justifiably expedition to France, to fulfill the will of his father Henry IV, to "use troops abroad" and unite "a divided" England.
Is this the glory and dream of Henry V, or an embarrassing moment in British history? History itself does not provide the answer.
Now, look at the huge contrast effect of "French Fang" on the hero king in the play. This uncomplicated is expressed through a mockery of the French crown prince and grand marshal with a mocking stroke. Here are three typical examples:
1
Act II, Scene 4: The Royal Palace of France
King Charles VI ordered "immediate action, rapid dispatch of troops, reinforcement and new construction of the defences of our war-ready towns with good generals and defensive supplies; for England's attack is fierce, like a torrent sucked into a whirlpool." This is for us, for we need to think deeply, for fear teaches us a lesson: the British, who we have been mortally underestimated, have left a precedent for defeat on our battlefield." The Crown Prince was not impressed, and he thought that the French army was superior, and did not pay attention to the young king of England at all:
■ Crown Prince: My most revered father, the king, is a top priority to arm the enemy. For, even if there is no war or a blatant conflict worth caring about, a kingdom should not be at peace, so numb, but should maintain its defenses, recruit new soldiers, and be ready for war at all times, as if war were about to break out. So, in my opinion, we shall all set out to inspect the sick and weak links of France: we must not be alarmed; no, as if we had only heard that England was busy dancing the Maurice dance of Pentecost: for, Noble Majesty, England was ruled by such a useless king, by a vain, fickle, shallow, wayward young man who was so whimsical in his power that he was not afraid.
2
Act III, Scene VII: Agincourt French Barracks
The Great War is imminent, and the Crown Prince, the Grand Marshal and the Duke of Orléans, Youzha Youzai, are entertained by sexual puns. The self-aggrandizing crown prince boasted of his war horse:
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■ Prince: Hot as ginger. It was clearly Perseus's mount: it was pure wind and fire; except for the moment when the rider turned over on his horse, he could not find a little bit of water and earth sluggishness. What a BMW pony. Other tattered horses deserve to be called livestock.
Grand Marshal: Indeed, Your Highness, that is truly a very good horse.
■ The Crown Prince: It is the king of mounts; its hiss is like a king's order, and its appearance is immediately reverent.
Orleans: Say no more, brother.
Prince: No, anyone who cannot fly from the lark to the lap of the lamb to sleep in a circle and praise my mount in a different way is a talentless person. It's a topic that flows as smoothly as the sea: turning infinite grains of sand into countless tongues of intrigue, and my horse is enough to be their talking point. It is the subject of kings, the mounts of kings among kings; the people of the world,—— whether we are familiar with it or not,—— will put things aside and marvel at it at first sight. Once, I wrote a sonnet praising it, which began: "A miracle of nature!" ”——
Orleans: I've heard a sonnet for a lover begin like this.
Prince: Then they imitated the one I wrote to the horse, because my horse is my lover.
■ Orleans: Your lover rides well.
■ Prince: I ride well; this is the most appropriate compliment to an exclusive good lover.
Grand Marshal: No, I saw your lover yesterday shake your back very badly.
■ Prince: Maybe your lover is so shaky.
■ Grand Marshal: My lover is not worthy of a cage.
Prince: Ah, perhaps she became old and docile; you rode like an Irish infantryman, taking off your French breeches and putting on your leggings.
■ Grand Marshal: You have a great set of riding skills.
■ Prince: Heed my warning: If you ride like this, if you don't pay attention, you will fall into the mud. I would rather take my horse as a lover.
Grand Marshal: I would rather treat my lover like a tattered horse.
■ Prince: Listen to me, Marshal, my lover's hair is born.
Marshal: If there was a sow as my lover, I could brag about it.
■ Prince: "What the dog spits out, it turns around and eats; the sow is washed and still rolling in the mud." "You can take advantage of anything.
Marshal: Anyway, I have neither used horses as lovers nor used such proverbs
3
Act IV, Scene 2: Camp Law near Agincourt
The Grand Marshal thought that as long as the marching horn was sounded and "let the trumpet urge the generals to get on the horse", the French army's strong position would be enough to "collapse the king of England to the ground and bow down to his subjects":
■ Grand Marshal: Get on the horse, heroic nobles, get on the horse immediately! Just look at the hungry poor men over there, and your magnificent army will be enough to suck away their souls, leaving them with only a pair of humanoid skin bags. There is not much work, we do not need to go out of the horse; the blood in their sick veins is not enough to stain each of our unsheathed short swords, and today the sheathed swords of the French warriors will be sheathed for the pleasure of playing. Just blow them and our courage will knock them to the ground. All this is obvious, your excellencies, our military attendants, the villagers are surplus,—— have nothing to do, gather them together, form a phalanx,—— is enough to clear this despicable enemy out of the battlefield; we simply stop at the foot of this mountain to watch from the sidelines,—— but we fight for honor, we cannot do this. What else is there to say? We just have to sell a little bit and it's over.
Act IV, Fifth, Agincourt Battlefield, the two armies clash, and in a blink of an eye, the French army is defeated.
The crown prince shouted at the sky: "Eternal shame! - Let's just stab ourselves to death! ”
The Duke of Orléans exclaimed, "Is this the king whom we sent for ransom?" ”
The Grand Marshal lamented, "Chaos has ruined us, now fulfill us!" Let us all dedicate our lives to the battlefield. ”
At the end of the battle, the French Grand Marshal was killed in Huangquan, and a large number of French nobles such as the Duke of Orléans and the Duke of Bourbon were taken prisoner.
Compared with the casualties of the two armies, "ten thousand Frenchmen were killed on the battlefield", while the British were "only twenty-five".
Obviously, Shakespeare ignored the historical comparison of the casualties of the two armies in the real Agincourt I War, and wrote such a disparity in the battle in the play, just to achieve the heroic name of Henry V I: "Who has seen, without planning, the two armies clashed, the battlefield was hard, one side suffered such heavy casualties, and the other side suffered negligible losses?" Of course, the God-believing king did not forget to attribute the glory of this victory to God: "Accept it, God, for it belongs only to you." ”【4.8】
In the 1944 film Henry V, he courted a French princess
Lawrence Oliver plays Henry V
Interestingly, it is not difficult for the attentive reader/viewer to find that Shakespeare never made fun of Charles VI like a mockery of the Crown Prince, as the famous classical scholar E. M. W. Tillyard, 1889-1965, in his book Shakespeare's History Plays, speculated: "Because he was Catherine's father, Catherine married Owen Tudor (1400-1461) after henry V's death, becoming the ancestor of Henry VII(1457-1509). The King of France always spoke solemnly. "Henry VII was the first king of the House of Tudor (1485-1603) in England, the father of his successor Henry VIII (1491-1547), and the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled Shakespeare's time.
Looking back at the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the "Battle of Crécy" (1346) between King Edward III of England and Philippe VI (1293-1350), the "Battle of Clessi" (1346), the "Battle of Crecy" (1346) between King Edward of England and the second King of The Valois Dynasty John II (1319-1364), and the "Battle of Agincourt" of Henry V against King Charles VI of France, all three wars were outnumbered and weaker than strong, Agincourt was England's crowning triumph.
In the fourth scene of the second act of Shakespeare's Henry V, Shakespeare deliberately praises how henry V's ancestors threatened France through the "solemn" mouth of Charles VI: "When the Battle of Clessy was defeated, all the princes and nobles of our side became prisoners of the black prince Edward of Wales, which is a great shame that will never be forgotten; at that time, his father, who was as strong as a mountain, stood on a hill, high in the air, and the golden sun shone overhead,—— to see his hero's son, smiling, watching him mutilate life, A model created by God and the Fathers of France over twenty years. ”
In 1422, Henry V died. The imprint of history falls on Agincourt in 1435, twenty years after the war, when France and England broke up again, and the Duke of Burgundy began to refuse to ally with England, and installed Charles VII (1403-1461) as King of France, with only one condition: the king had to punish the murderer who killed his father in 1419 (that is, the Duke of Burgundy who brokered the Anglo-French negotiations in Shakespeare's "Henry V").
The change of kings changed the national strength and fortunes of England and France, and England lost its last territory in France, Normandy, in 1449, during the reign of Henry VI (1421-1471). Henry VI, who loved to read classical scriptures and liked chronicles, had no interest in governing the country and marching and fighting, and he not only lost the fruitful victory won by his heroic father Henry V by force, but also plunged the entire kingdom into a bloody civil war between the house of Lancaster and the House of York, the "Wars of the Roses" (1455-1485)!
The showdown between Henry VI of England and Charles VII of France became a great reversal of the showdown between Henry V and Charles VI. French dramatists could have written a historical play, Charles VII, in response to the British, because Charles VII was the terminator of the longest-lasting Hundred Years' War in the history of human warfare.
Is this the strangeness of history? History itself does not provide the answer.
However, both history and drama can serve reality when people need it. Jonathan Bate said: "There are many modern generals who invoke saint Crispin's day speeches (i.e., pre-war mobilization at the Battle of Henry V Agincourt) as troops rush into enemy positions.
Laurence Olivier dedicated his 1944 film Henry V to the British, American, and other Allied forces that were liberating Europe from the Nazis, the most famous of the military films adapted from Shakespeare (oliver is said to have cut the scene of the three traitors at Churchill's insistence,—— at such a critical moment in history, unity was a top priority among the Allies).
Even the die-hard cynics, when the king addressed his brothers, found themselves patriotic, especially in the films, where panoramic footage and uplifting music further enhanced the effect of these words. ”
END
Source: Fudan University Press
Editor: Zhang Jingyi