Favorite Shakespearean histories?

[Jane in NC]

My son has a mother who has been dragging him to Shakespearean productions for some time. Ahem. He has seen everything from the Royal Shakespeare Company perform Julius Caesar to highschoolers doing Romeo and Juliet.

Given a familiarity with many of the major tragedies and comedies, I would like to turn to the histories. He has watched Brannagh's Henry V countless times, so I think reading Henry IV, Part II, would be a good selection for the background on the Prince Hal's break with Falstaff. But what other play would you recommend for a young man who particularly loves history? (Understanding, of course, that Shakespeare's versions of "history" are not necessarily historically accurate.) Richard III is one of my favorites. Or should we do both of parts of Henry IV? And if we do that, should we begin with Richard II since it is part of the Bolingbroke Cycle? Any Shakespeare fans or English majors wish to chime in?

Thanks, Jane (who has a hard time making choices when they are all good!)

[readwithem]

I like your plan :) How old is your son? Maybe have him listen for the "my kingdom for a horse" line in Richard III. Our library has most of the BBC productions and we've watched all of them over the years.

Is there a summer Shakespeare festival near you? Just another idea.

I'm not sure anything can top Branagh's Henvy V though - Derek Jacobi's narration, Emma Thomson's Katherine (de nayals :), and Branagh's Agincourt speech. Priceless.

[Eliana]

My son has a mother who has been dragging him to Shakespearean productions for some time. Ahem. He has seen everything from the Royal Shakespeare Company perform Julius Caesar to highschoolers doing Romeo and Juliet.

Given a familiarity with many of the major tragedies and comedies, I would like to turn to the histories. He has watched Brannagh's Henry V countless times, so I think reading Henry IV, Part II, would be a good selection for the background on the Prince Hal's break with Falstaff. But what other play would you recommend for a young man who particularly loves history? (Understanding, of course, that Shakespeare's versions of "history" are not necessarily historically accurate.) Richard III is one of my favorites. Or should we do both of parts of Henry IV? And if we do that, should we begin with Richard II since it is part of the Bolingbroke Cycle? Any Shakespeare fans or English majors wish to chime in?

Thanks, Jane (who has a hard time making choices when they are all good!)

Yes, I would do Richard II before Henry IV. Shakespeare's version gives Bolingbrooke moral responsibility for Richard's death (think Henry II and Thomas Becket), and that guilt runs through the rest of the cycle - generally not overtly, but it is definitely there.

If I were doing just one of the Henry IV's I'd do the first. I think it is more smoothly written... and the Hal-Hotspur contrast is so nicely done... and how could one miss Hal's speech ending with:
"My reformation, glittering o'er my fault, Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes Than that which hath no foil to set it off. I'll so offend to make offense a skill; Redeeming time when men think least I will" ?

I have always loved the Henry VI trilogy, but it is long and full of digressions... it does make the unmissable Richard III make more sense. Perhaps one could do a quick survey of the three plays, and catch all the essential bits. (though one runs the risk of getting caught up and ending up reading it all!)

Richard III has been my favorite play since I was 7 or 8 - used to be able to recite it word for word from start to finish (which makes Olivier's film version unwatchable! Though infinitely preferable to the dreadful McKellen one....).


If you were just doing a few I'd do: RII, H IV i, RIII, and King John. (With John as the lowest priority.)

[Moira in MA]

(snipped viciously) My son has a mother who has been dragging him to Shakespearean productions for some time. I would like to turn to the histories. But what other play would you recommend for a young man who particularly loves history?

dd says she really likes Coriolanus, Henry VI (all parts) and Richard III. But she is very Shakespeare oriented. She also recommends Anthony & Cleopatra although she admits it is very heavy.

If you ds likes Shakespeare, I strongly recommend Scholars Online Shakespeare over the summer. They get to read and discuss ~10 plays.

HTH

[Beth in SW WA]

I like your plan :)

I'm not sure anything can top Branagh's Henvy V though - Derek Jacobi's narration, Emma Thomson's Katherine (de nayals :), and Branagh's Agincourt speech. Priceless.

This is in my Netflix queue. We just watched the 4-hour Branagh Hamlet this weekend. My dd 10 was hooked. Ds 12, not so much. Branagh is also fabulous in Much Adou. He could easily replace Russel Crowe as my new favorite actor!

[Jane in NC]

Yes, I would do Richard II before Henry IV.

Decision: I will present the idea to my son of doing Richard II, followed by Henry IV, part one, as plays that we will analyze. He is an avid reader, so I suspect that he may just read Henry IV, part two, on his own.

The Boy is completely enamoured with the history of the middle ages, in part because of Philip Daileader's Teaching Company lectures. The Shakespearean viewpoint will be fun for him to dissect.

Thanks for your input.

Jane

[Jane in NC]

Among my favorite books is the cycle called The Fortunes of War by Olivia Manning. Branagh and Thompson did a dramatization of this which aired years ago on Masterpiece Theater. The Manning books are completely captivating, offering a British viewpoint on the fall of Romania to the Nazis and the movement of British expatriates about Europe/Northern Africa during the war. But the dramatization is darn good, too. A young Kenneth is fun to watch. ;)

Jane

[bwasko]

There are few characters I love more than Falstaff. And Henry's St. Crispen's Day speech in Henry V is pretty wonderful too.

[Mrs Mungo]

If he decides to read HenryIV pt 2 I would really suggest he read Henry V again, afterward. It's such a different picture when you read them altogether. So cold and calculated. eta: I've often pontificated that politicians would have it easier now if they could just hang all their old cronies once they came into power.

[Michelle in MO]

Brightest Heaven of Invention by Peter Leithart. He also gives quite a different "twist" to Henry V than what I absorbed when watching the movie. Who couldn't love King Harry? But, Peter Leithart ties Henry V in with Henry IV, as you well know, and also the film version is edited from the original play, apparently, so he suggests that perhaps Shakespeare was painting Henry V is a less-than-ideal light.

Anyway, this might be a good secondary resource.

[Jane in NC]

Brightest Heaven of Invention by Peter Leithart.

Anyway, this might be a good secondary resource.

Thanks for the suggestion, Michelle. I have ordered one of the Folger Library publications on teaching Henry IV, part one (Shakespeare Set Free) for some greater insight but may seek out additional ideas.

My complete Shakespeare is filled with penciled underlinings and marginal comments, so I thought that I would use this opportunity to have my son compare an Oxford Student Shakespeare with a Folger edition. Both of these editions come with a guiding essay, although my Shakespeare professor in college always thought that one should tear out the introductory essays and "Just read the plays! Form your own opinions!"

I look forward to our Shakespearean studies. But Machiavelli comes first.

Jane

[Michelle in MO]

editions are so thorough that my attitude is more like your professor---I'd rather just read the play for myself and form my own conclusions. I'm not familiar with the Folger editions, but for our family, the Oxford editions have really helped to draw in my older two into reading Shakespeare.

My complete Shakespeare is filled with penciled underlinings and marginal comments, so I thought that I would use this opportunity to have my son compare an Oxford Student Shakespeare with a Folger edition. Both of these editions come with a guiding essay, although my Shakespeare professor in college always thought that one should tear out the introductory essays and "Just read the plays! Form your own opinions!"