"... deliver up the crown ... in this controversy" (Act II, Scene 4)

"... On your noblest English ... And teach them how to war," (Act III, Scene 1)

And any further productions you might have seen or heard, e.g. Olivier, Branagh and OU cassette versions,

· Explore the ways, in which you think Shakespeare dramatically presents war and its consequences in the play as a whole.

· How the attitudes of war have been dramatically presented in the play as a whole have affected the Olivier, Branagh and OU productions.

Many modern critics have commented on the attitudes to war presented in the play. This can be seen in the two speeches, "Deliver up the crown ... in this controversy", (Act II, Scene 4) and "On, on you noblest English ... And teach them how to war," (Act III, Scene 1).

Within Act II, Scene 4, we see the French King orders his nobles and his son to strengthen the defences against the English invasion, 'It is most meet we arm us 'gainst the foe' (Act II, Scene 4, pg.90). The Dauphin agrees that precautions should be taken but refuses to accept that the English King is a serious threat. He

We also see that it attracts criminals and parasites, like Pistol, Bardolph and Nym, who only go to steal. As Pistol says, 'Let us to France, like horse-leeches, my boys, To suck, to suck, the very blood to suck!' (Act II, Scene 3).

In Branagh's production we see so many deaths and we learn about the kind of noises that were heard from the battlefield for hours and days afterwards from people dying very, very slowly in terrible face to face conditions; arrows raining down from every direction. Branagh shows Henry and his soldiers as frightened and anxious individuals afraid of death, faces strained while waiting for the French to approach. The field itself is muddy and the weather is wet, dramatic weather such as the dramatic way in which Shakespeare presents war. Branagh creates the illusion of a relatively realistic battlefield with a naturalistic appearance.

In thunder and in earthquake, like a Jove,' (Act II, Scene 4)

Kenneth Branagh's production (1989) attempts greater realism in the battle scenes and focuses more on Henry's inner conflicts. There is not as much emphasis on the patriotic elements of the play as in Olivier's version. Branagh himself gives an excellent performance in the lead.

Some common words found in the essay are:
III Scene, Act Scene, IV Scene, II Scene, King Henry, Kenneth Branagh's, Agincourt English, William Shakespeare, King Shakespeare, OU University, act iii, iii scene, act iii scene, act ii, scene 1, act ii scene, ii scene, iii scene 1, scene 4, ii scene 4, scene 3, attitudes war, branagh's production, act iv scene, iv scene,
Approximate Word count = 2424
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)