Henry V, Act IV, Prologue

Chorus
Now entertain conjecture of a time
When creeping murmur and the pouring dark
Fills the wide vessel of the universe.
From camp to camp through the foul womb of night
The hum of either army stilly sounds,
That the fixed sentinels almost receive
The secret whispers of each other's watch.
Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames
Each battle sees the other's umber'd face.
Steed threatens steed, in high and boastful neighs
Piercing the night's dull ear; and from the tents
The armourers, accomplishing the knights,
With busy hammers closing rivets up,
Give dreadful note of preparation.
The country cocks do crow, the clocks do toll,
And the third hour of drowsy morning name.
Proud of their numbers and secure in soul,
The confident and over-lusty French
Do the low-rated English play at dice;
And chide the cripple tardy-gaited night
Who, like a foul and ugly witch, doth limp
So tediously away. The poor condemned English,
Like sacrifices, by their watchful fires
Sit patiently and inly ruminate
The morning's danger. O now, who will behold
The royal captain of this ruin'd band
Walking from watch to watch, from tent to tent,
Bids them good morrow with a modest smile,
And calls them brothers, friends and countrymen.
Upon his royal face there is no note
How dread an army hath enrounded him;
But freshly looks and over-bears attaint
With cheerful semblance and sweet majesty;
That every wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his looks.
A largess universal like the sun
His liberal eye doth give to every one,
Thawing cold fear, that mean and gentle all,
Behold, as may unworthiness define,
A little touch of Harry in the night.
Chorus. (FOLIO)
Now entertaine conjecture of a time,
When creeping Murmure and the poring Darke
Fills the wide Vessell of the Universe.
From Camp to Camp, through the foule Womb of Night
The Humme of eyther Army stilly sounds;
That the fixt Centinels almost receive
The secret Whispers of each others Watch.
Fire answers fire, and through their paly flames
Each Battaile sees the others umber'd face.
Steed threatens Steed, in high and boastfull Neighs
Piercing the Nights dull Eare: and from the Tents,
The Armourers accomplishing the Knights,
With busie Hammers closing Rivets up,
Give dreadfull note of preparation.
The Countrey Cocks doe crow, the Clocks doe towle:
And the third howre of drowsie Morning nam'd,
Prowd of their Numbers, and secure in Soule,
The confident and over-lustie French,
Doe the low-rated English play at Dice;
And chide the creeple-tardy-gated Night,
Who like a foule and ougly Witch doth limpe
So tediously away. The poore condemned English,
Like Sacrifices, by their watchfull Fires
Sit patiently, and inly ruminate
The Mornings danger. O now, who will behold
The Royall Captaine of this ruin'd Band
Walking from Watch to Watch, from Tent to Tent;
Bids them good morrow with a modest Smyle,
And calls them Brothers, Friends, and Countreymen.
Upon his Royall Face there is no note,
How dread an Army hath enrounded him;
But freshly lookes, and over-beares Attaint,
With chearefull semblance, and sweet Majestie:
That every Wretch, pining and pale before,
Beholding him, plucks comfort from his Lookes.
A Largesse universall, like the Sunne,
His liberall Eye doth give to every one,
Thawing cold feare, that meane and gentle all
Behold, as may unworthinesse define.
A little touch of Harry in the Night,
Shakespeare & Rhetoric:
‘Rhetoric was at one and the same time a method of organizing a speech to win and
entertain the listener. One of its predominant features was that it allowed intellect and
emotion to exist side by side, encouraging the intellect to keep the emotion in check. The
idea was not to deny the emotions, but ensure they didn’t swamp the ‘divinity’ of reason’
Neil Freeman

Working with Shakespeare: (a partial list)

• Know the story:
• Read the play!
• Know the given circumstances, setting, who/what the characters/relationships are
(including who’s alive, who’s dead)
• Definitions- Look up your words! General definitions lead to general acting which is
generally boring. Using a resource like the OED to define words, even the words you think
you know, will result in specific acting choices.
• Vowels & Consonants: In general, vowels tell the emotional story and consonants tell the
intellectual story
Poetical/Retorical devices:
• Onomatopoeia - word imitating the sound of the thing or action which it signifies. When
does Shakespeare make use of this poetical device. As the actor/character WHY is that
choice being made?
• Verse vs Prose:
As a rule of thumb:
Prose usually shows the language of the everyday, the ‘prosaic’ used then characters are in
an everyday situation
• its tone is somewhat casual
• It moves along fairly quickly
• it is often used where the importance of the situations, or the formal relationship
between characters is not the thing uppermost on they raids
Verse is essentially the language of something more than the everyday
• it shows a heightened awareness
• where the senses are at their fullest
• with the character’s mind working at full capacity
Notice if a character prose, verse or switches back and forth between the two. Ask what else
is shifting for the character(s), scene, story and circumstances.
• Follow the thought. What’s the difference when you follow the thought by breathing with
punctuation vs breathing at the line endings. What do you learn about the story, argument,
emotional life, etc. when switching from following punctuation vs the verse line.
• End of the verse line. Read the last word of each verse line. What do you learn about the
story, circumstances and/or character?
• Meter. Most of the time Shakspeare’s characters speak in iambic pentameter (da dum/ da
dum/ da dum/ da dum/ da dum), much like a heart beat. When does that rhythm shift?
Why?
• Long vs Shorter lines of verse. What is going on for the character? Are the lines shorter or
longer than 10 beats? If shorter, are they shared lines with another character or is there a
moment of space or silence? If longer, what is happening for the character that their
thought is too big for 10 beats? How does that shift the energy or desire to speak?
Other Poetical Devices:
• Monosyllabic: “To be or not to be”. A monosyllabic phrase is, among other things, a
verbal stage direction to the actor to slow down. This way Shakespeare forces the actor to
bring attention to the words, which are intended to be read in an even, deliberate tone.
• Antithesis: antithesis is the setting of one word (or group of words) against another word
(or group of words) with an opposite or contrasting meaning. Again the famous example
of: ‘To be, or not to be. . .’ The scene between Richard and Anne in Richard III is full of
them.
• Repetition: when words or phrases are repeated in a literary work. A rhetorical device to
bring attention to an idea. Repetition takes many different forms - repeating sounds,
words, phrases or ideas.

Using the First Folio

What is the First Folio?
• Printed in 1623, 7 years after Shakespeare’s death
• Compiled by Shakespeare’s colleagues in The King’s Men, John Heminges and Henry
Condell
• A collection of 36 of 38 plays attributed to Shakespeare
• Excludes The Two Noble Kinsmen and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Also excludes Edward III.
• Excludes his sonnets and narrative poems
• Excludes two “lost” plays, Cardenio and Love’s Labour’s Won

Shakespeare took no interest in printing his plays. He made his money by splitting the ‘gate’.
However, during his lifetime several different publishers printed 18 of his at least 37 plays,
some licensed by the acting company who owned the, others most definitely not. (the
quartos). Seven years after Shakespeare’s death in 1623 two of Shakespeare’s friends and
colleagues (actors and shareholders), John Heminges and Henry Condell oversaw the
printing of not only the 18 plays already in ‘print’ but 18 more. These collected works were
published in one collected volume known as the First Folio, named for how the pages were
folded. Unfortunately, valuable information (particularly punctuation and spellings,
wonderful cues for actors), disappeared as modern text versions began to ‘clean up’ these
versions to be more in line with modern use of punctuation and spelling. Using the First
Folio can open up wonderful cues for actors about the life of these characters. Foul and fair
papers and playhouse copies were used to make the First Folio.
• Folio Punctuation:
Period - not as common as in modern texts. Each sentence represents a new intellectual and
emotional stage of rhetorical argument. (Sometimes this is also marked with ? or ! followed
by a capital letter)
Minor puncuation ( comma (,) Parenthesis or bracket ( [ ] ) and the dash ( - ) They elaborate
a thought so as to clarify what has already been said. The nuance of thought
Major punctuation (: and ;) allow for pause for reflection in the tumbling of new ideas.
semi-colons - emotional chance of thought. Colons - intellectual change of though
• Spelling and Capitalization
Capitalization - reflect the logic of the mind. No matter what is going on and no matter how
emotional the circumstances, the character can and must strive to get a particular word
across
Spellings - Just as the capitals relate initially to the logic and content of the moment (matter),
so the spellings seem to show the release of, harmony with, or the clamping down on, the
passions of the moment, (manner).
Long spellings - moved by the image to release more of a personal reaction than if
they were reacting in a harmonic/balanced way
Short - character is recoiling from the image, attempting to hold something
back the image might otherwise release

Sources: Neil Freeman: ‘Shakespeare’s First Texts’ and ‘The Applause First Folio’, Once
More Unto the Speech’

Definitions
now - the present time
entertain - To admit to consideration (an opinion, argument, request, proposal, etc.); to
receive (an idea) into the mind.
conjecture-The supposing or putting of an imaginary case; supposition.
time - A limited stretch or space of continued existence, as the interval between two
successive events or acts, or the period through which an action, condition, or state
continues; a finite portion of ‘time’
creeping - Moving slowly, stealthily, or by imperceptible degrees.
murmur - A softly or gently spoken word or sentence; subdued or nearly inarticulate
speech.
pouring - That pours, in various senses; esp. raining heavily.
(Pour - To emit in a stream; to cause or allow (a liquid or granular substance) to flow
out of a vessel or receptacle; to discharge or shed copiously; also, to emit (rays of light). Said
either of a person, or of a thing which discharges a stream.)
dark - Absence of light; dark state or condition; darkness, esp. that of night.
fills - To supply with as much as can be held or contained; to put or pour something into (a
receptacle) till no more can be received.
wide - vast, spacious, ample, extensive, roomy.
vessel - 1) Any article designed to serve as a receptacle for a liquid or other substance,
usually one of circular section and made of some durable material 2) Said of the body, esp.
as the receptacle of the soul. OR Said of a person regarded as having the containing capacity
or function of a vessel
universe - The whole of created or existing things regarded collectively; all things (including
the earth, the heavens, and all the phenomena of space) considered as constituting a
systematic whole, esp. as created or existing by Divine power; the whole world or creation;
the cosmos.