Henry V as Putin

God help us: Henry V was no English hero but a ‘power-hungry imperialist’.

Henry V was a power-hungry imperialist rather than an English hero, the Globe’s latest production of the William Shakespeare play will suggest.

Rather than lauding a “band of brothers” defeating the French against the odds at Agincourt, the new staging will show audiences the “devastating cost” of Henry’s “bombastic pursuit of power”.
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It will be directed by Holly Race Roughan, who has said that she found the play to be “the pinnacle of English mythologising, and white supremacy, and toxic masculinity”.

White supremacy? Why? The French were white, too. There are no non-whites in the picture. And, true, masculinity is on display. But that was once thought to be a good thing.

Speaking to The Stage about her vision for the new production, she said: “I felt like I’d discovered the dirty, murky roots of English nationalism.”

Some would say that English nationalism has been a tremendous force for good through the centuries. But to a left-wing 21st-century eye, its roots can only be “dirty.”

While details of the staging and set design are yet to be announced, Race Roughan has promised a “very dark” version of Henry V, and Michelle Terry, the Globe’s artistic director, has said the production explores whether the king was an imperialist aggressor against France.

It is absurd to impose contemporary political notions on the dynastic politics of the 15th century, but when has that ever stopped a liberal?

Now–wait for it–Ukraine!

She added that the play has been a “400-year-old presence asking us questions about war, peace, power, and ambition”, which has again been made relevant following the invasion of Ukraine.
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A statement from the Globe explained the relevance of the play, saying: “Shakespeare’s plays are packed with so many universal ideas, that they remain intriguingly relevant to contemporary society hundreds of years on. However, occasionally, one of his plays speaks to the present moment so directly, that it takes your breath away.

“Staging Henry V with the backdrop of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Brexit, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, feels like one of these moments.”

Yes, Brexit. Don’t forget Brexit. Just think, if England had won the 100 Years War, it might never have been necessary.

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