P-04 “A Machiavellian Framing of Power Dynamics in Shakespeare’s Henry V as adapted by Olivier, Branagh, and the BBC’s Hollow Crown”
Abstract
The principles outlined in Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince (1532) shape the power dynamics in William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1599), as well as Prince Hal’s layered and complicated rise to rule throughout the Henriad. A trio of film adaptations – Laurence Olivier (1944), Kenneth Branagh (1989), and the BBC’s Hollow Crown (2012) – take related and contrasting approaches to balancing Henry’s benevolent morality against his more Machiavellian manipulations. Extra-textual materials including sixteenth-century archival documents, film historic context, director biography, and the means of production especially influence both play text and the more recent presentations of Henry V's character in Branagh and the BBC.
Thesis Record URL
Location
Buller Hall
Start Date
2-26-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
2-26-2016 4:00 PM
P-04 “A Machiavellian Framing of Power Dynamics in Shakespeare’s Henry V as adapted by Olivier, Branagh, and the BBC’s Hollow Crown”
Buller Hall
The principles outlined in Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince (1532) shape the power dynamics in William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1599), as well as Prince Hal’s layered and complicated rise to rule throughout the Henriad. A trio of film adaptations – Laurence Olivier (1944), Kenneth Branagh (1989), and the BBC’s Hollow Crown (2012) – take related and contrasting approaches to balancing Henry’s benevolent morality against his more Machiavellian manipulations. Extra-textual materials including sixteenth-century archival documents, film historic context, director biography, and the means of production especially influence both play text and the more recent presentations of Henry V's character in Branagh and the BBC.
Acknowledgments
Dr. L. Monique Pittman