Henry V

' Informative, thought-provoking and humane.' - Dr Colin Burrow, University of Oxford, UK

JONATHAN BATE is Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature, University of Warwick, UK, and the editor of The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works. He has held visiting posts at Harvard, Yale and UCLA and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Fellow of the British Academy, an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine's College, Cambridge, and a Governor and Board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. A prominent critic, award-winning biographer and broadcaster, he is the author of several books on Shakespeare, including The Genius of Shakespeare (Picador), which was praised by Sir Peter Hall, founder of the RSC, as 'the best modern book on Shakespeare.' In June 2006 he was awarded a CBE by HM The Queen 'for services to Higher Education'. ERIC RASMUSSEN is Professor of English at the University of Nevada, USA, and the Textual Editor of The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works. He is co-editor of the Norton Anthology of English Renaissance Drama and has edited volumes in both the Arden Shakespeare and Oxford World's Classics series. He is the General Textual Editor of the Internet Shakespeare Editions project - one of the most visited Shakespeare websites in the world. For over nine years he has written the annual review of editions and textual studies for the Shakespeare Survey.

Introduction.- About the Text.- Key Facts.- The Life of Henry the Fifth.- Textual Notes.- Synopses of the two parts of Henry IV.- Scene-by-scene Analysis.- Henry V in Performance: the RSC and Beyond.- Four Centuries of Henry V: An Overview.- At the RSC.- The Director's Cut: Interviews with Kenneth Branagh, Nicholas Hytner, Ed Hall, Michael Boyd.- Shakespeare's Career in the Theatre.- Shakespeare's Works: a Chronology.- Kings and Queens of England: from the History Plays to Shakespeare's Lifetime.- The History behind the Histories: A Chronology.- Further Reading and Viewing.- References.- Acknowledgements and Picture Credits