Henry the Fifth

When we first met Prince Hal in 1 Henry the Fourth, he warned us that he was duplicitous and scheming. And in this play one can make a case that he is not only a war hero, but a war criminal as well. As usual, Shakespeare does not create neat, tidy plays with one layer. Dig beneath the surface in this play, really read the lines carefully. “For, though I speak it to you, I think the king is but a man, as I am."

Here is a detailed synopsis on Wikipedia.
This chart gives brief descriptions of each of the historical characters in this play: Historical Henry the Fifth

If your group reads the plays straight through in one sitting and you want to divide up the parts, we have a number of “cast” lists already divided up for you. These are text files that you edit to suit your group. We always recommend in a straight-through read that each participant take a moment beforehand to mark their parts—then everything proceeds so smoothly. (coming soon)

• Cast for 7, plus a reader for Stage Directions
• Cast for 8, plus a reader for Stage Directions
• Cast for 9, plus a reader for Stage Directions
• Cast for 12, plus a reader for Stage Directions

For those of you who provide parts a scene at a time, this Character Chart shows all the characters' lines in each scene: Henry the Fifth

The Internet Shakespeare from the University of Virginia offers supplementary and related materials such as the texts of a number of sources (the Chronicles of both Holinshed and Hall), an earlier play about Henry the Fifth, a ballad of Agincourt (ballads were used sort of as newspapers that relay stories), and more.


At least three film versions of Henry the Fifth to choose from, each with its good points and other points:

Henry V (The Criterion Collection)
$23.99
Starring Laurence Olivier, Leslie Banks, Esmond Knight, Harcourt Williams, Max Adrian
Buy on Amazon
Henry V
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed, Patrick Doyle, Ian Holm
Buy on Amazon
 
This is an audio recording of the play by professional actors with sound effects:

Edited-for-film versions of the Henriad, four discs: Richard the Second, Henry the Fourth parts One and Two, and Henry the Fifth

The Hollow Crown: The Complete Series
$22.48
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Ben Whishaw, David Suchet, Jeremy Irons, John Hurt
Buy on Amazon