Agincourt

Check out the battle! This is a pivotal event in the play.

For those who were out on field trips, we read and discussed two important soliloquy's in Act IV.1. These speeches follow the long discussion about who is responsible for the sin of those who die on the battlefield. This discussion points to the importance of Henry having justified his actions via the Church - it helps motivate his men. The first soliloquy has Henry describing the weight of power, the problems of a king. Other men can sleep while the king is awake. The second is a poignant prayer that God not punish Henry for the sins of his father during this battle. This is a clear example of the theme of God and Justification and the impact of the Universal Order. In these two speeches we see the real Henry V.

The quiz scheduled for today will be postponed until tomorrow.

Henry V Act I - II

We continue to see Shakespeare deftly develop Henry's character and shape the important themes of the play. In Act I the bishops tell us that Henry has changed. It's important to understand the context of the discussion to determine its believability. Henry has changed and that is proven when he responds to the Dauphin's tennis ball insult. He turns the mock back onto the Dauphin and uses it as a reason that he must invade France. The themes of God and Justification, Henry's Growth and his leadership are evident in these acts. Henry uses the Bishops and insult to claim that God is on his side. The Bishops and Henry's handling of the Dauphin's insult show that he has changed and all this supports the idea that he is a leader.

We see a rough side of Henry's character with the way he plays the traitors. We also see his strength and leadership in his decision to destroy the traitors even though they were his friends.

Finally, remember the roles the Bardolph, Nym, Pistol and Falstaff play as symbols of Henry's youth.

While I'm away...

My expectation is that you will be quiet and work hard while I am away.
Thank you!

May 11th

Students will read Act II, Scenes 2 & 4 * and create a:
1. Character list for the acts and identify character type for the character (see below for example)
2. summary of the act and scene
3. Identify themes in the act and support with reference to text

(we are skipping scenes that I will review in class. They are not needed for your understanding of the scenes you will review)

Make a chart like below for the assignment:

Characters Type Theme(s) with line numbers (Act, scene, line(s))


Summary of action

Students may view the movie after they read the text, but only after they’ve read


May 14th

Lesson: Writing workshop

Student will select a college essay prompt from the Common Application (copies included) and write a draft essay

The draft is due tomorrow.

Students will work quietly

Sonnets

I love sonnets - they are perfect structures of artistic beauty. They are challenging and creative. In the last few days we've reviewed two types of sonnets, the Italian (Petrarchan) and English (Shakespearean) sonnets.
Both have 14 lines, but the Italian consists of an octave and a sestet. The English has 3 quatrains and ends with a rhyming couplet. Keep this in mind as you craft your own sonnets and prepare for tomorrow's quiz.

English sonnet
14 lines in iambic pentameter
10 syllables –accent on second syllable
3 stanzas of four lines (quatrains) each and a final unit of two lines (couplet)
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Italian Sonnet
•Consists of an octave (an eight-line stanza)
•Rhyme is abbaabba
• a sestet (a six-line stanza)
•Rhyme is cdcdcd, or cdecde--or using some other variation of the cd or cde patterns
•No final rhymed couplet as in English sonnet
Volta = turning point