War and Leadership in Shakespeare’s Henry V

“Compared to war all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance.” “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” These two views of war, embodied in George Patton’s statement and Lorraine Schneider‘s famous 1966 poster, are at the heart of a two-day examination of war and its effects. The packet includes a series of activities that asks class members to ponder the causes and justifications for going to war. They compare different video versions of Henry’s speech (Olivier’s, Brannagh’s, and Hiddleston’s) and analyze how the three interpretations reveal different attitudes toward this subject. The richly detailed plan includes a link to the video segments. A must-have for readers of Henry V, the resource could also be used with any study of war and leadership.