ENGL210 Week 8 Peer Review

Hi Helen,

The Folger Shakespeare Library is such a great and vast amalgamation of information relating to Shakespeare’s plays. Therefore, I found your insights and interpretations of the website increasingly helpful in my study of Shakespeare. I particularly liked how you also highlighted that it will be a great resource when teaching in a classroom one day. I personally found Shakespeare difficult to understand at times, therefore did you find this website useful in your study of Shakespeare?

Theresa

ENGL210 Week 8 Blog

2/ John Bell has mentioned his interest in comparing the first production of Henry IV in Sydney in 1800 (performed by convicts) with his version today in 2013. Find out what you can about this and share your resources.

This picture is a link to the newspaper article by John Bell featured in The Australian.

William Shakespeare, as a playwright, has been demonstrated as being a significant influence on the cultural history of Australia. Furthermore, Shakespeare was held in such high regard that his venerated name was considered for the new national capital after the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia. In 1800, Henry IV was the first recorded performance of a Shakespearean play, which took place in Sydney. John Bell, both an actor and director, highlights that ex-convicts performed the first production of Henry IV.

John Bell knowingly contrasts Henry IV with a painting by Brueghel titled The Procession to Cavalry. The picture was painted in 1564, the year Shakespeare was born, accentuating a vast desolate and barren landscape. Relatedly, Bell explains that Breughel’s view, like Shakespeare’s, is “dispassionate, thus illustrating that life, regardless of stature and wealth, concludes with impending death.

Breughel – The Procession to Cavalry

Henry IV was written in two parts, and Bell exemplifies that it is seemingly a contrast between boisterous and comedic rebellion with the prevalent mood of cynicism, death and decay. Furthermore, the play focuses on the explicit struggle between King Henry and Falstaff for the alliance of Prince Hal.

Throughout time, Henry IV has been viewed as being a historical play pertaining to patriotism and the superiority of England. However, the harsh realities of histories political systems are illustrated by Bell’s industrialist approach, representing cruelty, hypocrisy, opportunism, rebellion, and palpable success.

“That’s why I plan to set my production in England in 2013, but an England as seen through modern Australian eyes. What do we think about the monarchy, about mateship, about violence and gender relationships? About power? This has to be a Henry IV for us here and now, a mirror in which we can study many layers of ourselves and the world in which we live.” – John Bell

In 2013, Bell wished to embody the true chaotic, rebellious and anarchic spirit of Henry IV, as mirrored in the production performed on April 8, 1800. The play is symbolic of the map of Britain, accentuating a troupe of both nobility and radicals, portraying the pragmatism of the world.

Works Cited List

Bell, John. “John Bell is looking for Henry with a new production of Shakespeare’s masterpiece.” The Australian [Sydney] 16 Feb. 2013: n. pag. Web.

ENGL210 Week 7 Blog

3/ Explore the on-line reviews of the up and coming Bell Shakespeare production of Henry IV and present a mini-web resource kit which contains a few of the best resources for preparing for this visit. In other words compile a list of the best reviews and maybe summarise the essence of what a few of them say (either about the play itself or about the production).

Link to Henry IV Synopsis

Henry IV Trailer

John Bell gives ‘one of the best performances of his career’ – The Australian

John Bell as Falstaff in Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV

The Australian has reviewed the play as being highly successful, particularly in relation to John Bell’s performance as Falstaff. Furthermore, The Australian described John Bell’s performing as being one of the “best” during his “long and distinguished career.” Similarly, the production of the play is also exemplified, highlighting the profound effect of the “onstage drums and electric guitar.”

Henry 4 | Bell Shakespeare – Australian Stage

Matthew Moore as Prince Hal in Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV

Australian Stage has reviewed the play as once again being highly successful. The set of the play is described as being a “post-industrial landscape.” The seasoned cast is depicted as being “meticulous and measured,” emphasising their apparent triumph in interpreting the characters within Henry IV. Conclusively, the play was described as being an “excellent production.”

Bell’s Henry 4 is audacious but uneven – The Sydney Morning Herald

Bell Shakespeare’s Henry IV

The Sydney Morning Herald has reviewed the play as being “desperately uneven” and “dramaturgically flawed.” The play is criticized for its modern adaptation, indicating that John Bell has “dismantled most of the political architecture” in his interpretation. The reviewer emphasises that Henry IV did not need “German tourists,” or an “outrageous Scottish stereotype” to be humorous. Ultimately, Henry IV is exhibited as being “much less appealing.”