Programme
of Study
The
process of studying and teaching for this unit will be
rather different from the way of working on the other texts
in the AS course. Because the assessment will be through
a coursework essay of about 2000 words rather than by examination
paper, you will need to explore the text and its possible
meanings in a more independent manner.
Teaching
will consist of exploration/explanation/analysis/interpretation
of various passages, key scenes and groups of scenes. This
is not to say that other sections are not important – you
must have a good knowledge of the whole play, the context
of these scenes – but these scenes will be central
to most tasks that will be set.
In
the introduction to the text that you will be given, you
will find very useful sections on the historical background
to the play, especially regarding Elizabethan concepts
of the ideal or perfect king and the epic hero. You should
also research these ideas to have a sense of how Henry
was regarded at the time of Shakespeare.
Possible tasks
The following list has been approved by the AQA examinations board, and you
should choose one task from this list. It might be possible to negotiate another
task of your own making, but this must be negotiated with your subject tutor.
Some questions are more difficult than others in that they involve a greater
engagement with the play at a conceptual level. Those of you aiming at the
highest grades should certainly consider these questions.
Whilst
the questions require a slightly different focus according
to whether they are character, scene, theme, or technique
based, you need to realise that all titles involve understanding
and analysis of Shakespeare’s use of language, structure,
character and theme and in answering any question you will
need to construct an argument well supported by quotation.
It is only by doing this that you will be able to meet
the Assessment Objectives.
In
some of the tasks you have been asked, in accordance with
the AQA’s advice, to focus on a few scenes. You do
need to show knowledge of the whole play, however, and
should be able to relate these scenes to other relevant
areas in the play.
- Explore
Shakespeare’s presentation of Henry. (You might
discuss whether you feel that Shakespeare portrays Henry
as an ideal king, a national
hero, a ruthless and pragmatic leader, a clever politician etc.) You could
focus on Act III Scenes 1 and 3 and Act IV Scenes 1,
4 and 6 to 8 or you might like
to look at Act 1 Scene 2 and Act 2 Scene 2.
- Discuss
the ways in which Shakespeare explores the nature of
kingship and leadership in the
play. You could focus on Act IV.
- Explore
the ways in which you feel Shakespeare has presented
war in Henry
V. (For example, does the play glamorise or justify
war or is it
an anti-war play?)
- Discuss
the ways in which Shakespeare has presented the state
of England as a nation in Henry V. (Do you think he
presents it as unified or
divided, for example?) You could focus on one group of scenes, but you will
need to show knowledge
of the whole play.
- Discuss
what you feel were Shakespeare’s
purposes in writing Henry V. (Consider, for example, whether you
feel Shakespeare has presented
the play as simply jingoistic propaganda, an exciting portrayal of stirring
events and
magnificent feats of arms or an examination of the state of the
nation and its various inhabitants.) You could focus
on Act IV, but you must also look
at the
play as a whole.
- Discuss
the dramatic nature of the play, Consider how far you
feel Shakespeare has been successful or effective
in dramatising the narrative of
this period of history. You should focus on one Act or group of scenes, perhaps
Act IV.
- Discuss
the dramatic effectiveness of the ways in which Shakespeare
presents either:
the
Chorus;
the scenes involving the French nobles;
the scenes involving the ordinary soldiers and Pistol,
Bardolph and Nym.
Back
to Unit 2 contents
|
