Agenda

Papers, Midterms, Revised Schedule, Synetic Tempest and Other House Keeping
Quiz 6
Discussion of Performance Terms and Concepts
Scenes From Branagh’s Henry V
More discussion of play — Reading the Margins (the main idea)

Quiz 6

1.  What does Fluellan force Pistol to eat?

2.  What is Henry doing when he returns to France?

3. What is Henry’s number one demand, one we see played out in a good deal of act 5?

4.  In a word or two, how would you describe how Henry behaves to Catherine?

5.  In a word or two, how would you describe how Catherine behaves to Henry?

Bonus:
What does “bedlam” mean?

Discussion of Performance Terms and Concepts

Terms and ideas for performance

• thesis: what important idea(s) about the play does the performance convey?
• tone: emotional mood of the play (also used to talk about emotional mood in stories or poems)
• blocking: relationship of bodies to one another on stage
• physical body type of actors: how used to convey something about the character, or his/her relationship to other characters
• setting: where and when the performance is set (also used to describe where and when stories take place).  Consider especially: is the setting that of the time and place of the play, or is it shifted?
• props: objects on stage.  How are they used?  What tone or idea about the play do they convey?
• costume: what the characters are wearing. How do these convey tone or thesis regarding the play or its characters?
• delivery of lines: how does the voice convey the tone of lines or ideas in them?
• special effects: lighting, sound.  How do these convey tone or idea about the play?

Reading the Margins (the main idea)

One thing about this particular play’s chorus, other than his frequent appearances, is that he is always apologizing for the lack of detail on stage. He often tells us to use our “imaginary forces” (1.0.18), or imagination to alter the simple story portrayal to our minds’ likings.  –From Morgan’s post on the play.