* An introduction to Henry V by award-winning scholar Jonathan Bate
* The play with clear and authoritative explanatory notes on each page
* A helpful scene-by-scene analysis and key facts about the play
* An introduction to Shakespeare's career and the Elizabethan theatre
* A rich exploration of approaches to staging the play featuring photographs of key productions
The most enjoyable way to understand a Shakespeare play is to see it or participate in it. This unique edition presents a historical overview of Henry V in performance, recommends film versions, takes a detailed look at specific productions and includes interviews with three leading directors - Nicholas Hytner, Michael Boyd and Ed Hall - so that we may get a sense of the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible, a variety that gives Shakespeare his unique capacity to be reinvented and made 'our contemporary' four centuries after his death.