Henry V and Victorian boys: an analysis of performances and prose adaptations 1870-1914

Abstract

The Victorian time is considered the golden age of children's literature, with hundreds of new stories and publications made especially for young readers. The period also brought an unprecedented attention to childhood and, besides the new literary products created for the youngest public, there was an increasing attention towards the needs and tastes of boys and girls. This encouraged authors to adapt existing works to make them enjoyable for children. But it was not only a matter of entertainment. Children's literature in the Victorian time was always directed to the fulfilment of two purposes: amusement and education. The didactic aspect was almost always present in children's publications, as adults were the prospective buyers of books and magazines. It was important then, for these publications, to contain the ideas and values shared by most Victorians, and Imperial pride was the most diffused of these values. In this work we will demonstrate how Victorian authors and theatre directors adapted Shakespearean works for children in a way that helped the diffusion of such values. In doing this we will distinguish the target in boys and girls, focusing on boys. Our statement is that boy's publications were the ones in which nationalism, manliness and patriotism were more present. The reason is that these works were meant as a contribution in the formation of new soldiers, conquerors and administrators of the British Empire. We will analyse one particular Shakespearean play, the most 'English' and patriotic: 'Henry V'. In Chapter I we will outline the historical and social context in which Victorian children's publications were created and underline the importance and popularity of Shakespeare's plays in these publications. Chapter II will instead be dedicated to Henry V, the historical character and the protagonist of the play, to the differences between the two and to the outline of the aspects that make this figure adapt to be used in the spreading of nationalistic imperial feelings and moral values. In Chapter III we will enter the specific analysis of some Victorian works that will help us to confirm our thesis. Examining five prose adaptations for children of 'Henry V' we will find what themes are introduced with more strength and frequency and the ways in which the heroic king is described. Finally, Chapter IV is dedicated to some performances of Henry V prepared by the young students of three different boys' schools in the years that just precede the First World War.