An important part of oral rhetoric is making your words sound like you mean them, and adding perhaps some other movements and gestures to get your points across. This is very similar to—you guessed it—acting! Today, you’ll spend some trying to sound and behave like the characters in Henry IV, Part 1 as they engage in Act 1, scene 3’s shifting rhetorical situation. In other words, you will act, but I want you to think rhetorically while you do so. (The following exercises are from tbe Cambridge School Shakespeare edition of Henry IV, Part 1.)
First, in groups in groups of three or four, stage lines 1-21 (up to Worcestor’s exit) to greatest dramatic effect. Consider the following:
- How can the entrance be staged to express the conflict between King Henry and the Percies before the first line is spoken? Think of this as establishing the rhetorical situation for the audience.
- Is Henry instantly angry and confrontational, or might he speak his first nine lines in a calm and controlled manner?
- Worcestor claims that tbe Percy family (“Our house”) does not deserve harsh treatment from the king, especially as they had helped him depose King Richard II and so become king himself. Suggest how Worcestor can make every word count.
- Work out how Worcestor makes his exit. Does he show or conceal his true feelings? What is the rhetorical effect of either choice?
Then, in your group, try to understand Hotspur’s character based on his opening monologue (lines 30-70). Work out the following questions, and then read together Hotspur’s monologue, taking turns sentence by sentence.
- Pick out all the comparisons Hotspur uses to describe the courtier. Many are similes. Dies Hotspur speak each line contemptuously?
- Identify whee
- Hotspur might mimic the courtier’s voice, e.g., “untaught knaves,” “unmannerly,” etc.
- The king wants to know why Hotspur refused to give up his prisoners. Hotspur puts the blame on the courtier whose behavior irritated him. He says the courtier so exasperated him that he “Answered neglectingly” (without thinking). Think carefully about lines 53-54 to decide what kind if answer Hotspur gave, and how he might speak those lines.
- Hotspur is a soldier. The courtier represents everything he detests. Identify all of the words Hotspur uses to express his irritation. Suggest why they represent the opposite of Hotspur’s values.
- Now that you’ve worked through Hotspur's words, say them! Take turns going sentence by sentence through his monologue.
More to come. When you finish these activities, refresh the page to see the next steps.
Okay, Hotspur wasn’t being candid about the Scottish prisoners. As King Henry reveals, Hotspur wants to use the prisoners to secure the release of Mortimer, “that Earl of March.” (Look for Mortimer in the character list in your book and the one I handed out to you. What is important about Mortimer?) That deception and Hotspur’s desire to free Mortimer enrage King Henry.
- In your group, look closely at lines 78-93. Identify a word or phrase in each line that King Henry soeaks that reveals the strength of his true feelings about Hotspur, Mortimer, or Glendower.
- Then speak the lines to each other giving your chosen words special emphasis. For example, in line 78, King Henry might stress “Why” to show his exasperation and disbelief, and to express his rejection of Blunt’s peacemaking effort.
- Now go to lines 114-124. Now King Henry is really angry as he accuses Hotspur of lying and again demands the Scottish prisoners.
- Speak King Henry’s lines emphasizing each word or phrase he might intend as an insult or rebuke. For example, in this confrontation, Henry’s use of “sirrah” can express contempt.
- In this reply, Henry shifts from using “I” and “me” to the style monarchs use to describe themselves: “we” and “us.” As you speak his lines, emphasize each pronoun, and discuss why he changes his style.
- Speak King Henry's lines emphasizing each word or phrase he might intend as a threat, insult, or rebuke. For example, in these lines, "sirrah" can express contempt.
- I his angry reply, King Henry shifts from using "I" and "me" to the style monarchs use to describe themselves: "we" and "us." As you speak his lines, emphasize each pronoun, and discuss why he changes his style.
