As a 50th birthday challenge I’ve decided to set myself the task of retelling ALL of Shakespeare’s plays using Twitter. Each play has to be told in under 50 tweets. I’ve begun with ‘Henry V’!
It’s an entertaining way of considering the plot and could be a useful activity with pupils. I’ll collect the lot into a short booklet when I’m finished. In the meantime here’s Henry V in exactly 30 tweets…
CHORUS: We haven’t got much in the way of scenery or any real princes or kings but, hey, use your imagination and don’t think bad of us.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Archbish of Canterbury + Bish of Ely give Henry lowdown on why it’s OK to invade France. They say he’s left his hell raising days behind!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Messenger from France arrives but not from King but King’s son (Dauphin). He has a present for Prince Henry: balls…
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
…tennis balls! The dauphin doesn’t know Henry’s left his hell raising days behind. Henry says he’ll turn tennis balls to cannon balls.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Chorus: the armourers are coining it in! BUT…three blokes are plotting against Henry – traitors who have turned gilt (money) into guilt!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
It’s getting a bit heavy so fun now introducing Pistol, Bardolph and Nym: cheeky chaps from Eastcheap! They keep pulling their swords out
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Mistress Quickly (Pistol’s wife) says that King Henry’s great friend from his wayward days, Falstaff, is dead. Back to the heavy stuff…
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Henry susses the traitors out and proves he’s a tough cookie by sentencing them to death. Well hard!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Cut to France: Dauphin thinks English will be a pushover. King thinks not! English messenger (Exeter) says Henry wants French crown…
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
…oh, and a special message for the Dauphin: the tennis ball joke sucks.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Chorus: We haven’t got much scenery but just use your imagination and see the English fleet and then the siege of Harfleur in your heads!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Cut to the siege of Harfleur: Henry makes big speech to men telling them to make like tigers (seriously!) and go once more into the breach
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Henry wins Harfleur +says some cruel stuff (often cut out!) then shows he’s hard again by executing his old mate Bardolph for stealing
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Light relief needed so scene with Gower (Englishman), Fluellen (Welshman) and MacMorris (Irishman): captains in Henry’s army.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Cut to funny scene with King of France’s daughter, Katherine, learning English words, some of which sound like very rude French words!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Montjoy (French messenger) arrives to tell Henry that King Charles of France will sort him out. Henry says he’s not looking for a battle…
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
…but he won’t hide from one either. Cut to the Dauphin + mates making fun of English. The Dauphin goes on about how great his horse is!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Chorus: It’s night time. It’s Agincourt. The English Army are whacked!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
King Henry borrows a cloak as a disguise and pretends to be a soldier so he can check out what his army are thinking and saying.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Lots of good stuff said about Henry but Williams doubts the King. Williams and King swap gloves which means a fight (after the battle)
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Henry prays they’ll win. Hears English outnumbered 5:1 + makes St. Crispins Day speech. They’re all in it together: a band of brothers.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Montjoy asks if English will surrender. They don’t. Battle begins. Bit of fun with Pistol capturing Frenchman but not understanding him.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
The English (unexpectedly!) win! The French kill the Pages (boys) which really isn’t on. Henry orders the French prisoners killed…hmmmm
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
After they’ve won Henry plays joke on Williams (bloke with his glove) – see there’s still some of the old fun loving Prince in King Henry
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
King shows he’s got a good side (after killing French prisoners!) by filling the glove with money instead of punishing Williams
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Chorus: Henry’s been back in England but now he’s back in France again. Imagine that!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Bit of fun now with Pistol and Fluellen and a leek! Fluellen makes Pistol eat the leek for being cheeky!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Cut to Henry meeting King Charles of France. Charles can keep his throne but Henry wants to marry Katherine!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Funny scene with Katherine and Henry alone having problems with each other’s language. They fall in love anyway. Get ready for wedding!
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
Chorus: Sorry it’s not been written so well and on a tiny stage too…upshot is that Henry will die + his son will lose France. The End.
— Alan Peat (@alanpeat) January 9, 2014
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