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- The Chorus describes the great welcome accorded the English army when it returns home, the visit by the Holy Roman Emperor to establish peace between England and France, and the return of Henry to France.
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Jun 2, 2020 · Synopsis: The Chorus describes the great welcome accorded the English army when it returns home, the visit by the Holy Roman Emperor to establish peace between England and France, and the return of Henry to France. Enter Chorus. ⌜CHORUS⌝. Vouchsafe to those that have not read the story.
In Henry V, the Chorus is really self-conscious. At the beginning of every act, the Chorus apologizes because the theater can't do justice to the historical events it's trying to represent on stage. So, on the one hand, the Chorus tries super-hard to get us excited about watching (or reading) Henry V.
The Chorus’s opening invocation of the muse, a classical figure of creative inspiration, also brings to mind the first lines of ancient epics of war, such as Virgil’s The Aeneid, and helps to situate Henry V within the imaginative tradition of ancient war epics that depict the deeds of great heroes.
The Chorus praises King Henry V and his motivations for waging war with France through the application of colorful commentary. Two of the most common literary techniques that the Chorus uses are metaphor and wordplay, which were very important to Elizabethan theatergoers for several reasons.
The Prologue is spoken by the Chorus, and the speech sets the scene for the historical drama that will follow; it also makes reference to the very theatre in which Henry V was first performed, which makes it doubly notable as a speech.
One of Shakespeare's purposes in using the Chorus is to be able to celebrate the greatness of Henry V directly; for that reason, he does not have to rely solely on the other characters to sing the king's praises.
The Chorus describes Henry V 's fleet's passage across the channel in lavish detail. “Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege,” the Chorus commands.
