Shakespeare Study Day: Henry V

Picture: wikimedia commonsBooking will close on Friday 14th February 2025 at 12 noon.

Course code: 08 216

Due to limited resources, we are UNABLE TO ACCEPT LATE BOOKINGS after this date.

This course will be held at the Paterson Learning Centre, Botanic Garden , University of Dundee, Riverside Drive, Dundee DD2 1QH.

Directions to get to this venue can be found by clicking here .

Please note, there is ample free parking at the Botanic Garden.

In writing Henry V Shakespeare must have been inspired by “a muse of fire”: its poetry, its rhetoric and its urging of us to put our imaginary forces to work make it one of the most stirring and dynamic of dramas. It gives an account of the English king’s military campaign to win France and seems, at first sight, to be a paean of praise for this heroic warrior. But, looked at more carefully, it can be read as an unsettlingly ironic, subversive exposure of the manipulations and dishonour of a “just war”. Shakespeare’s skill at presenting multiple perspectives on a difficult issue are never more evident than in this “patriotic” play.

We will focus in close detail on particular scenes and passages to engage with language, imagery and characterization. Film extracts will help our enjoyment and understanding of the play in performance. Participants are asked to have read the play in advance and to bring a copy of the play with them.

The day will run from 10am to 3.45pm, with breaks for refreshments and an hour’s lunch break.

Tutor: Rebecca Brown

Before moving to Scotland, Rebecca worked for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, in Stratford upon Avon, where she organized and taught courses on Shakespeare and the literature of his time to a wide range of students, young and old, including many from British and international universities. She often worked in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Institute. In recent years, Rebecca has taught courses for the Continuing Education programmes of the universities of Dundee and St Andrews.

Enquiries should be sent to: [email protected]

As a volunteer organisation with limited resources, we try to respond to all queries as quickly as possible. Please bear with us.

Host or Publisher Lifelong Learning Dundee