Get Off Your High Horse Essay

Get Off Your High Horse: Film Reading Shakespeare remains alive today through the numerous adaptations of his work, each with an unique interpretation of his words. In The Hollow Crown’s version of Henry V Tom Hiddleston breathes life into the long dead King Henry V. Juxtaposition is brilliantly used by director Thea Sharrock to contrast the French to the English, as well as emphasize the passion and turmoil that Henry V experiences. The pinnacle of the polarization between the King and the French is witnessed when comparing French Ambassador Montjoy’s first visit to King Henry V to his last visit, an effect created not only through scenery, but in power dynamics, body language, and tone. Beginning with the original meeting of the French …show more content…
the second meeting of the King and the French Ambassador shows the reversal of fates, of power, and the contrast of the characters once more. In this scene the Ambassador enters the English camp on horse, giving him the position of power over Henry. It is significant that the Ambassador rides upon a black horse, which is often associated with the harbingers of doom, while Henry is later seen upon a white horse. This hints that while the power dynamics of the characters may have shifted between the men and their countries, the Ambassador does not use morality as a cloak as Henry so often does. The most obvious contrast in this scene is in how the men are dressed. Henry is obviously worn and dirty, his face covered in injuries and dirt, and lacks his crown or any royal symbols while the Ambassador is dressed in his regal robe and clean. These costumes make sure to show the fragility of England’s position, and dramatize Henry’s place in this war. Although Henry stood alone in the first scene, when he meets the Ambassador this time he is surrounded by his men, who are equally as worn. This body placement speaks to the audience subtlety, hinting that while Henry might have entered this war alone he will not go through it by