Shakespeare’s Work is as Valid Today as Ever

Shakespeare didn’t just write great drama. He was a sound observer of the human condition and a great social commentator. Insight like that is a rare and special gift which transcends cultures and centuries, so his work is every bit as relevant today as when it was first written.

The most obvious example of a play for all seasons is Henry V. During World War II, Laurence Olivier’s Henry was a rallying call to a world exhausted by years of conflict. The blood and guts was glossed over; what was emphasised was the righteousness of Henry’s (and the Allies) cause. The French were shown as cowardly, while the King was convinced of the justice of his actions. The 15th century victor of Agincourt suddenly becomes Winston Churchill in the imagination of the audience. The showdown is between Henry and the Dauphin, but it could as easily have been Churchill and Hitler.

Fast forward to the Falklands War of 1982, and the Royal Shakespeare Company performance of Henry V starring Kenneth Branagh. Branagh was to make a film of the play, which the critics dubbed ‘Dirty Harry’ due to the muddy, bloody battle scenes. Here, there is no glorification of war, and Branagh’s Henry is more unsure of his position. He is ‘one of the boys,’ reflecting the cultural change since the 1940’s. Our heroes these days are ordinary men; we don’t put them on pedestals any longer.

The casualty rate during the Falklands War was light in comparison to World War II, but attitudes have changed. The losses were seen as real personal tragedies, rather than an accepted consequence of war. This is encapsulated in the moving scene where Henry carries a dead boy the length of the battlefield, sparing us none of the grisly scenes on the way. We’re more concerned about the human cost of conflict these days than the principles we’re fighting for.

In 2003, just after the start of the Iraq war, the National Theatre staged another production of Henry V. The play is in modern dress, with black actor Adrian Lester playing Henry and a female chorus in Penny Downie, highlighting the multiculturalism and important role of women in the twenty-first century. The Archbishop of Canterbury has prepared dossiers to support Henry’s claim to the French throne, echoing the so-called ‘dodgy dossiers’ concerning Sadam Hussein’s weapons.

Again, there is the message that war is not glamorous, it is ugly and tiresome. The soldiers are reluctant recruits.

Henry only invokes God when it suits him, which reflects the increasing secularity of the present day. And the war is reported by TV journalists. As critic Michael Billington said at the time, ‘This is a Henry V for our age.’

When one remembers that Shakespeare’s history plays were, among other things, a reflection on the Wars of the Roses and the theme of kingship, it is remarkable that, almost half a millennium later, Henry V can be accurately described as ‘for our age.’ Shakespeare’s writing and wisdom is timeless. His work will still be relevant five hundred years hence.