The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 23.156  Thursday, 12 April 2012

From:        Richard Waugaman < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >

Date:         April 10, 2012 7:04:19 PM EDT

Subject:     Henry V, Act 3, Scene 4

Alan Stewart of Columbia recently gave an excellent talk on “The French Shakespeare.” During the discussion afterwards, we pondered the question of Henry V, Act III, scene 4, being entirely in French. How would early audiences have reacted? Professor Stewart found the following surmise to be plausible—this scene was performed at court, with its French-speaking audience, but was perhaps omitted during public performances. 

If this hypothesis also strikes you as plausible, are the other such scenes extant, that may have been written solely for court performance?