kenneth branagh

History of Literature #80 – Power Play! Shakespeare’s Henry V

~ jackewilson ~ Leave a comment

henry-v-branagh

Who rules us and why? What does Shakespeare’s Henry V (c. 1599) tell us about the character of a leader? What does it tell us about the character of the people governed by such a man? Host Jacke Wilson jumps from kings to presidents, from the battlefields of France in the early fifteenth century, to the Elizabethan stage in the early seventeenth century, to the Lincoln Memorial and what one of President Richard M. Nixon’s closest aides called “the weirdest day so far.”

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Show Notes: 

Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or by leaving a voicemail at 1-361-4WILSON (1-361-494-5766).

You can find more literary discussion at jackewilson.com and more episodes of the series at historyofliterature.com.

Check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/historyofliterature.

You can follow Jacke Wilson at his Twitter account @WriterJacke. You can also follow Mike and the Literature Supporters Club (and receive daily book recommendations) by looking for @literatureSC.

Music Credits:

“Handel – Entrance to the Queen of Sheba” by Advent Chamber Orchestra (From the Free Music Archive / CC by SA).

“NewsSting” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.

Today’s Comment of the Week: On Hamlet Dad

~ jackewilson ~ 4 Comments

Wonderful Reader cducey2013 comments on A History of Jacke in 100 Objects #9 – The Intersection (aka “Hamlet Dad Goes to the Movies”):

“We’ll all get to the same place eventually.”

This certainly reminds me of the graveyard scene in Hamlet, as well as the general sentiment throughout the play of “you are dust and to dust you shall return.” But, do remember, Hamlet also says:

“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, / Rough-hew them how we will.”

Hamlet isn’t freaked out about death so much as he’s freaked out about life– he’s been “prompted to [his] revenge by Heaven and Hell.” So, rightly, this post also talks about how one is to live one’s life. Death isn’t the only scary part. . .

Yes! Life is scary too! Especially if you’re trying to avoid harming others.

For a lighter touch on parenting, check out Object #8 – The Burger Car (Proust Dad Goes To Five Guys) or Object #14 – The Bass Guitar (Van Halen Dad Stays Home). Or pick and choose your way through all the Objects by visiting the main Objects page or listening to an episode of the Jacke Wilson Show.

My thanks to cducey2013 for the Shakespearean gloss. It’s about time somebody classes up this joint a little. And speaking of class…