Oh, it's actually in the full text of the play, but it was cut in The Hollow Crown. We learn that he's died offstage while on crusade (hey look, a motif!)
And speaking of crusades:
This is the first time I've ever heard a reason for the Crusades that makes even a lick of sense: a cunning diversion.
That's basically what it was in real life! I mean, even the big ones that actually happened! In essence it was an assertion of papal power, an effort to tip the balance of the struggle between medieval popes and secular rulers over who was really the highest authority. As such, it worked pretty well, although the balance tipped back in the other direction a couple of centuries later because the papacy in the fourteenth century was a colossal clusterfuck
( ... )
The only reason anyone ever gave me for the Crusades was "they really wanted the Holy Land," and all I could think was "WHY?" I mean, people were more religious back then, sure, but really? It's a bazillion miles away!
Also also, that last Henry/Hal scene is one of the most devastating in Shakespeare, as far as I'm concerned. It's very nearly actor-proof, even
Well, never underestimate the power of medieval religious belief, but yeah, a lot of it had to do with papal politics. It also ties in with the practical function of chivalric culture, which was to provide a number of safety valves for the heavily-armed, highly-trained but frequently-idle fighting classes. The Crusades are also one of the clearest examples of that; they offered an outlet for violence that was sanctioned and sanctified because they were against people that medieval Europeans didn't like.
Also, I've never seen a version of 2H4 with sad violins, although if horrible synthesizer music plus piped-in Handel is a reasonable equivalent, then yes, it is. It's also Henry IV-in-a-sparkly-nightgown-proof.
Oh, it's actually in the full text of the play, but it was cut in The Hollow Crown. We learn that he's died offstage while on crusade (hey look, a motif!)
And speaking of crusades:
This is the first time I've ever heard a reason for the Crusades that makes even a lick of sense: a cunning diversion.
That's basically what it was in real life! I mean, even the big ones that actually happened! In essence it was an assertion of papal power, an effort to tip the balance of the struggle between medieval popes and secular rulers over who was really the highest authority. As such, it worked pretty well, although the balance tipped back in the other direction a couple of centuries later because the papacy in the fourteenth century was a colossal clusterfuck ( ... )
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Also also, that last Henry/Hal scene is one of the most devastating in Shakespeare, as far as I'm concerned. It's very nearly actor-proof, even
God, I hope so. Is it sad-violins-proof, too?
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Also, I've never seen a version of 2H4 with sad violins, although if horrible synthesizer music plus piped-in Handel is a reasonable equivalent, then yes, it is. It's also Henry IV-in-a-sparkly-nightgown-proof.
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