Gregory Doran introduces his audience to the religious aspects of Henry IV Part I immediately upon walking in to the theater. When we first walked in to the circle we could see a large crucifix hanging at the back of the stage, an image of stained glass on the ground, and a church kneeling bench at the front of the thrust. This instantly gave the impression that the play began in a church, which set the stage for a religious motif throughout the performance. After the lights dropped, deep chanting could be heard before they rose again to show Henry IV lying prostrate in front of the crucifix in a Christ-like pose. His crown could be seen hanging from the kneeling bench as men in monk robes walked in to the theater continuing to chant and sing a religious toned song. The lights were focused on Henry in the center of the stage and the rest was shrouded in darkness. While this set Henry up as a Christ figure, it also showed him in a repentant and weak position which was also emphasized throughout the play.
After Henry stood up from his helpless position, he walked to the kneeling bench and slowly picked up the crown to lower it to his head. Just as he began to place it on his skull, I saw the ghost of Richard II receding into the darkness on a balcony of the stage. This implied that Richard was very much still not only on Henry’s mind but also on the minds of the other men in the sanctuary and in the play at large. The image of a ghostly Richard lingering in Henry’s world combined with Henry’s helpless position at the beginning of the play created a sense of fragility surrounding Henry and his sovereignty which can be lost in the text because of his military control and his fury.
Doran’s choices to create this atmosphere through the lighting, music, sets, and staging not only settled the audience before Henry’s first speech but also stressed Henry’s struggles with his tenuous position of power and his repentant attitude. This allows the audience to see the more emotional and spiritual aspects of his character which at times can be lost in his reproval of his son and his military concerns in the text.
Having Henry’s crown hanging on the kneeling bench while he was lying on the ground in front of the cross is a particularly powerful and lasting image which seemed to exemplify Doran’s portrayal of Henry through his later set and prop decisions. Henry rarely puts on his crown and often carries it with him until his patience is tested to the point of anger. For example, in Act I Scene III when he argues with Hotspur, Northumberland, and Worcester, he does not put on his crown even when he begins by saying that he will “rather be myself, / Mighty and to be feared, than my condition, / Which hath been smooth as oil, soft as young down.” Despite claiming his powerful and frightening nature as the King, he does not put on his crown until a few lines later when he tells Worcester to leave the palace. He never seems quite comfortable leaving his crown on, almost like it pains him to wear it, similar to the crown of thorns which Christ wore further paralleling the opening scene. Henry even takes off his crown when he battles with the Earl of Douglas to defend his thrown before Prince Hal saves him. These prop decisions with the crown and the religious imagery from the beginning of the play combine to portray a repentant and vulnerable King who seems to think that his throne will be taken from him at any moment.
Lighting director David Gopsill on stage with Alex Hassell at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Photo by Lucy Barriball
The religious environment from the opening scene is also mimicked in Act III Scene II of Doran’s production. The same set is used with the crucifix, stained glass, and kneeling bench except that the bench is now underneath the cross facing away from the audience rather than at the front of the stage facing outward. Setting this scene between Henry and Hal in the same sanctuary environment from the first scene accentuates the repentant pleas which he makes to Hal. By staging Henry forcing Hal to kneel below the cross, Doran also stresses Henry’s obsession with having an ideal son, like Christ or Hotspur, which Hal has thus far failed to be and for that he must not only repent but also worship Christ. The lack of music during this scene and the simple spotlight with the stained glass also accentuate the solemnity of their conversation. Doran also lit the stage in such a way that during Hal’s speech on revenging Hotspur, Henry could step back towards the audience and into the shadows so that Hal was delivering his speech on a seemingly empty stage. This made the speech seem more like a soliloquy than a response to his father which once again deemphasized Henry’s dominance.
Overall, I thought the use of religious imagery in Doran’s Henry IV Part I was very effective especially in the characterization of King Henry. In reading the play, I did not notice the repentance motif which the performance so strongly emphasized, but I think that it is supported by the text and relevant to the depiction of Henry as holding a fragile position. He never quite seems comfortable with his role, which becomes even more poignant when he is shown repenting in front of Richard’s ghost. I think Doran’s emphasis on religion is also very effective in developing Henry and Hal’s relationship. Both characters want Hal to repent and reform his ways and the church setting only further accentuates this common ground. I very much enjoyed the RSC’s performance overall and found that Henry IV Part I on the stage stimulates me much more than it does on the page.