Customer Reviews

William Shakespeare's Henry V: Without The Potholes

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I previously posted reviews of "The Tempest Without The Potholes", and "King Richard II Without The Potholes." Each of those reviews looked at different aspects of the "Without Potholes" series. I will not repeat them here, but will invite those readers who may wish additional information on the "Without The Potholes" series to peruse those reviews.

What I would like to do here is to take a closer look at another of the series, "King Henry V Without The Potholes."

I'm currently taking a Teaching Company course, called "William Shakespeare: Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies", taught by Professor Peter Saccio, Professor of Shakespearean Studies, Dartmouth College.

Professor Saccio devoted one entire lecture to analyzing just 40 lines from "King Henry V" (the opening 40 lines of Act2, Scene 3). This analysis is what Shakespearean scholars refer to as a "close reading." Professor Saccio's purpose was to make us aware of how a seemingly simple prose narrative can be crammed full of religious, philosophical, physiological, and psychological significance. Such is the genius of Shakespeare.

We were invited to follow along by reading our own copies of "King Henry V" while Professor Saccio pointed out the various details we should be aware of. I used my "King Henry V Without The Potholes" book to follow along. Everything that Professor Saccio pointed out was right there in the book, clear and unequivocal.

To make sure I hadn't missed anything, I reran the lesson the following day, this time following along in my Penguin Shakespeare. This second reading yielded exactly the same results as the first.

Jerry Rubin's purpose in writing the "Without The Potholes" series was to retain virtually all of Shakespeare's original language and meaning, while replacing a few archaic words and phrases with modern equivalents that are more understandable to contemporary readers. After a close reading of "Henry V", I would have to say that Mr. Rubin succeeded admirably.