Dramatization Of Holinshed Historical Texts By Shakespeare (Essay Sample)

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Dramatization of Holinshed historical texts by Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Holinshed’s Chronicles and other dramatic works were not born solely of the author's mind. The Holinshed’s Chronicles like many other of his literary works were well known in the ancient England, Scotland, and Ireland. Shakespeare retrieves history and often made adjustments to produce dramatic moments and to emphasize new meanings. Shakespeare used a functional approach to the historical works. The Holinshed Chronicles reveal an important aspect of this approach in the creation of Henri V.
Shakespeare uses these historical settings in the transition of the plot by converting some of the narration into dramatic directions. He retells the story in a unique manner that is popular among the theatrics. The similarities in the play are deeper than a mere transference of the historical plot. He takes the words directly from the chronicles and incorporates them into his plays taking the many premonition verbatim for his work. Shakespeare is equally as open about using the Holinshed Chronicles to show an indebtedness to his source.
Some of the other ways in which Shakespeare uses is to change the narration into the characters dialogue. With only a few exceptions in the play, Shakespeare follows the historical perspectives carefully but also adds more dramatic details to all character’s (major and minor characters).
As seen earlier, it is clear that Shakespeare based most of his work and in some instances almost exclusively on the Holinshed narrative of the ancient English characters. Although the texts might have slight inconsistencies, the plot line that Henry V follows remains intact in Shakespeare drama. In most cases, he changes the language of the narration but recollects the quintessence of the story. Besides the story is connecting although the language differs in some scenes. Shakes only deviate from the originality of the Holinshed Chronicles on many occasions for a variety of reason. First, he varies from originality to increase the effects of dramatization and to increase the meaning of his texts. These deviations give Shakespeare a chance to dramatize events that readers can relate. Besides. It helps him connect with the audience that is reading a familiar text which they can prove its historical background. Through this dramatization, the readers can be able to understand the plot and various themes that Shakespeare wants to achieve in this play.
One of the key issues in Shakespeare’s work was the way he was able to transform historical works into staged drama using unique words and other literary styles to improve the themes and the plot. Most of the ancient readers were not able to understand these ideas. For example, Shakespeare writes “May never glorious sun reflex his beams upon the country where you make abode: But darkness and the gloomy shade of death Environ you, till mischief and despair. Drive you to break your necks or hang yourselves” (Shakespeare 1.4.38-42). This is an excerpt that is borrowed from Holinshed Chronicles “It is reported by writers, that amongst other things, as there were diverse, which withdrew the hearts of the Englishmen from Lewes, the consideration of the confession which the viscount of Melune made at the hour of his death, was the principal” (Hol. iii. 197/2/40), but has been transformed by Shakespeare to create a dramatic and appealing scene.
However, many readers today read Shakespeare’s work and are able to see them through a literary light. Most of Shakespeare work was designed for theater. Thus the historical perspectives were one of the principal sources that Shakespeare thought would be easy to be transformed into plays for theater. Creating a new story that people would not be able to understand would be difficult for Shakespeare to dramatize. Besides, it would take long for the audience to familiarize with Shakespeare work if he relied on his creativity while writing plays. Therefore he needed a source that both readers and the actors in the theaters would easily familiarize as well as enjoy. At the same time dramatizing such historical happening would help Shakespeare to expose some of the ills of the society. Most of Shakespeare plays were meant to expose the evils that were existing in the society.
There were many things that Shakespeare did not like in his historical perspective. Therefore, he needed to present them in the best way possible he understood them and which...