King Charles V

Ageless and intimate, Oak Park Festival Theatre's 'Henry V' a spellbinder

Henry V

Oak Park Festival Theatre's new production of "Henry V," performed outdoors in Austin Gardens, is spellbinding and powerful. Tightly and intensely directed by Kevin Theis, all of the 21 cast members bring talent and clarity to their roles. Many sources say this is possibly the most accessible of Shakespeare's history plays. There is plenty of comedy and romance, too.

Belinda Bremner, in modern dress, is a recurring one-person chorus, introducing the play and encouraging us to let our "imaginary forces work" to visualize the battlefields and other far-flung locales. Shakespeare, well aware that his play's vast setting was impossible to recreate within the confines of a theater, created this role to remind us we should not expect to witness total reality. It was a wise choice to have a contemporary narrator breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience. She immediately draws us in, making the 411-year-old play seem less distant or historically remote.

The Festival Theatre interns are also utilized in many scenes, often in headsets with clipboards. They too create a sense of immediacy and add a welcoming and fascinatingly contemporary slant. This smart device creates a kind of special, backstage intimacy that draws us in. These young people do not function simply as stagehands, however, but actually participate in a number of scenes, including the rigorous battles.

Dennis Grimes is confidant and commanding as young King Henry, the key central character, who must convince his followers that he's capable of decisive action and strong leadership.

Comically using a blackboard and cut-out paper portraits like a show-and-tell presentation, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Kevin O'Brien) discusses confusing claims to the French throne, based on Henry's distant roots in the French royal family and some blurry land rights issues. A French ambassador (Joe Bianco) and others squabble over old boundaries and treaties.

Stoic, statesmanlike King Charles of France (Kevin O'Brien) has a pompous son, the Dauphin, who insults Henry V. The new English king, royally ticked off, decides to gather his troops and embark upon an invasion of France. He is leading his men to battle for the first time, and outwits traitors in his midst in the process.

Dariusz caballeros: Hungarian Hussars of king Charles I of Spain

Equine history, especially Polish, Eurasian and American horsemanship and its history - from Bronze Age to the end of the American Indian Wars. Historical equestrian art, my own artwork & reconstructions, and some traditional art media and digital artwork-related topics. All my text and my own art etc - all rights reserved unless permitted by 'Dariusz caballeros' aka DarioTW La gente de caballo que vino con el Rey [...]  trajo el Rey novecientos caballos húngaros , que a mi juicio son de los mejores caballos del mundo , y así lo mostraron en la guerra de Sajonia en el año 46, y agora en esta del 47. Las armas que traen son lanzas largas, huecas y gruesas , y dan grande encuentro con ellas; traen escudos o tablachinas hechos de manera, que abajo son anchos, y así lo son hasta el medio, y del medio arriba por la parte de delante vienen enangostándose hasta que acaban en una punta, que les sube por la cabeza; son acombados como paveses; algunos traen jacos de malla . En estas tablachinas pintan y ponen divisas a su modo, que parecen harto bien; traen cimitarras y estoques juntamente muchos dellos, y unos martillos en unas astas largas, de que se ayudan muy bien. Muestran grande amistad a los españoles, porque, como ellos dicen, los unos y los otros bien de los scitas. [..]. Hussars [...] the King brought 900 Hungarian horses, that in my judgment they are the best horses(horsemen) in the world, and in such manner they proved themselves in the Saxon war of '46 and now in this one of '47 ( Schmalkaldic War ). The weapons they carry are the following ones: long lances, hollow and thick, and they give big blow (give a large meeting) with them.  They carry shields or bucklers made in this manner, that are wide at the bottom, and in that manner they are until the middle, from the middle up on the external part they become narrower until they end in a point, that passes above the head; the shields are rounded inside like the pavises; some carry coats of mail. These shields they paint and put/attach symbols on them in their own manner,  and they seem really good. Many of them carry sabres and estoques/tucks (koncerze)  together, and some war hammers with a long handle, and that they made great use of those (warhammers). They show great friendship towards the Spanish, because, as they say, the Hungarians and Spanish come from the Scythians. [...

The history of the reign of the Emperor Charles V.

The historians' history of the world

Emperor Charles V, impresario of war, campaign strategy, international finance, and domestic politics

The Works of William Robertson: The history of the reign of the emperor Charles V, with a view of the progress of society in Europe

History of the reign of Charles the Fifth