A Machiavellian Framing of Power Dynamics in Shakespeare\u27s Henry V as Adapted by Olivier, Branagh, and the BBC\u27s Hollow Crown

Niccolo Machiavelli\u27s work The Prince (1532) proposed a pragmatic way of acquiring and maintaining power that profoundly and controversially influenced Renaissance understandings of rule. The principles outlined in The Prince shape the power dynamics in William Shakespeare\u27s Henry V (1599), as well as Prince Hal\u27s layered and complicated rise to rule throughout the Henriad. Archival study of late sixteenth-century pamphlets reveal the strong though countercurrents in response to Machiavellianism in England. Nonetheless, The Prince has long been seen as a model for Shakespeare\u27s portrayal of Henry V\u27s monarchal power. Film adaptations of Henry V rely upon the distinct vocabulary of cinema to wrestle with this problematic model of kingship. A trio of adaptations-- Laurence Olivier (1944), Kenneth Branagh (1989), and BBC\u27s Hollow Crown (2012)-- take related and contrasting approaches to balancing Henry\u27s benevolent morality against his more Machiavellian manipulations. Extra-textual materials including historic context, director biography, and the means of production especially influence the more recent productions of Henry V\u27s character in Branagh and the BBC. Specifically, the legacy left by Olivier, Branagh\u27s personal biography, the mentor- mentee relationship between Branagh and the star Tom Hiddleston in the Hollow Crown series all respectively impact the depiction of power dynamics in the films