What
is this forest call’d?
-Archbishop of York
King Henry The Fourth Part II Act IV, scene
i, line 1
The Gaultree Forest is its name. That’s what Hastings tells
him. The name of this forest, or even that’s they’re in a forest, seems
somewhat irrelevant to what goes on in the rest of the scene. Although I suppose
it does give some idea to the sixteenth century theater-goer where the action of
the scene is taking place, assuming that they knew that the Gaultree Forest was
in the north of England, around the area of York.
If we were watching a movie set in NYC and all of a
sudden we’re in the woods, I guess it would be good to know whether we were in
Catskills or in Central Park. That information could be important to an understanding of what’s going on. So, okay, yeah,
it’s relevant.
Gaultree Forest. Got it?
This is my neighbor Dan's house. He lives across that street, and I guess if you asked, those trees behind his house could be referred to as Dan's Woods. However, I think the more important question I have for Dan is what is that Tyrannosaurus Rex doing in your backyard?
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