Henry V: St. Crispin's Eve (excerpts)

[Anubis1947]

"Rather proclaim it ... that he who hath no stomach for this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made and crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man's company that fears his fellowship to die with us. ....... and Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered; we few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition: and gentlemen in England now abed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhood cheap while any speaks that fought with us upon St. Crispin's day."

 

[Oliver Clozoff]

What a great, fightin' speech!

Here's the more famous one from the king exhorting his men to fight fiercely against the cursed French:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let it pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon: let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide;
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English,
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof-
Fathers that like so many Alexanders
Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument.
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeomen,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding- which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

I can't help but agree with ol' Hank that "in peace nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility; but when the blast of war blows in our ears", we should "imitate the action of a tiger."

Ecclesiastes proclaims "to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven... a time to kill, a time to heal".

This seems to be our breaking point. Let's go get 'em!

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

At the end of the play the Chorus reminds us that soon after Henry's glorious victory England again lost the French throne, so all the fighting and speeches were for naught. The play takes no sides regarding the value or foolishness of manly rhetoric -- but it does present both sides for sober reflection.