Monday, January 14, 2019

Due Wednesday, January 16th - Shakespeare of the Day - Henry V



Overview and class discussion: Please read the following background material and the speech from Henry V. Also, view the three performances of Henry V. Take note of the time period in which each was made. What was going on in world at the time? How did time impact the performances?

Homework:  Compose a blog response attending to the following:  1) How do the soldiers feel at the beginning of the scene.  2)  How does Shakespeare's King Henry appeal to his solider's emotions (pathos) using their belief in honor, 3) historical allusions, and 4) repetition?  5)  How do the soldiers feel now? Use five direct examples from the text, one for each question.



Background: Although Shakespeare penned this work nearly two hundred years after the Battle of Agincourt (1415), it remains the finest dramatic interpretation of what leadership meant to the men in the Middle Ages. Prior to the Battle, Henry V had led his English footmen across Northwestern France, seizing Calais and other cities in an attempt to win back holds in France that had once been in English possession and to claim the French crown through the obscure but powerful Salig Law. The French, aware of Henry's troops weaking condition because of their distance from England and the attacks of Dysentery that had plagued the dwindling band, moved between King Henry and Calais, the port he needed to reach in order to return to England. The troops followed Henry's band along the rivers, preventing their crossing and daring them to a battle they thought they could not win. The English knights fought on foot after the manner devised by Edward III. Archers were to be used in support, the English and Welsh longbows having established their credentials both at Crecy (1347) and at Poiters (1356). But here the French seemed to have sufficient numbers to deal with even this threat, and they refused to allow Henry pass, angered by the English seizure of the cities. Morale in the English line as they looked upon the overwhelming force of heavily armoured, highly skilled French knights must have been extremely low. King Henry, rising to the occasion, spoke words of encouragement that rallied the English troops and carried them to a victory. As a result of the victory the French Princess Catherine was betrothed to Henry V, and France and England were at peace for the remainder of Henry's short life. He perished of dysentery in 1422, but was survived by his son (Henry VI) and was buried at Westminster Abbey, close to the shrine of Edward the Confessor.

Although the speech below is a work of fiction, it is evocative of the spirit with which Henry--and all strong medieval kings--ruled through the strength of their convictions and by force of their personality.


GLOUCESTER
Where is the king?

BEDFORD
The king himself is rode to view their battle.

WESTMORELAND
Of fighting men they have full three score thousand.

EXETER
There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh.

SALISBURY
God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds.
God be wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge:
If we no more meet till we meet in heaven,
Then, joyfully, my noble Lord of Bedford,
My dear Lord Gloucester, and my good Lord Exeter,
And my kind kinsman, warriors all, adieu!

BEDFORD
Farewell, good Salisbury; and good luck go with thee!

EXETER
Farewell, kind lord; fight valiantly to-day:
And yet I do thee wrong to mind thee of it,
For thou art framed of the firm truth of valour.

Exit SALISBURY

BEDFORD
He is full of valour as of kindness;
Princely in both.

Enter the KING

WESTMORELAND
O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING HENRY V
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to 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.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day 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 a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Re-enter SALISBURY

SALISBURY
My sovereign lord, bestow yourself with speed:
The French are bravely in their battles set,
And will with all expedience charge on us.

KING HENRY V
All things are ready, if our minds be so.

WESTMORELAND
Perish the man whose mind is backward now!

KING HENRY V
Thou dost not wish more help from England, coz?

WESTMORELAND
God's will! my liege, would you and I alone,
Without more help, could fight this royal battle!

KING HENRY V
Why, now thou hast unwish'd five thousand men;
Which likes me better than to wish us one.
You know your places: God be with you all!


Persuasive techniques employed by King Henry:

PATHOS: Appeal to the emotions, values or prejudices of the audience.

LOGOS: Appeal to logic or reason.

ETHOS: Ask for the audience to believe or agree with the speaker based on their credibility/trustworthiness.

  • Acknowledge an opponent and/or their opposing viewpoint or argument
  • Cite evidence from credible authorities, make historical references or quote well-known texts
  • Mention an individual’s experience or tell a story from personal history
  • Compare/contrast events, things, ideas
  • Use figurative language, such as metaphors, similes, alliteration

Henry V - 1944 - Laurence Olivier



Henry V - 1988 - Kenneth Brannagh





Independence Day - 1996 - Bill Pullman



13 comments:

  1. Drew Wachtel

    At the beginning of the scene the soldiers were all talking about how they are going to die and saying goodbyes to each other for what they thought was the last time. They were also saying that they were heavily outnumbered. For example, when Exeter said “ There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh.” In king henry's speech he tells his soldiers that if we win you guys will all be famous all around England. He said that if you look at my arm these are wounds from the battle on the feast of Crispian. It really changed his soldiers moods because the king gave them a lot of motivation and purpose going in to the battle. The soldiers now feel ready to go fight after king henry's pep talk because he gave them hope. For example in the play Westmoreland says “God's will! my liege, would you and I alone,
    Without more help, could fight this royal battle! You can now see how much of a impact a pep talk can do to a depressed group of soldiers. That pep talk won them the battle.


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  2. Abhi Sharma

    At the beginning of the scene, the soldiers feel like they should call for backup and that they are outnumbered they are also saying their goodbyes to each other because they think they are not going to make it out alive. King Henery appeals to his soldiers by giving a long speech, in his speech he mentions that the “fewer men there are, the greater share of honor” which means if we win the war with fewer men we will not be forgotten, we will be rembered, we will be legends. He motivates the soldiers and gives them hope. Now the soldiers are feeling ready to go win this war after King Henery long speech and says “ May God Be With You All”.

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  3. Lucas Kaufman

    The scene of Shakespeare’s “Henry V” in question starts off with the army of English soldiers about to charge into the Battle of Agincourt, surrounded by a French army with advantages in both territory (the battle took place on French soil) and size (the English were outnumbered 5:1). As such, morale was quite low among the English troops because their disadvantages made any hope of not being completely massacred, let alone winning, seem far-fetched. It is after Lord Westmoreland made a remark about how he wishes more men were fighting with them that Henry V himself walked on and began to give a great speech to rally his troops. Henry V’s speech began with him telling Westmoreland that fewer men is equal to a greater share of honor among those who do fight, even being bold enough to say any man who questions his will to fight could step back and go home, for that meant even greater honor for those who stayed and fought. He pointed out that the day of the battle happened to be on a national English holiday, the Feast Day of Saint Crispin (or Crispian), and told the soldiers that they who fought would be honored on that day with Saint Crispin, once more appealing to their desire for honor. The speech ended up greatly succeeding in its goal of rallying the troops and they fought, renewed in spirit and morale, pulling off a miraculous victory.

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  4. Lucy E. 1/15/19
    1 In the beginning of the scene the soldiers are feeling outnumbered and as if this is farewell. “God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds.”2 King Henry V feels bad for the soldiers and knows there won’t be many coming home, if they don’t make it back it was an honor for them to serve for the English Crown.To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.”3 He knows no matter what the outcome their efforts will be remembered. “And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd;”4 The king constantly throughout his small monologue is talking about this new “Crispin's day.'”5 After the speech the soldiers are braver and ready to face what comes ahead, “The French are bravely in their battles set, And will with all expedience charge on us.”

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  5. Julia:
    How do the soldiers feel at the beginning of the scene
    “God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds. God be wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge: If we no more meet till we meet in heaven”
    The soldiers were almost certain that they would perish during this conquest but with the help of King Henry’s speech, they gained the courage and strength to fight on.

    How does Shakespeare's King Henry appeal to his solider's emotions (pathos) using their belief in honor
    The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
    Henry used what was valued most by the knights to manipulate them into putting more effort into their fight and it worked.
    historical allusions??
    Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart
    Repetition???
    This day is called the feast of Crispian: He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
    The king tells the knights how famous they could be if they lived through this battle and that's what helps them succeed
    How do the soldiers feel now?
    Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester, Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world
    The soldiers feel hopeful as if they could win the battle, and they do!!

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  6. Peyton Levental

    In the beginning you can tell how gloomy the soldiers were, "There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh." it seems like all hope was lost for them, until King Henry V gave a speech, acknowledging the soldiers pain, "We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us." King Henry understands what they are going through so he tries is best to lift their spirits. He repeats this sentence again, "That fears his fellowship to die with us." This shows us how important this is meant to be. This quote means that the fear of the soldiers will die in the battle, they wont be afraid anymore. After his big speech the men roar in cheer. They instantly feel better, "God's will! my liege, would you and I alone, Without more help, could fight this royal battle!" They are starting to have more hope and trusting God to help their fear. King Henry says at the end, "All things are ready, if our minds be so." This means that they are physical ready for the battle but now they have to be mentally.

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  7. Ben Worthley



    1. At the beginning the scene the soldiers were scared that they were going to die. They were outnumbered and tired. They were far away from home and the French were fresh and in their homeland. The soldiers thought they were going to die. “There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh.”
    2. In the story king Henry spoke to the men as his equals, not as his men. That is probably a fantasy for the king would never do that in real life. He gave a speech before the battle like every king did but he did not appeal to his men's emotions like the king in the play did.
    3. The play is historical fiction so there are real elements in the play. The battle happened but the speech was right out of Shakespeare mind. The play probably adds more things in too.
    5. After the speech, the soldiers are ready for battle. The king appealed to his men's emotions so he could get them ready because they were not ready for battle. The men go into battle and win and get to go home. The king said that anyone that wants to leave he will let them. No one does. Because the king speech did its purpose.


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  8. Evan Brenner

    In the beginning, the soldiers are feeling scared because they are being outnumbered by a lot. Also some could be hurt. “No, my fair cousin: If we are mark'd to die, we are enow To do our country loss; and if to live,The fewer men, the greater share of honour”. King Henry appeals to his soldiers by giving them a pep talk and trying to boost their confidence a little bit. “We would not die in that man's company. That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is called the feast of Crispian”. After the speech by King Henry all of the soldiers gain a lot more confidence.
    “But we in it shall be remember'd;
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he today that sheds his blood with me.”
    ''And rouse him at the name of Crispian.''
    ''Will stand a tiptoe when the day is named.”

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  9. Gannon Sylvester
    English ©
    1/16/19
    At the beginning of the scene, the soldiers were very scared and fearful. Usually, that would be the case before anyone goes to fight in almost, certain death.
    However throughout the scene, King Henry V makes a compelling speech to his troops and makes them know that God is with them through this tough battle. And finally, around the end of the scene, his troops feel good about their chances of winning this battle, and sure enough, they do.

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  10. Mitch Keamy

    In the beginning of the scene, the soldiers are reluctant to go to battle because they are certain that they won’t make it. “God's arm strike with us! 'tis a fearful odds.God be wi' you, princes all; I'll to my charge,” said salisbury before exiting.
    King henry appealed to the soldiers’ pride by saying they would be known around england/famous “Familiar in his mouth as household words.”
    Stumped
    King Henry repeats ‘Crispin’ and ‘Crispian’ to get the thought of being famous in their minds. King Henry uses the idea of being known as the soldiers from ‘crispins day’ and motivating them with fame.
    After the speech that King Henry gave, the soldiers were pumped up and ready to fight in the battle. “God's will! my liege, would you and I alone, Without more help, could fight this royal battle!” said Westmoreland.

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  11. Sophia Lakos

    At the beginning of the scene, the soldiers did not seem very hopeful, they were saying goodbye to each other “Farewell, good Salisbury; and good luck go with thee!” said by Bedofrd who thinks this will be the last time they encounter each other. Which shows they don’t have much confidence in suceeding in the “Battle of Agincourt.” To relate to the soldiers King Henry V gives an encouraging speech that should make the men gain confidence. He mentions how he understands they don’t think they will put up a fight but still says “To do our country loss; and if to live,The fewer men, the greater share of honour.” Which is he saying how even if they lose many men they will still be known for putting up a good fight, which is a good achievement.
    A historical allusion in this scene is “That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is called the feast of Crispian.” Crispian seems to be something they used to celebrate, it is used when someone comes back home safe. As for repetition “Crispian” is used a lot especially in the king's speech, it was said a lot to try and make what he was saying sound more motivational since Crispian is important to all of them.
    After the big speech, the king made the men seemed ready for battle, they had more confidence then they started out with. “All things are ready, if our minds be so.” This is what King Henry said which I think means that a person mindset is very important in order to something. The men had to believe they could win and want to win before they even went into battle. The speech King Henry made helped the men so after he spoke the men were ready for battle

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  12. Shah behesty

    In Shakespeare’s Henry V, we can probably witness how pessimistic and unfavourable the English Knights were feeling at the start of the battle of Agincourt while keeping in mind how sturdy the French were in all aspects, “(4) Exeter: There’s five to one, besides, they all are fresh” This phrase indicates how powerful the opponent is comparing from the minority in King Henry’s troop. This affected the soldiers getting all dejected adding on the strike of epidemic dysentery take over the lives of dwindling group. However, putting forth King Henry’s choice of day to battle with fewer men in this occasion of Saint crispian believed to be applauding and sacred by getting sacrificed in The battle for the sake of the Honour that shall be passed after the death. It has been highlighted how The King has made himself equivalent to his English Knights feelings and status by giving value to this specific day of Saint crispian and levitating the soul of those less armoured by implementing the value of fewer being superior in number as it’s about the braveness and courage that counts which could be certainly found in the minimal to reach the finishing of every war, Henry V attempted to appeal to the soldiers by challenging their power of willingness to win the battle, this also acknowledged what leadership meant to a King and his armies. For instance,
    (King Henry V) “If we are mark’d to die, we are enow, To do our country loss; and if to live, The Fewer men, the greater share of honour. God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more, By jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I do who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires: But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive”.
    This specific dialogue by him shows a little bit of historical allusion about honour in great personalities of Men and Knights that used to bypass the worth of Money in general sense proven in old times. A complete devotion in Country’s love and honor was considered the highest respect an individual might ever get which King Henry V has used as a way to change the minds of discouraged soldiers and clearing out misconceptions of numbers are nothing infront of a powerful intention. While the most repetitive phrase was The “Saint Crispian’s day”

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  13. At the beginning of the scene, the soldiers did not seem very hopeful, they were saying goodbye to each other. Which shows they don’t think they will get out alive. When king henry hears this he gives an encouraging speech that should help the men gain confidence.
    He mentions how he understands they don’t think they will put up a fight but still says “To do our country loss; and if to live,The fewer men, the greater share of honour.” Which is him saying even if we lose many men they will still be known for putting up a good fight, which is a good achievement.
    An allusion in this scene is “That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is called the feast of Crispian.” After the big speech, the king made the men inspired and ready for battle, they had more confidence then they started out with. “All things are ready, if our minds be so.” This is what King Henry said which I think means that a person mindset is very important in order to something. The men had to believe they could win and want to win before they even went into battle. The speech King Henry made helped the men so after he spoke the men were ready for battle

    james kiladis

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Due Friday, June 14th - All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Mr. Pellerin's Freshmen English

Overview :  Go back to our first blog, and walk through the 2018-2019 school year.  Revisit the books we read and our class responses.  Look...