I've just been busy with school and work. I'm an English major (as you probably guessed), and I have to read several hundred pages per week for my classes that I get very little time to read what I desire. This is why my posts have been..."erratic" (read: nonexistant) for the past month.
However, I will leave you with a Shakespearian quote and my take on it.
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 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 sheathed 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 yeoman,
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!'
Henry V is an incredibly deep character, with both positive and negative traits. This speech displays his ability to use emotional pleas to motivate his men (much like the politicians of today try to get votes, though in less flowery language).
First, let us set the stage. Henry's army is laying siege to the city of Harfleur, and they are losing. They have punched a hole in the wall surrounding the city, but every time they try to enter it they are repelled. This city is vital for the continuance of the campaign against France, so Henry needs to rally his men and take the city. He uses his exceptional speaking skills to play on their emotions and get them to attack once more.
The first thing Henry does is begin with "Once more unto the breach, dear friends", which puts them on his level. He is saying that he is one of them, a soldier, not some ruler issuing commands. He is calling his "buddies" to come with him, not commanding subjects to fight while he sits idly by, safe and sound (although that is exactly how it happens). The entire speech is a Machiavellian manipulation of the soldier's emotions.
The second appeal is to their macho, manly side. He compels his men to be as strong and ferocious as tigers. He also tells them to "Stiffen up the sinews, summon up the blood" (an obvious reference to prove their masculinity).
Next he plays on their national and familial pride, saying "On, of you noblest English. Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof." He is basically telling his men to be patriotic and fight for their country as well as fighting to retain their family honor, saying that their fathers fought in wars past and are considered heroes, and if they do not continue the fight they will dishonor their family name.
Finally he makes a case that their cause is righteous and God is on their side, finishing with "...upon this charge Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!" This is actually a summation of all his emotional pleas, because he refers to himself as "Harry" rather than "King Henry V", which reinforces his insinuation that they are all soldiers together. Next, he brings the patriotism back through his reference to England. Finally, he invokes the name of Saint George, the patron saint of England. He is basically saying "God is with us, so how can we lose?"
"Harry" was one heck of a motivational speaker.
And, if you're interested in seeing the darker side, continue reading a little more into the play and you will come upon Henry's speech to the governor of Harfleur, in which he is trying to get them to surrender. He says that if they don't, his men will take the city and then kill all the old people, rape all the women, skewer all the babies on pikes, and burn the city to the ground. Not quite Dr. Phil anymore...
