Henrry V's Speech

Henry V’s speech

Henry V’s speech from the play Henry V, written by William Shakespeare, is a speech made by Henry V before the Battle of Agincourt, were English soldiers fought the French invaders. It is also an example of dramatic poetry. Shakespeare always gave royalty line of poetry in his plays, since it was the suitable language of highborn men. It is dramatic because it was meant to beperformed in front of an audience. The speech is written in verse and has rhythm and rhyme. “But when the blast of war blows in our cars.” “Cray “Good for Harry, England and Saint George!”
The theme of Henry V’s speech is war and contrasting human behavior when they are in peacetime and at war. “But when the blast of war blows in or cars, them imitate the action of the tiger” In this quotation itis stated what man do at war. “In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man. As modest stillness and humility.” And here what men do in peacetime. There are also secondary themes, such as loyalty, parenthood and bravery. “Follow your spirit, and upon this charge. Cry, “Good for Harry, England and Saint George!”” The previous quotation is an example of loyalty while “Fathers that like so manyAlexanders…” is an example of bravery. The king is addressing his men and he calls them “dear fiends” to show that they are close to him, this is because he must persuade them to fight and die for their king and for their nation. We know they have been at war before because he summons them to the breach “one more”. The king says men should be modest, calm and temperate in peacetime but they shouldbehave like “tigers” at war. The tiger is a symbol of strength, courage and power but also of cruelty.
At the beginning of the speech, the tone is friendly. Henry V calls them “friends”. This shows that they are close to him. He encourage them to fight as tigers, the tiger is a symbol of strength, courage and power but also of cruelty and savagery. He doesn’t call them lions because the lion is asymbol of royalty. He is the lion and they should be like tigers. At this point he changes the tone to an authoritative and imperative. “Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood”. Henry V’s tone is personal and elevating when he says, “I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips.” He urges them to get ready for the attack and also asks them to look like “brass commons” which terrify men at war. Heuses the image of a rock that can educe the power of the sea, to encourage them to be hard and firm. The king tells to set their teeth, as a sign of anger and resolution and to “stretch the nostril wide” that is to say, to take a deep breath, before they attack. “On, on, you noblest English2. He calls them noble to them fell proud and he also makes reference to parenthood when reminds them of thepatriotism of his fathers whom also endured wars “fathers of war-proof”.
The point of view is the kin’s point of view. He is the king of England. He is addressing and persuading his men to fight for their country. The men he is talking are not just soldiers, they are countrymen, “And you, good yeomen”. In order to persuade them he made them believe that they are close friends, and so he persuadesthem to sight.
The purpose of Henry V’s speech is to persuade the men to fight for their country and for their king. “Show us here the mettle of your pasture; let us swear that you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;” By different phrases, the king makes it efficient.
The external structure consists of 34 lines. The speech’s length is medium. This is because as the war matter is a veryimportant subject he should not write a short speech. On the other hand, as war is a very urgent topic he should not write a long speech. The internal structure, starts by addressing his men, by making contact with them.
In Henry V’s speech the diction is a mixture of simple and sophisticated words. He is taking to a mixed audience, that’s why he refers to the farmers as “good yeomen”. There are...