Henry V Act 4 Scene 3
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers-"
One of the many recognisable quotes from Shakespeare, but do we know who said it, why it was said, or the effect that these words had on the listener? They are far more than simply emotive, to be spoken on stage, but part of one of the great shining examples of military patriotism to date. It stirs up honour, courage and excitement in the audience, and makes heroic, one of the most brutal inventions of mankind-War.
King Henry the Fifth's speech to his army, before battle, on the fields of Agincourt shows the full extent of Shakespeare's talent for persuasive language. Henry was a man with a mission, he felt called by God to confirm the Plautagenet dynasty on the throne of England, and to unite the thrones of England and France. The speech is used by Henry to rally his troops together, to put to rest their worries, and to assure them that they will be victorious, even though they are all exhausted, cold wet and hungry. He somehow tries to justify the carnage and mass-slaughter that is about to take place and speaks of the ultimate honour of dying in battle.
The scene begins when Lord Gloucester asks the other Lord's where the King is and Lord Bedford tells him that he has gone to view the enemy's army. They then talk about how terribly outnumbered they are (30,000 to 7,000) and Lord Westmorland wishes that they had some of the men that were not present, but safe in England. Henry has returned and overheard their conversation and decides to use Westmorland's doubt in their ability, to his advantage.
Henry asks, 'What's he that wishes so?' He then shows then that he has no doubt in their ability ...
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The scene begins when Lord Gloucester asks the other Lord's where the King is and Lord Bedford tells him that he has gone to view the enemy's army. They then talk about how terribly outnumbered they are (30,000 to 7,000) and Lord Westmorland wishes that they had some of the men that were not present, but safe in England. Henry has returned and overheard their conversation and decides to use Westmorland's doubt in their ability, to his advantage.
Henry asks, 'What's he that wishes so?' He then shows then that he has no doubt in their ability by saying, 'If we are mark'd to die, we are enough.' He tries to persuade them, 'The fewer men, the greater share of honour,' and the mention of shared honour from a King, immediately grabs the crowd's attention. He passionately adds, 'God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.' Henry does not wish to share this select honour that will be bestowed upon them.
Here Shakespeare cleverly asks and answers a question to move the character from speaking to a person to speaking to a group.
Then, Henry explains to the crowd that he is not covetous of riches but is covetous of honour, 'if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.' and does not want to share that honour with one man more and begs his cousin to take back his wish for more men. He repeats the plea to his cousin from earlier for emphasis.
Shakespeare at this point writes so that Henry seems to be almost thinking out loud and suddenly brings him back to talking to Westmorland.
He offers any man who does not want to fight, safe passage home and money for the journey. For, 'We would not die in that man's company,that fears his fellowship to die with us.' Henry uses the royal 'we' to imply that everyone shares his opinion.
Henry reminds the crowd that this day is St Crispian's Day (25th October), a day associated with the martyrdom of two brothers. He tells them that on the anniversary of this day, every man who has survived the battle will celebrate with pride. He'll show his war-wounds, recall his deeds and remember his fallen comrades. He'll teach his children of the events so that what took place that day shall never be forgotten.
Here, Shakespeare gradually builds up the rhythm, slowly creating more and more tension.
He describes the men gathered there as 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,' a small but select few, ready to die for their cause. He also promises the troops that any man who fights with him, he will think of as his brother, no matter how low his social status may be, 'This day shall gentle his condition.' This view is also expressed in Rupert Brooke's poem, 'The Dead,' when he says, 'There's none of these so lonely and poor of old.'
"And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhood's cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
Henry ends the speech by telling the crowd that any of the men in England, not with them, will be ashamed in the presence of anyone who fought on St Crispian's Day.
Shakespeare brings the growing tension of this magnificent speech to a triumphant crescendo. And probably at this point in the original performance, the crowd begins to cheer.
The only proper way to read a play is to imagine the scene in your head, being acted out in front of you. If you could imagine this scene as it was originally staged, you would have seen Henry slowly take centre stage as the speech progressed and because of Shakespeare's haunting rhythm (iambic pentameter,) there would probably have been a drum beat in the background, get louder and louder.
The speech is thought of as one of Shakespeare's finest and has brought encouragement and guidance to some real-life military leaders. President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy loved the speech (RFK could recite it by heart), and when Sir Winston Churchill inspired the British in World War II with his words, "Never, in the field of human conflict, has so much been owed by so many to so few," he undoubtedly had Henry V's speech ("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers") in mind.
This famous scene from a military epic, does not entirely justify war, but rather shows how hundreds of people can be sucked-in by clever propaganda.
