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A Leader of Men: A Brief Analysis of the Saint Crispin Crispian Speech Through the Eyes of a Girl

  enry V, King of England and the main character of a Shakespearean play of the same name, as well as a major player in another of Shakespeare’s plays, Henry IV, is one of the greatest leaders of Shakespeare’s plays. In many opinions, Shakespeare gives King Henry some of the most profound and poignant lines out of all of his plays – especially during the speech just before the battle of Agincourt which many know as  the Saint Crispian’s Day speech. In England’s history, Henry V was one of the most beloved kings, leading the English to victory against the French, inspiring his downtrodden troops much the same way as Winston Churchill or Franklin Roosevelt during the World Wars. It’s not known for sure whether or not the actual Henry V said anything as moving or rousing as the Henry V in Shakespeare said, but the phrases like “we band of brothers”, “strip his sleeve and bare his scars”, “for he today that shed his blood with me shall be my brother” are more than enough to compel any man to fight for his cause.

Of all the speeches in Shakespeare’s works, this one is my personal favorite. I don’t particularly like this play, but this speech is my favorite. I first became enamored with the speech when I was a little girl and I saw the movie that was made with Kenneth Branagh as King Henry made in 1989. What struck me so deeply was that, at least in the movie adaptation, Henry was in the forest with his men, bloody, dirty, filthy, when he began to speak – the St. Crispian Day speech – as slowly stood, gartering the attention of those around him, speaking from his heart. He even moved me to fight, and it was just a movie. And I believe that, no matter what actor plays the part of Henry, the speech would be still just as moving, because it’s not the actor who delivers the speech so much as the speech itself that inspires people to action.

Though it’s not Shakespeare himself saying these words in battle, it still sounds as if Henry is speaking from his heart, and in times of war, that’s important. There’s a hint of fear, for in the play, Henry struggles with his own inner doubts, to an extent, that’s seen in the speech. Is he doing the right thing? Is all the fighting worth it? Yet they’re there already, and there’s nothing much more they’re able to do except fight, for if Henry and England were to turn tail, England would be disgraced and possibly taken by France.

For some strange reason, this speech makes me see King Henry V as a man – a mortal – who isn’t always sure of the decisions that he makes and the prices that he and others need to pay because of those decisions. This speech makes him seem human and relatable, and therefore a good leader because his men are able to relate to the things he says and see him not only as their king, but also as a fellow man.

Perhaps I’m being overly romantic about the whole aspect of this speech, but there’s something in it that stirs me – something that I can’t quite name for sure, because I don’t really even know if there is a name for the feeling roused within me. When Henry says, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers – For he today that shed his blood with me shall be my brother,” I want to stand up and clap; I want to embrace him and cheer him (iii,60,61). Should I have been in this world that Shakespeare created here, I would gladly be a blind acolyte to this king, be he wrong or right in all word and deed, because of the passion the words convey to both the fellows and the enemy. I would not want to be on the receiving end of such a tongue, for words are the most powerful weapon of all time; they inspire to begin and end wars, spare lives and take them. Words can inspire passion and  fear, love and loathing, truth and trickery.

Imagine; to be said that you are kin to a king even though you are a lowly peasant-soldier…. What pride that must have inspired in the men who fought that day! This speech could turn even the mousiest of men into the most loyal lion, fierce in battle and a terrifying foe with which to deal because they have those words burning in their ears, their minds, and their hearts. Likewise, Henry says that there will never be a day that goes by during this time of year where people won’t remember the brave things you did – if you live, you’ll remember and be revered until the day you die; if you die, you will live forever in memories. The king has basically given his soldiers immortality, even though many of them might die that day. This king is skilled enough to be able to convince men that they’ll live forever, transcending both time and death. And indeed, these men are still alive today, for the memories of the men and the battle of Agincourt still flourish.

    This also speaks to the character of men with which Henry surrounds himself. He would rather take a brave, loyal peasant than a cowardly, lowly nobleman who uses money to dodge the fighting, who bribes their way out of battle because they are standing members of the court. It seems that King Henry V never lost the tavern-esque memories of Falstaff and those of the Boar’s Head from Henry IV, for Hal (Henry) never seemed to like the members of the court with their falseness and masks. Nay, give him a man who, though scared, won’t back down from battle; give him a man who will stand by their king without false pretenses or niceties. He would rather hold in high esteem a peasant man who will stand by him in battle and give his life for the King.

So, this speech rings deeply inside of many readers, including myself. It stirs such deep emotion in me that I’m not even really sure if there are words with which to describe them. These words spoken are powerful, some of the most powerful that Shakespeare ever wrote. I was a girl when I first encountered this speech, and I fell in love with it, though I don’t particularly care for the play as a whole. This speech also seems to speak to the character of Henry V during this time in his life, for it makes him seem more human and relatable as well as a very learned man to be able to convince men to die for England’s cause. This speech, the speech of Saint Crispin’s day, is enough to rouse and compel any man to fight.