‘Not one more!’

The prospect of facing daunting odds made his cousin quail, but Henry V acted like a true King.

set in 1415

King Henry V 1413-1422

Introduction

The centrepiece of William Shakespeare’s play Henry V (?1599) is the Battle of Agincourt on October 25th, 1415, when Henry V clashed with the Dauphin (heir to the French crown) in a winner-takes-all struggle for England’s estates in France. That morning, an edgy Duke of Westmoreland regrets not bringing more men from England; but his cousin, King Henry, will have none of such talk.

by William Shakespeare 1564-1616

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 call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this 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 Crispian's day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day.

by William Shakespeare 1564-1616

From ‘Henry V’, by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

Précis

Faced with the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, King Henry V’s courtiers wished they had brought more men. But Henry, mindful of morale, assured them that, on the contrary, he would pay for any quaking heart’s passage home, and promised that to their dying day, veterans of the campaign would be revered as heroes.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why does Henry offer ‘crowns’ to those who are too afraid to fight?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

The English nobles saw the French army. The English were outnumbered five to one. They felt afraid.