Did you take up my Challenge?
Did you watch the clip and decide how the speech and staging hits all the principles of the MAGIC presentation boxes? Well, here’s what I see.
Message: Remember, Henry’s troops have lost a lot of enthusiasm for his cause. He hears Westmoreland wishing they had more men. Henry’s message is surprising. He doesn’t want one more man to share in the honour that will be theirs by winning the battle. Why should we share the glory with anyone else he says? It would dilute what “we few, we happy few, we band of brothers” are about to achieve. “The fewer men, the greater share of honour.” he says.
This piques the soldiers’ interest. Henry knows he has their attention now because in Branagh’s version he physically moves away to see if they will follow…. and they do.
This is the Gracing the Stage part as I see it. He uses the space to gather all the lords and troops together as he warms to his theme. Now his audience is literally crowded together, unified by the space as Henry, in an elevated position, now unites their minds in resolve and purpose. This is a superb use of space to emphasize the message.
Authenticity: Throughout this speech Henry reveals who he really is and what he stands for. “I am not covetous for gold. Not care I who doth feed upon my cost: It yearns me not if men my garments wear; such outward things dwell no in my desires. But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.” He also says that in this venture we are all equals: “For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother: be he ne’er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition.” He is saying that even the roughest yeoman present today is elevated in social rank to equal the king! Great motivation!
Interest: How does Henry keep them hooked? He paints a picture. He creates a future in which St Crispin’s day forever will belong to each of them. It will be celebrated as a day when they will show their scars to jealous friends and admiring families and remember the glories of this day. “He that shall live this day and see old age will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours and say Tomorrow is St. Crispin. Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars. And say “these wounds I had on St. Crispin’s Day”.
Why painting such a picture works so well as a motivational tool is that each soldier’s version of the future is yet a personal one. They can see in their mind’s eye their own families, friends, villages and contexts. So in reality Henry is creating hundred’s of individual pictures, not just one. Therein lies the genius of the speech for me.
Commitment to Practice: OK, I mentioned this in my last blog that I am cheating a bit here by pointing to Branagh’s stagecraft and the fact that this scene clearly took a great deal of practice!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little exercise. Thanks for indulging me in my passion for Shakespeare and may I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful Holiday Season.
I will be back in the New Year to hopefully paint some pictures for you in which you, like Henry, can rally your own troops and bring motivation and morale to all who hear you.
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You are quite right. It’s when we break the message down and view its elements that its genius appears. Of course the brilliance of this speech is helped by its being delivered by a gifted Shakespearean actor who has no doubt practiced this monologue and received some great coaching along the way! I particularly liked your point about its effectiveness hinging on its personalization. For a message to be powerful and motivating it has to reach us and affect us on a very personal level and appeal to emotional needs. Here it becomes art.