Henry V – St.Crispin’s Day Speech

Ok, Ok, OK. It’s true. No one cares about St. Crispin’s day as far as I know (or care, frankly). But I don’t need much of an excuse to play one of my all-time favorite Shakespearean speeches, by one of the best actors:

Today is St. Crispin’s Day, dedicated to the patron saint of shoemakers, who was martyred by the Roman Emperor Maximian on this date in 287 A.D. St. Crispin and his brother, St. Crispinian, lived at Soisson in France, where they preached during the day and supported themselves by making shoes at night. It was on St. Crispin’s Day in 1415 that English troops, commanded by King Henry V, engaged the French army near the village of Agincourt in France. Despite being outnumbered nearly six to one, the English pulled off one of the most brilliant victories in English military history. In Shakespeare’s Henry the Fifth, King Henry addresses his troops on the eve of battle with a memorable speech: