Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that the great, rallying speech William Shakespeare's Henry V makes to his English troops before the decisive battle of Agincourt contains some of Shakespeare's greatest heroic poetry. The writer points out that the great king Henry V in the play and later in the movie based upon Shakespeare's play becomes one of the common soldiers, and also, in his rhetoric elevates the common soldiers to the level of a king. The writer discusses that this form of motivation by teaching leadership, and showing a personal interest in others is not only applicable to a medieval scene of battle, but also to today's organizations, according to the 'Leadership Engine' by Noel M. Tichy. The writer maintains that Tichy's writings are especially applicable to "Henry V" because Tichy suggests that more so than a specific cause, fostering leadership and confidence in leadership is important.

From the Paper:

" In Kenneth Branagh's film, Henry V's face is smeared with dirt, and he is no longer the young, attractive, and careless leader of the beginning of the film. That king lead his nation heedlessly into a foolish war, to regain the French territories lost to Henry's predecessors. Despite the fact that the English troops were lesser in number, they proved greater in valor, and against all odds, they triumphed. But because Henry's war is based on a fairly tenuous claim, when the English army realized they were outnumbered, the men were angry and resentful. They had suffered on the long campaign, and they had forgotten what they were fighting for in the first place. Without a sense of mission, most of the men would rather go home. Shakespeare's Henry knew he needed to motivate the English soldiers, restore his legitimacy as a king and leader in their eyes, and give them a common purpose, even if the purpose is only tenuously based in rhetoric. Essentially, in the speech he rolls up his sleeves and acts like a common soldier and appeals to English grit and sense of honor. They have come so far, how can they turn back now, he asks?"

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Henry V." (1989). Directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh.
• Shakespeare, William. "Henry V." The Shakespeare Homepage. Retrieved 28 Apr 2008 at http://shakespeare.mit.edu/henryv/index.html
• Tichy, Noel M. (2007). The Leadership Engine. New York: HarperCollins.

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