St. Crispins Day Speech

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The St. Crispins day speech (also St. Crispins day speech , Crispins day speech , St. Crispians speech , speech on St. Crispianus day or St. Crispians speech ) is a well-known speech from the royal drama Heinrich V . by William Shakespeare , with which the titular Henry V of England cheers on his troops before the battle of Azincourt on October 25, 1415. October 25th is dedicated to Saints Crispinus and Crispinianus .

Background in the piece

King Heinrich gives the speech in the third scene of act four, which takes place at dawn on St. Crispins' day. The English troops are tired and emaciated after long marches. 12,000 exhausted English soldiers face 60,000 well-rested enemies. Heinrich also assesses the chances of his troops correspondingly poorly ( "Indeed, the French can bet twenty French crowns against one that they will beat us because they carry them on their own shoulders" , King Heinrich, Act IV, Scene 1 ).

Heinrich speaks to them to encourage his desperate officers, vassals, and soldiers. He succeeds in inspiring his men and increasing their morale. You accomplish the seemingly impossible and crush the outnumbered opponent. While ten thousand French fell, the English ended up counting only 29 dead, as found in Act IV, Scene 8.

speech

The king's nobles and officers, Gloster, Bedford, Westmoreland, Exeter and Salisbury, fear the impending onslaught of the French. Heinrich enters. His cousin, the Earl of Westmoreland, implores:

"Oh, if we had
only ten thousand of the people in England who are out of
work today!"

Heinrich initially answers him directly and then leads on to a motivating speech to everyone present.

Original English version German translation by August Wilhelm von Schlegel

What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honor.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honor,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honor
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. 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 nam'd,
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 neighbors,
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. Then shall our names,

Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Who wished so?
My cousin Westmoreland? - No, best cousin:
Destined to die, we are enough
to lose our country; and when we live,
the smaller the number, the greater honor part.
As god willing! Just don't want one more!
With Zeus, I have no greed for gold,
nor do I ask who lives at my expense,
I am not offended when they wear my clothes;
My mind is not on such external things:
But if it is sin, stingy on honor,
I am the guiltiest mind that lives.
No, cousin, do not wish a man from England:
By God! For my best hope I don’t give
away so much honor as a man
would withdraw more from me. O do not wish one more!
Better to call out in the army, Westmoreland,
That everyone who does not feel like
fighting may just go; give him his passport
and put travel money in his purse:
We do not want to die in the company
who shuns community with our death.

Today's day is called Crispianus' festival:
The one who survived it and got home,
Will stand on the jump, is called this day,
And move by the name of Crispianus.
Anyone who stays alive today and comes to years,
gives a festival on holy evening every year
and says: "Tomorrow is Saint Crispian!",
Then pulls on his sleeves, shows his scars
and says: "I received on Crispin's day the. "

The ancients are forgetful; but when all is
forgotten, he will still remember,
with many an addition, what he
did for pieces that day : then our names,
familiar to his mouth like everyday words,
Henry the King, Bedford, Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloster ,
Freshly considered with their full bowls!
The brave man teaches his son the fairy tale ,
And never from today until the end of the world
Will Crispin Crispian pass by,
That we shouldn't be mentioned,
Us wen'ge, happy bunch of us brothers:
For whoever sheds his blood with me today,
He'll be my brother;
no matter how low it is, today will ennoble its class.
And nobles 'in England, now in bed',
once curse that they were not here,
And become meek when someone speaks who
fought with us on Santa Crispinus Day.

Literary criticism

The rhetoric of the king's address, like the play itself, is exceptional in the context of Shakespeare's oeuvre. Thematically it is a tour de force and presents motifs from the tetralogy and Aeschylic or Wagnerian transmutations. At the beginning of the speech, Heinrich inverts Westmoreland's desperate desire for more men by grandly wishing that he had fewer ("The smaller the number, the larger honorary part. As God willing! Just don't want one more!"). In order to prove his bravado even more, he wants to disadvantage himself even more. He offers to provide soldiers who do not want to fight with travel documents and even travel money. With such unwillingness to fight, who are not ready to die together with his troops, he does not want to go under either ("We do not want to die in society who shuns community with our death." "). In a startling language, what one Pretending to be in communion between the king and the common soldiers, Heinrich imagines the battle as already fought.

Cultural meaning

The St. Crispin's Day speech is a rousing speech (dt .: rousing speech). Rousing speeches are, in various manifestations and forms, a predominantly widespread convention in television, cinema and literature in the English-speaking cultural area. The St. Crispins Day Speech is one of the most famous and most quoted speeches.

Particularly in the Anglo-American cultural area, reference is made to the St. Crispins Day Speech (English: St. Crispin's Day Speech , sometimes also St. Crispens Day Speech ) when it comes to finding an inferior group (e.g. Soldiers, sports team) for a special challenge.

The phrase "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" from the speech is also a winged word in the English language. He is quoted in a window in Westminster Abbey dedicated to the Royal Air Force's efforts in the Battle of Britain .

Allusions and quotations in other works

Songs

literature

  • Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose - The book title refers to the speech.

theatre

  • We happy few by Imogen Stubbs - the title of the play already refers to the St. Crispins Day speech and also takes up the proverbial character of the quote in the English language.

Movies

  • Henry V. (film) - In the 1989 film adaptation by and with Kenneth Branagh, the St. Crispins Day speech is ambiguous. First of all, the famous general speech is addressed both to the soldiers listening and to the nation. Second, Henry V conjures up an anticipated victory before the battle has even begun.
  • Mr. Bill - orig. Renaissance Man - Bill Rago ( Danny DeVito ) motivates soldiers through Shakespeare and the St. Crispins Day speech.
  • Tombstone - A theater group is performing in the remote village of Tombstone. The performance of the St. Crispins Day speech even inspires the rather cultured cowboys and ranchers.
  • The Girls of St. Trinian 2 - Treasure Hunt (2009) - Miss Fritton calls on the schoolgirls to fight the villain Pomfrey.
  • The man who shot Liberty Valance (orig .: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ) - The newspaper editor Peabody ( Edmond O'Brien ) quotes part of the speech, while the bandit Liberty Valance ( Lee Marvin ) is terrorizing the western town of Shinbone.

watch TV

  • A Touch of Heaven , Season 7, Episode 19 - "The Penalty Box" - Student Jeff McHenry ( Zachery Ty Bryan ) motivates his ice hockey team with a speech based on the St. Crispins Day speech.
  • Band of Brothers - Ten-part US television production about soldiers in World War II . The series title makes reference to the St. Crispins Day speech.
  • Blackadder , Season 1, Episode 6 - "The Black Seal" - Especially in the first season of the series there are many quotes from the works of Shakespeare. In this episode in particular, the main character Edmund Black Adder ( Rowan Atkinson ) misrepresents the speech and exclaims: "We few, we happy few, we band of ruthless bastards." .
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Season 5, Episode 22 - "The Gift" - Before the protagonists confront a dangerous opponent, Buffy ( Sarah Michelle Gellar ) gives the speech: "Everybody knows their jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn. " . Spike ( James Marsters ) replied : "Well, not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?" . Then Giles ( Anthony Head ): "We few, we happy few ..." . Then Spike again: "... we band of buggered." .

Web links

Wikisource: en: The Life of Henry the Fifth  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Norman Rabki: Rabbits, Ducks, and Henry V In: Shakespeare Quarterly No. 3, 1977, p. 279 (286).
  2. ↑ Norman Rabki: Rabbits, Ducks, and Henry V In: Shakespeare Quarterly No. 3, 1977, p. 279 (286).
  3. ↑ Donald Hedrick: Advantage, Affect, History, "Henry V." In: PMLA No. 3, 2003, p. 470 (472).
  4. ↑ Donald Hedrick: Advantage, Affect, History, "Henry V." In: PMLA No. 3, 2003, p. 470 (473).
  5. ↑ Rousing speeches . In: tvtropes.org .
  6. ↑ Simon Maier: Inspire !: Insights and lessons from 100 of the greatest speeches from film and theater . Marshall Cavendish c / o Times E, 2010, ISBN 978-981-4302-62-3 .
  7. ^ Paul Massari: Enduring inspiration . In: Harvard Gazette October 26, 2011.
  8. ↑ Stephen E. Ambrose: Band of Brothers, E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne: From Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest . 2nd Edition. Simon & Schuster, New York 2001, ISBN 0-7432-1645-8 .
  9. ^ Imogen Stubbs: We happy few . Nick Hern Books, London 2004, ISBN 1-85459-813-9 .
  10. ↑ Mark Berninger: Visualizing the war at the end of the post-war period . In: Alfred Gall (Hrsg.): Turning times: Historical turning points in drama and film (=  Mainz research on drama and theater ). No. 44 . Francke, Tübingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-7720-8417-1 , p. 290 f .
  11. ↑ Johan Schloemann: We will be proud. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .