We few, we happy few...

Beautiful to read and riveting to listen to, the St. Crispin's Day speech in Henry V is one to inspire.

Listen to an MP3 of Kenneth Branagh's version (from his Henry V) here, which I feel gets it very much right. Very moving to hear (and see), the speech is complemented by a score that swells and quiets at precise moments. Though specific to England, one cannot help but feel inspired by Shakespeare's words, as King Harry's asks these soldiers to believe in one another, to ignore the odds, and to feel the pride of being there on the battlefield versus somewhere safe.

In his review of Branagh's 1989 film, Roger Ebert noted:

There is no more stirring summons to arms in all of literature than Henry's speech to his troops on St. Crispin's Day, ending with the lyrical "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." To deliver this speech successfully is to pass the acid test for anyone daring to perform the role of Henry V in public, and as Kenneth Branagh, as Henry, stood up on the dawn of the Battle of Agincourt and delivered the famous words, I was emotionally stirred even though I had heard them many times before. That is one test of a great Shakespearian actor: to take the familiar and make it new.

-- And so what did you think of it? Does Branagh pass your acid test?

Also, do you all remember in the fifth season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("The Gift"), as Buffy and her team leave to battle Glory and her minions, Spike and Rupert Giles - the two Brits - make the following exchange:

Buffy: Everybody knows their jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn.

Spike: Well, not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?

Giled: We few... we happy few.

Spike: We band of buggered.

Good for a laugh, but just again astonishing how Shakespeare exists in our modern world, as relevant today as he was 400+ years ago.

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Ebert, Roger. Henry V. SunTimes.com. December 15, 1989.