'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, in one case more' is the 2nd most famous speech from Shakespeare's Henry V, after Henry'due south celebrated Crispin'due south Day spoken language. This speech comes in Act 3 Scene ane of the play, during the siege of Harfleur in Normandy, carried out past the real historical King Henry V in 1415 equally office of the Hundred Years War.

Henry'south rousing speech to his troops is his attempt to unite the inspire his men to go on fighting with him against the French. Let'southward take a closer expect at the language Henry uses, offer a summary and an analysis of his speech every bit we get through it, line by line.

One time more unto the breach, dear friends, once again;
Or close the wall up with our English expressionless.

Henry'due south oral communication begins with rousing words of encouragement to his troops, with the words 'dear friends' treating the soldiers every bit the king's equals and close companions (as some of them, namely the noblemen, would have been). He begins past addressing the noblemen among his ranks; later (as we will see), he as well addresses the yeomen or ordinary men inside the army.

The repetition of 'once again' pregnant 'again' (fittingly, repeated once more at the finish of the line), spurs the men to summon the free energy for one last set on on the walls of the town of Harfleur. Henry and his men take already attacked the walls and weakened them – hence the 'breach' that has appeared in the wall – simply they have not yet completely broken through and gained access to the boondocks.

Although these offset ii lines of Henry'due south spoken communication are well-known and often quoted, practise they actually make sense? 'Once more than unto the alienation … or shut the wall upward with our English language dead' can be paraphrased every bit 'charge at the wall once more or die in the attempt'. Merely information technology doesn't really brand sense: the charge is like shooting fish in a barrel enough to carry out, just it's the success or failure of it which is at result.

In his notes to the Arden edition, "King Henry V" (Arden Shakespeare: Third), T. W. Craik directs us to Samuel Johnson'south opinion that some intervening line betwixt 'Once more than unto the breach, dear friends, again' and 'Or close the wall up with our English dead' may take been lost: Craik suggests 'And either enter in, and win the boondocks'. And then the opening words would so read:

Once more unto the breach, dearest friends, in one case more than,
And either enter in, and win the town,
Or close the wall up with our English language dead.

This makes more sense, although it is simply speculation as to whether there ever was an intervening line, and what it might have been.

In peace at that place'due south goose egg so becomes a man
Equally modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;

In other words: 'In peacetime, men should be humble and not quick to anger; simply when at war, every bit soon every bit they hear the trumpets of war they should go like the tiger, a ferocious beast'.

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with difficult-favour'd rage;
And then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

This call to war should cause men'southward muscles to stiffen in readiness for battle and get their blood up, and so they're ready for a fight. Their calm or 'fair' nature should be suppressed and replaced with anger and ferocity that gives their eyes a fearsome appearance.

Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm information technology
Every bit fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Here nosotros accept a typically Shakespearean image: 'portage' means portholes, as in a transport, and then Henry is essentially saying, 'allow your angry optics appear in your head similar portholes on a ship, much similar brass cannon used in warfare'. Henry commands his men to simply out their foreheads or brows over their eyes, so their faces are similar a terrifying cliff hanging over the wild and desolate sea.

Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!

Next, Henry commands his men to grit their teeth (in hardened resolve) and let their nostrils flare in warlike anger. They should accept a deep breath and summon all the energy they take to the utmost. He reminds the men that their fathers proved themselves in war: at present it's their turn. (By the manner, 'fet' means 'fetched', so these men'south blood is fetched or derived from their fathers, who were tried and tested in war.)

Fathers that, like then many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of statement:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

And their fathers were men who, like and then many Alexander the Greats, have fought in this part of the earth from morning time until night, sheathing their swords only when in that location was no 1 left to fight with. Henry calls on the men not to dishonour their mothers past running away now: stand here and fight, he says, and by doing so prove that those warlike men who sired y'all actually were your fathers.

Exist re-create now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show u.s. here
The mettle of your pasture; allow us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I dubiety not;

Information technology's worth remembering that Henry's 'dear friends' ('Once more unto the breach, love friends …') are noblemen: men of good birth. Next, Henry tells these noblemen to act as a good case for ordinary men to follow, and to teach them how to fight in a war. And turning to the yeomen or farmers (i.due east., those men among the ranks who are not noble: some of them were of such low status they weren't even yeomen, who were technically farmer freeholders), Henry reminds then that their arms and legs are English and so this is their chance to prove the strength that artillery of men raised in England are capable of.

Henry doesn't doubt that they are worthy of their English identity, just at present is the time to prove it. This is a neat piece of rhetoric from Henry, winning the soldiers round: he's essentially praising them ('don't worry, I know you men won't let me down') while at the same time calling upon them to evidence that they can be relied upon ('only just remind me, for my sake').

For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your optics.
I run into you lot stand similar greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the outset. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

Henry concludes his rousing speech communication by telling the men that none of them is of then humble birth that they don't possess a noble look in their eyes. To him, the men are like greyhounds straining at their leash, wanting to exist released and begin the hunt. With words that have get amongst the almost famous in all of the play, Henry V rallies his troops, calling for them to weep 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!' – some other piece of fine rhetoric utilising the pattern of three, whereby 'Harry' (i.e., King Henry V) is linked to both the land the men are fighting for and that state's patron saint, a knight who embodies the noble qualities Henry wants the soldiers to notice in themselves at present.

Throughout Henry V's 'Once again unto the alienation, honey friends' speech, he makes references to animals known for their ferocity (tigers) or speed (greyhounds), while his talk of 'breeding' and 'pasture' imply a link between the English soldiers and bulls and rams, tough and hardy animals. He also reminds the soldiers of their nationality, summoning a patriotic pride that he volition raise to withal greater heights in the afterwards Crispin'due south 24-hour interval speech.