Three Centuries, Two Leaders, One Idea

A military’s ability to overcome impossible situations is often dependent on their leader’s ability to motivate them. Many times, the success of a general is not only determined by his battle skills, but by his ability to spur his troops into action. Although not a historical account, Henry V's famous speech from the play of the same name is an excellent example of a king’s ability to animate his soldiers; His men were able to defeat the French army in spite of being hopelessly outnumbered . However, General George Patton’s speech to the Third Army in 1944 exceeds Shakespeare’s St Crispin’s Day Speech because of the intensity and fervor with which Patton delivers his message. In both addresses, the leaders said exactly what was needed, when it was needed; however, Patton’s speech is much more provoking in both the writing and his delivery.

Patton’s address to the Third Army is considered one of the most remarkable speeches of all time. Patton was already well known as both a successful general and orator. His speeches were often humourous yet catalysing, and the majority of soldiers enjoyed listening to Patton speak. However, the same aspects that made his speeches so enjoyable for the enlisted men turned away other officers; some felt that General Patton’s profanity was unbecoming of an officer. This was further demonstrated in that some later retellings replaced words such as “bullsh~~” with “baloney”. Despite this minor controversy, the address is called by many “the greatest motivational speech of the war.” The day after Patton finished his circuit, the Third Army was called to France to participate in Operation Overlord. This speech rallied the armies to such a degree that it made possible the reclamation of France, which in turn set the stage for the retaking of Western Europe. Following D-Day, The Third Army continued to make a name for themselves, later fighting in the Battle of the Bulge against Germany’s final offensive move.

In his speech, General Patton appeals to all of the soldiers’ senses in a way that they could connect with. Patton reminds his men that Americans are the best nation in the world with statements such as “We have the finest food, finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world.” Assertions such as these build upon the soldiers’ sense of status, giving them confidence that they could win simply because they were American. Similarly, he uses this nationalism to fortify the idea that an army is a family, and gives them a sense of community and a connection with each other. He also built plenty on their sense of worth, going into great detail about how “Every single man in this Army plays a vital role.”, devoting a large part of his speech to the importance of every man doing his duty. In a similar fashion that people often believe that “It will never happen to me,” Patton uses the quote “Only two percent of you here will die in a major battle” to ease the soldiers minds about the upcoming battles. Repeatedly throughout the speech, Patton puts down the Germans with his use of colorful language. Towards the end of the speech, General Patton states that “The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo.”; this provides an obvious outlet and places the blame of the war on their enemies. All of this is still delivered in a humorous fashion while simultaneously rallying the troops to action.

The St Crispin’s Day Speech is an excerpt from Shakespeare’s play Henry V, which centers around the Battle of Agincourt. After landing in Normandy, an English army of 6,000 faced a French force six times that size. Morale was understandably low, as the following battle would almost certainly be a massacre. This adaptation is a dramatization of what Henry V might have said to inspire his troops to fight. Unlike General Patton’s speech, Shakespeare focuses more on the ideas of honor and Legacy rather than promoting self-worth. A large part of the work is Henry speaking about how lucky the troops were to be there, at that battle, so that they may share in the glory of victory. He also claims that the Englishmen unable or unwilling to fight for Henry would do nothing but take away some of their prestige. Henry expands on the idea of honor, saying that later when the veterans are sitting at home with their grandchildren, they can proudly say they fought with him, instead of being ashamed that they did not participate. Whatever it is that Henry actually said to his troops, it increased their morale and was instrumental in the English victory.

Because of the short length of Henry’s speech, not many techniques and appeals are utilized.

Instead, two or three techniques are used and then repeated many times. The most obvious technique used is that of immortality: Henry spends much of his speech reveling in the honor that will be shared and the legacy they will leave behind. Quotes such as “This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world” emphasize the reputation that will be left behind by the English; Their deeds that day will always be remembered until the end times. In a similar fashion, Henry says that “gentlemen in England now-a-bed shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here”, asserting that just as the veterans of this battle will look upon St Crispin’s Day in pride, so will the “gentlemen in England” be ashamed of their lack of action. The speech closes out with a proclamation of community from Henry. The first recorded mention of the term “band of brothers” comes from this speech, and is used to symbolize a strong sense of community in the army. The quote “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother” shows an intense sense of community within the English army. These words are also doubly meaningful in the fact that the King of England, an incredibly powerful figure, considers the peasant archers and unremarkable men-at-arms to be his brothers. Despite being just a fourth of the length, Shakespeare’s speech rivals Patton’s in the incredible impact it had on the troops.

Because of their separation in time, Shakespeare’s speech and Patton’s employ different techniques to different extents. The same values and cultural ideas that are in place today are drastically different from the ones help during the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a large part of Patton’s speech focuses on the idea of manliness and nationalistic pride, while a Henry V-era England was still transitioning from fiefs and duchies to a nation-state. Many Europeans did not see themselves as German or Italian, but rather as Prussians and Sicilians. Because of this, and other factors, the content of the speeches needed to pertain to the ideals of the current time. This is why Henry V emphasizes on honor, and Patton gives a more blunt, macho speech. But the differences stem not only from the content, but the techniques used to put their point across. Patton has a much longer speech, and so has the opportunity to incorporate many more ideas than Henry. One of Patton’s most prevalent concepts, worth, is absent from Henry’s speech; this is because during the Hundred Years War, not all soldiers were thought to be of the same worth. For example, a knight was worth more than a foot soldier, and a foot soldier was worth more than an archer. This notion is absent from Patton’s speech, who instead insists that every soldier’s actions is important and makes a difference in the outcome of the conflict. Henry’s speech is also missing the ideas of security and status, likely because there’s not much that could truthfully be said to give a sense of security or status over the better-trained French soldiers.

Despite the many differences, the addresses are incredibly similar in many ways. The idea of brotherhood and community is propagated throughout both speeches, and shows that not only skill, but unity is essential in any successful military. Both speeches also touch on the idea of immortality; however, Shakespeare takes a much more in-depth approach than Patton, who only skims the surface. Indeed, both Henry and Patton talk about how the veterans can be proud of their actions in the war later on in their lives. Another similarity is that both leaders use repetition to draw attention to certain parts of their speeches. In Shakespeare’s work, the ideas of honor and cowardice are repeated often to instill a sense of legacy. In Patton’s speech, Germans are often called “sons-of-bit~~s” to put them down and even make them seem less threatening. Although not exactly the same, both these works use some of the same general concepts in their own way.