Henry's Speech Rhetorical Devices

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What made Henry V’s speech so inspiring? Why did it encourage his soldiers to go out and win that war? His speech included ethos, pathos, and logos. This allowed him to express his talent at warfare, his ability to relate to his soldiers, and his idea to encourage his troops. This is how his speech inspired troops, and it continues to inspire individuals today. The entire speech employs ethos because Henry is the King and an expert at warfare. At the very beginning, he is telling his soldiers that they will “fight or die” (Shakespeare). Henry knows that the time for war is coming, so he is the one who will take the lead. His actions are also displaying ethos when he teaches his soldiers how to shoot bows and arrows. This shows his expertise at planning for warfare. Ethos is the main subject Henry’s speech revolves around, however pathos is also added when relating to his troops. During the speech, Henry says “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers” (Shakespeare). Here, he is expressing pathos, and this makes his troops feel like they are not alone. Henry goes on to say “make your mom and dad proud” (Shakespeare). He knows that these troops, like anyone, would want to make their parents proud, so in this moment, Henry is reassuring them that fighting in this war will end with this same outcome. In addition to …show more content…

Henry gives clear, step-by-step directions to his troops, demonstrating to them that they should “stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood” (Shakespeare). At this moment, he is telling them that in order to look intimidating, this is what they must do. Henry also orders them to “set the teeth” (Shakespeare). This is also a part of the look he wants his soldiers to have that would make them look terrifying to the enemy and give them a boost of self-confidence. Logos is strongly supported here, and is equally important as ethos and pathos throughout the