#st crispins day

[mercurygray]

'Henry V' by the cast of 'Band Of Brothers'

Ben Caplan (whom most of you following this blog will probably recognize as Peter Noakes of ‘Call The Midwife’ fame) now currently works for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and this year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release (or production?) of Band of Brothers, he asked some of his castmates to get together and perform the monologue that gave the series its name. 

Since today is, in fact, the ‘feast of Crispin’, I think it’s worth a listen.

[joqatana]

He that shall live this day, and see old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say "To-morrow is Saint Crispian."

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,

And say "These wounds I had on Crispin'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 rememberèd—

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.

[way-of-the-gun]

Happy St Crispin’s Day!

Agincourt -- a day to be remembered!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Agincourt

[dearvoidgoodnight]

What’s he that wishes so?

My cousin Westmorland? 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, Westmorland, 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’ tiptoe when this day is named,

And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

He that shall see this day, and live old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors,

And say, “Tomorrow is Saint Crispian.”

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,

And say, “These wounds I had on Crispin’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 today 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.

[every-book-a-tardis]

We all must face the choice between what is right and what is easy.

No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

If we are marked to die, we are enough to do our country loss,

And if to live, the fewer men, the greater share of honor.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Why do we fall?

So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

You don’t just give up! You don’t just let things happen!

You make a stand! You say no!

You have the guts to do what’s right when everyone else just runs away!

Compromise where you can, but where you can’t, don’t.

Cowards die many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death but once.

No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight for it.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Even if someone is telling you that something wrong is something right,

Even if the whole world is telling you to move,

It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say,

No.

You move.

Old men forget, yet all shall be forgot, but he’ll remember

What feats he did that day.

Demons run when a good man goes to war.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

And this is what it means to be a king:

First in every desperate attack, and last in every desperate retreat.

Never cruel or cowardly,

Never give up, never give in.

This story shall the good man teach his son

And Crispin’s Crispian shall ne’er go by from this day to the ending of the world

But we in it will be remember’d

And you, my father, there on the sad height

Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

[ex-libris-blog]

“Drink the Kool-Aid” (ep. 9) ~ American Horror Story: Cult

Kai Anderson references Shakespeare (Henry V, St. Crispin’s Day Speech)

[lionofchaeronea]

Henry V - Speech - Eve of Saint Crispin's Day - HD

Happy St. Crispin’s Day!

[witdiseased]

In honour of St. Crispin’s Day on the 25th, have the absolute best version of the Henry V St. Crispin’s Day Speech

[oldshrewsburyian]

Two weeks till Agincourt Day! An asynchronous watch party probably makes the most sense, but it has been a year and I am thinking about how it might be possible to arrange something slightly more convivial. Any ideas? I’ll continue tracking “St. Crispin’s Day Party.”

Incidentally, I am also still thinking about @boostockingbaby​‘s contribution from last year:

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday, Part 1

On this date, October 25 in 286 CE, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, the patron saints of leather workers, curriers, and shoemakers, were executed during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian. This day is now celebrated as their feast day, made famous in Western cultural literacy by Shakespeare's St. Crispin's Day Speech, or "Band Of Brothers" Speech, from his play Henry V.

Crispin and Crispinian are believed to have been twins who were cobblers and leatherworkers by profession, and were persecuted and tortured for their beliefs and activities by Rictus Varus, governor of Belgic Gaul, but to no avail. Ultimately, however, they were beheaded by the Emperor’s orders on October 25.

To commemorate their martyrdom we present three typographic prints from American artist and letterpress printer Karen Switzer’s small 1996 artist’s book The Martyrdom of SS. Crispin & Crispinian, printed in an edition of 36 copies under Switzer’s Artnoose imprint in Oakland, California. The captions for the images from top to bottom are:

1.) They were pierced with nails. 2.) They were boiled alive in a cauldron. 3.) They were beheaded.

Artnoose is most well known for Switzer’s zine Ker-bloom!, in print since 1996 and the only fully letterpress-printed zine that we know of. Switzer currently owns and operates the Berkeley, California, letterpress shop Deep Ink Letterpress.

View our other Milestone Monday posts.

[teabooksandsweets]

We few, we happy few... 🦢 🏹 ⚔️ 👑

[mercurygray]

After being reminded that today is St. Crispin’s Day I spent a goodly amount of time (as is only appropriate) watching bits of Henry V on YouTube - the Branagh version, an RSC version with Mark Rylance, and the Laurence Olivier version, which, I was reminded, was from 1944. Had to explain to co-workers this was the Shakespearean pep talk par excellence, and then got to thinking about 1944 and what the St. Crispin’s Day speech would have meant to Britons after 5ish years of war.

Anyway, between that and the stars of all these Henry Vs, the moral of the story is that I think I have the kernel of another Dunkirk drabble idea. 

[nebylitsa]

guess what day it is

[unstatedmartini]

What scene you talking about? 👀👀 haha

we're NEVER gonna top this one, it was the perfect storm of social media interest in both the onscreen relationship and the bts drama, incredible message discipline from the production, and the kings - sorry i'm cackling - the kings TRULY believing the audience was technologically naive enough to buy this parent trap nonsense

[thelongbowman]

My history hero: Henry V

Actor Robert Hardy explains why he admires a medieval king (from the BBC History Magazine, December 2015)

Photos: Robert Hardy as Henry V in 1960 / with one of his longbows in 2011

When did you first hear about Henry V?

Long ago, back in the mists of time! In my childhood, for sure – but I learnt more about him at university and also did research of my own. I’ve been fascinated by the key figures on the English side in the Hundred Years’ War, such as the Black Prince and Henry V, for as long as I can remember.

What kind of person was he?

He was well-educated and well-read, like a lot of nobles at the time. Yet he was blunt in speech, in action and in his attitude to people  he got straight to the point. He was also immensely keen on justice for all. Moreover, Henry was the first monarch to go against the fashion of the day for speaking and writing in French he championed the use of English both privately and in public life. He was also a fine archer, wrestler and athlete indeed, in his youth, it was said that he could outrun a deer and bring it down!

What made Henry V a hero?

He spared no pain in driving himself, and those around him, in achieving his aims – and that was true of his army at Agincourt, too. He was tough but he drove his body to such an extent that he died very young, from dysentery, aged around 35. Another wholly admirable thing about Henry was his courage, which he showed in abundance after being struck by a barbed arrow at Shrewsbury. The arrow head penetrated his skull to a depth of six inches. Can you imagine the agony of the wound, and of then having it extracted? Yet he bore it all! The great medieval historian, KB McFarlane, argued that Henry was the greatest man that ever ruled England – which is a hell of a claim!

What was Henry’s finest hour?

Almost certainly, his victory at Agincourt – very much against the odds, because his forces were so outnumbered by the French. Henry led from the front, leading his troops into battle and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. And his leadership, character and ability to keep his army – which boasted thousands of archers – together played a vital role in securing victory. He was a Napoleon of the battlefield. Incidentally, it’s almost certainly true that Henry really did give a speech to his troops on the eve of battle emphasising the justness of his cause, as Shakespeare wrote in his play.

Is there anything you don’t particularly admire about Henry V?

It’s hard to admire some of the acts that he perpetrated in war (notably after Agincourt), which we would nowadays call cruelty. But the truth is that he simply waged warfare according to the accepted rules of the age. It’s pointless to judge anybody that distant in time by the attitudes, laws and softness of today.

Can you see any parallels between Henry’s life and your own?

Well, I’ve played Henry V on stage, television and film, and written about his military life. But that’s as far as it goes…

If you could meet Henry, what would you ask him?

As he lay dying I’d ask him how bitterly he regretted that he wouldn’t be able to finish his extraordinary plan for France and Europe; and what he meant when, just before he died, he shouted out: “Though liest, though liest– my portion is with the Lord Jesus.”