Henry V
A king talks his outnumbered army into a battle they should lose, and the play watches what that costs
Shakespeare follows a young king from a disputed claim to the French throne to the mud at Agincourt. The play is quoted endlessly for the Crispin Day speech, but it is more sceptical than its reputation: it shows the persuasion working and also shows what it costs, and Henry spends the night before the battle in disguise listening to his soldiers argue about whether the cause is just.
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