15 THE BARD AND THE BULLDOG governed the conduct of enemies to each other in war.”21 Others have noted that while the real Henry allowed for the spoils of war based on Deuteronomy 20, the threats of rape were additions made by Shakespeare.22 Whether real or inserted by Shakespeare, the vicious threats by King Henry produce the desired results. The governor of Harfleur calls back, “We yield our town and lives to thy soft mercy. / Enter our gates; dispose of us and ours; / For we no longer are defensible” (III.iii.48-50). Insult and intimidation by the king resulted in no more bloodshed for either side and opened a door for mercy. Henry instructs his right-hand man: Come, uncle Exeter, Go you and enter Harfleur; there remain, And fortify it strongly ‘gainst the French: Use mercy to them all. (III.iii.52-55) The Harfleur speech contains some of the most startling imagery in all of Shakespeare’s writings. As Maureen Audrey Potts writes, “The sheer force of Henry’s mighty speech moves his audience to admiration and to do exactly what Henry wants them to do, surrender.”23 No doubt, the audience in Shakespeare’s theaters felt the same admiration. With all the bloodthirsty threats, Henry’s ultimate goal is surrender. Once full surrender is achieved, the call for mercy allows him to look generous against the backdrop of his venomous rhetoric. Winston Churchill was no stranger to using sharp words against his foes. Knowing that courage can be modeled on both the battlefield and in a war of words, Churchill made sure to engage the fight on both fronts. Sometimes his insults were focused directly toward the enemy, be it Mussolini, Hitler, Nazism, or Communism. At other times, his words were directed to his fellow countrymen with promises of the enemy’s certain defeat. An example of inspiring his troops by directing vitriol toward the enemy took place in 1943. In an October 11 message delivered to Lieutenant-General Jacob L. Devers and Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur
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