8 Ducere Est Servire: THE LEADERSHIP JOURNAL OF DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Both Henry V and Winston Churchill faced enormous odds and persevered to victory. Both men are hailed as positive examples of courageous leadership by some and as Machiavellian tyrants by others. However, whether viewed in a positive light or with disdain, both Henry V and Churchill have achieved a mythical status as heroes, leaders, and rhetoricians. This essay will demonstrate how William Shakespeare’s Henry V influenced Winston Churchill’s leadership by modeling inspirational rhetoric to his countrymen, insult and intimidation to his enemies, and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspirational Rhetoric to His Countrymen For leaders in times of war, mobilizing the troops is more than just coordinating logistics of transfers, supplies, and strategy. Mobilization also includes motivation and inspiration, elements a good leader will not overlook. At the siege of Harfleur in the opening of Act III, Shakespeare fills Henry’s mouth with inspirational rhetoric in the heat of conflict. Each word is well chosen to remind his men of the cause in which they fight, for whom they battle, and their homeland, which depends upon their valor. Henry’s vivid language strategically directs his warriors and spurs them forward into battle.8 Knowing his men would be filled with a fear common to the battlefield, Henry inspires them through the balance of bravery and sacrifice. He cries, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; /Or close the wall up with our English dead.”9 The king seeks to inspire his men to pay the ultimate sacrifice, if necessary, to achieve the objective. He calls them “dear friends,” indicating they are not pawns in a game that he easily discards but companions in strife and fellow countrymen living for something greater than themselves. Churchill, similarly, found inspirational rhetoric to be one of his greatest weapons of war. In a speech entitled, “A Time to Dare and Endure” given at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on January 27, 1940, Churchill challenged the English people into the breach: “There is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.” He went on to say, Come then: Let us to the task, to the battle, to the toil – each to our part, each to our station. Fill the armies, rule
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