English 204 Paper #1 4/12/06

Whether he is meant to be seen as a villain or hero, it is undeniable that the title character of Shakespeare’s Henry V is a great leader. All great leaders have many qualities in common such as courage, integrity, confidence and power, but perhaps the most important quality of all is their ability to use effective rhetoric. As a leader, especially a military leader, it can be just as, if not more, important to be able to persuade people with your words through eloquence, charisma and other persuasive devices than with actual force. Perfecting the use of logos (the appeal to reason), pathos (the appeal to emotion) and ethos (the appeal to the credibility of the speaker) allows a leader to persuade not only his own troops but also the enemy. In his speech at the gates of Harfleur, Henry uses these three persuasive techniques to convince the Governor to surrender the town peacefully.

Ethos is the element that Henry uses the least in his speech, but it still plays a role. In describing himself to the Governor, he says “…I am a soldier/ A name that in my thoughts becomes me best.” With this Henry asserts an amount of credibility because he is showing that he is familiar with warfare and violence, so he knows what he is talking about. Many leaders of the time were very aloof and just made the orders to be carried out, but Henry is lending a lot of support to his threats by being out on the battlefield and calling himself a soldier. He also uses ethos in a strange way when he asks the Governor to surrender “Whiles yet my soldiers are in my command.” The argument Henry is making here is that he is a reasonable guy who wants to see the Governor hand over control peacefully, but if he is refused then he can’t be held responsible for the horrors that his soldiers commit in the battle. This is a useful way of seeming controlled and sensible while still retaining the reputation of how fierce his army is.

Perhaps the most evident technique that Henry could use in this situation is logos. He knows that he has a much larger and better trained army than Harfleur could ever hope to raise, so all he has to do is point out this fact and what it means for the city if they do decide to fight. Henry states “I will not leave the half-achieved Harfleur/ Till in her ashes she lie buried.” He makes sure that the Governor knows that he has the ability to bring about such destruction and that he will not hold back if a battle does erupt. The speech continues in this vein while he presents scenarios of waste and desolation and rape proceeded by the statements/questions “What is it then to me” and “What is’t to me, when you yourselves are cause.” Henry has already declared war on France and knows there is much carnage and bloodshed ahead of him on his quest for the French crown, so he is simply pointing out that attacking Harfleur will be nothing more than another battle for him and his men. While it will result in the Governor’s entire city being laid to waste, it will only be a minor inconvenience for Henry. He presents himself as a ruthless leader with great ambition and loose morals, so the logical response would be for the Governor to give up peacefully.

Pathos, which generally has more influence over people than either logos or ethos, is what Henry uses most effectively in his speech. He makes many references to young women being raped and infants being killed, knowing that those images are far more effective than saying that soldiers will die. The most vivid descriptions come near the end of the speech with his references to the Governor having to observe “The blind and bloody soldier with foul hand/ Defile the locks of your shrill-shrieking daughters” and “Your naked infants spitted upon pikes.” These cringe-worthy images would make any Governor think twice about letting his pride get in the way of such a destructive force. It is easy for a stubborn leader to ignore logic and proudly refuse to surrender, but when the realities of the atrocities that will be committed because of this stubbornness are brought up, emotions begin to well up that can convince him otherwise. He may put the control of the city in front of his own life, but how can he sacrifice women and babies for such a cause? Henry also makes a direct appeal to the Governor’s emotions, saying “Take pity of your town and your people” and referring to him as “guilty” if he defends the city. With these statements he successfully takes the responsibility for his actions off of himself and places it on the Governor, making him carry the emotional weight of the entire population being slaughtered. It would take a truly emotionless leader to not have his resolve waver in the face of Henry’s disgusting and terrifying threats.

Together, ethos, pathos and logos work together to make Henry’s point as to why Harfleur should surrender. Although the Governor claims that he only surrenders because an additional army could not be raised to come help him, it is obvious that Henry’s words have had an effect on him. And they very well should have. Henry successfully asserts himself as a force to be reckoned with that only a fool would stand up to and then adds a healthy dose of emotional material just to make sure he has gotten his point across. It is a winning rhetorical combination that allows Henry to win the day without a soldier lifting his sword.