Editing Yeoman (section)

=== Shakespeare's ''Henry V'' ===
{{anchor|Shake H5}}
[[File:Schlacht von Azincourt.jpg|thumb|Early 15th century miniature of the Battle of Agincourt]]
The initial performance of [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' was in 1599. The focus of the play was the [[Battle of Agincourt]], which had occurred 184 years before. It is a rousing patriotic play, but it was also propaganda. [[Elizabeth I]] sat upon a shaky throne. The Catholic threat from Spain and at home, war with Spain, concern over who she would marry, concern over the succession.<ref name=2006_Loades/>

[[File:Elizabeth I portrait, Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger c.1595.jpg|left|thumb|Elizabeth I as she appeared about 1595 in a portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger]]
The [[Nine Years' War (Ireland)|Nine Years War]] was underway. The English army had suffered defeat by the Irish at the [[Battle of the Yellow Ford]] in 1598. Elizabeth and her counsellors were preparing an invasion in 1599. However, her Privy Council was no longer composed of her most trusted advisors. Most of them – [[Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester]], [[Sir Francis Walsingham]], and [[Sir Christopher Hatton]] had died by 1591. [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley]] died in 1598. The council was split between [[Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury|Robert Cecil]] (Burghley's son) and [[Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex]], who were locked in a bitter rivalry.

In 1599, Elizabeth was 66 years old, and [[Elizabeth I#Later years|her personal power was waning]]. She could not prevent the execution of her personal physician, [[Roderigo Lopez]] on a false charge of treason brought by the Earl of Essex. In spite of his irresponsibility, the Earl of Essex [[Essex in Ireland#Appointment of Essex|was appointed Lord Lord Lieutenant, and given command of the 16,000-man Irish invasion force]].

Shakespeare wrote ''Henry V'' to rally support for the Ireland invasion. The play followed naturally after his ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'', written between 1576 and 1599. Henry's victory at Agincourt in spite of overwhelming odds was the perfect plot. [[Henry V (play)#Criticism and analysis|Shakespeare presented Henry's invasion of France and his Agincourt victory in all its complexity]]. The play can be interpreted either as a celebration of Henry's military skill, or as an examination of the moral and human cost of war.
{{Quote box |border=2px |align=right |width=45% |salign=right |author=Shakespeare, ''Henry V'', act 3, scene 1, lines 26–37<ref name=Folger_HenryV_A3_s1/>
|quote=
<poem>
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
:...
:::And you, good yeomen,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture. Let us swear
That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt not,
For there is none of you so mean and base
That hath not noble luster in your eyes.
:...
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry “God for Harry, England, and Saint George!”
</poem>
}}
In the famous rousing call to action in act 3, scene 1, Henry urges his yeomen to show the French what fine bowmen are raised in England. His yeomen are not "mean and base", but possess a "noble luster" in their eyes. "Unto the breach, dear friends, once more", he almost pleads. The yeomen have been besieging Harfleur for over a month; they are suffering from dysentery. "Follow your spirit" and charge, Henry commands.

{{Quote box |border=2px |align=left |width=45% |salign=right |author=Shakespeare, ''Henry V'', act 4, scene 3, lines 58–69<ref name=Folger_HenryV_A4_s3/>
|quote=
<poem>
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 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 abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.-->
</poem>
}}
{{clear}}
But Shakespeare's [[St Crispin's Day Speech|ultimate speech]] comes on 25 October in act 4, scene 3. Henry now calls his army a "band of brothers". The camaraderie of combat has made gentlemen of them all. When they hear a veteran speak of what happened on [[St Crispin's Day]], "gentlemen in England" will be ashamed of being asleep in bed at the time such deeds were done.