We see yonder the beginning of the day, but I think we shall never see the end of it.—Who goes there?
-Michael Williams
King Henry the Fifth
Act IV, Scene i, Line
91
Okay, good scene.
Here we have the English camp on the night before the battle of Agincourt. King
Henry decides to go disguised among his men to see what the mood is. He’s about
to come upon Michael Williams, John Bates, and Alexander Court, common soldiers
all. Before Henry shows up, the three have a few introductory lines:
Alexander Court-
Brother John Bates, is not that the morning which breaks yonder?
I think it be: but we have no great cause to desire the approach
of day.
We see yonder the beginning of the day, but I think we shall never
see the end of it.—Who goes there?
And that’s where King Henry enters.
As you can see by these three lines, the guys here are not particularly optimistic about the impending battle. That’s understandable considering how greatly outnumbered by the French they are.
It’s an
interesting conversation they have with the disguised king, the undercover boss,
if you will. They talk about death and what responsibility the king bears for
their lives, among other things. You really should read it. It’s one of those
pieces, like so much of Will’s work, that can really lead to good discussion of
issues that are forever pertinent. And I’ll leave it at that.
So do yourself a
favor and take a few minutes to read, and think about, the conversation these guys
have. You won’t regret it.
Here's a link to the scene. The conversation begins around line 140, in case you want to skip ahead to it. You should read Henry's reflections after the three guys leave too. That goes to about line 335. Yup, 200 lines of Shakespeare. Think you can do it? I know you can!
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