once more unto the breach dear friends meaning

#Once more unto the breach dear friends meaning tv#

There’s even a band that calls itself that. You can read King Henry’s entire rousing speech here.Īs an afterthought I did a search to see if anyone was writing “into the breech.” Oh dear. The breech-loading rifle came along in the nineteenth century. One of Joan of Arc’s military skills was the ability to judge their range. the corresponding part in a musket or rifleīreech-loading cannon were used during the Hundred Years War. the hindermost part of a piece of ordnance.ģ. He also reminds the soldiers of their nationality, summoning a patriotic pride that he will raise to yet greater heights in the later Crispin’s Day speech. (Or in some manner other than headfirst.)ġ. Throughout Henry V’s ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends’ speech, he makes references to animals known for their ferocity (tigers) or speed (greyhounds), while his talk of ‘breeding’ and ‘pasture’ imply a link between the English soldiers and bulls and rams, tough and hardy animals. A breech birth for example, is one in which the child emerges rear-end first. The English word breeches meaning “trousers” derives from the plural of broc, “garment for the legs and trunk.” From this plural comes the word breech meaning “the part of the body covered by breeches.”īy extension the word came to be used in other contexts. The two words, breach and breech, both derive from a word meaning “break.”

Where Shakespeare says “unto,” we now say “into.” Henry is encouraging them to make another assault on the walls of Harfleur.

The men, carrying scaling ladders, are exhausted. Or close the wall up with our English dead.Īct Three begins with Henry and his troops surging onto the stage. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more To the reader who knows his Henry V, the second line answers the question: I guess King Harry’s famous speech isn’t as famous as it used to be. I forget. Is it supposed to be breach, as in the gap in a broken wall, or breech, as in the part of the gun where you load the projectile, unless the gun is loaded down the muzzle, of course. Rather, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends!” Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.The most celebrated rendition of the speech comes from Laurence Oliviers performance in the 1944 film The.

His blog about words is at reader experienced a moment of doubt when he came across an online essay ending with this line: He is purportedly the author of TINY TROUPERS: FAMOUS CHILD STARS AND WHAT BECAME OF THEM 'SOMEBODY PEENCHED MY HET!' BACKSTAGE GOSSIP BY AN INDISCREET IMPRESARIO THE TRUMPY LOVER, a translation of Moliere's LE MISANTHROPE YOU'RE ON! THE THEATRE QUIZ BOOK FINAL CHAPTERS: HOW FAMOUS AUTHORS DIED PUNS, PUZZLES, AND WORD PLAY PORCUPINE, PICAYUNE & POST STARS IN YOUR EYES and with his wife, Virginia, LIFE IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL (an Amazon ebook)-all of which have been overlooked for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

#Once more unto the breach dear friends meaning tv#

He has pursued (though never actually caught) innumerable careers including those of author, playwright, lyricist, actor, newspaperman, college professor, theatrical producer, concert impresario, TV host, and cruciverbalist. in history from Rice University, where he was an inadvertent member of Phi Beta Kappa. in English literature from England's University of Birmingham, where he was a Marshall Scholar and flâneur, and a B.A. Houston, Texas, United States Jim Bernhard holds an M.A.