Monday, January 24, 2011

Henry V and World of Warcraft

Schulz, Ben. "Leeroy Jenkins." World of Warcraft. Web. 19 January 2011.

I know this is a bit odder than Bardfilm's ordinary fare, but I wanted to draw our collective attention to the many and manifold uses to which the St. Crispin's Day Speech from Henry V has been put.

Here, we have a band of brothers playing the popular video game World of Warcraft. One of the members gives a particularly rousing speech, encouraging, above all others, the infamous Leeroy Jenkins to head, once more, into the breach:


Those of you who are particular fans of Henry V, World of Warcraft, and / or Leeroy Jenkins may appreciate this bonus extended-length version of the video:


And here's the text of the speech, part of which is drawn from the Battle of Harfleur earlier in the play:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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 remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day 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 a-bed
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. (IV.iii.21-23, 40-43, 56-67)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry "God for Harry, England, and [Leeroy Jenkins]!" (III.i.31-34).

Links: The Original Video at YouTube.

Click below to purchase the video game from amazon.com
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).

2 comments:

Ty Unglebower said...

Coincidence that in the play, the king uses the alias Harry "le Roy"? I think not.

kj said...

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

kj

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Shakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare. 2nd ed. Gen. ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
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