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HENRY V: And \[St. Crispin’s Day\] 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 today that sheds his blood with me (5)
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 (10)
That fought with us upon St. Crispin's day.
If this passage convinces its intended audience, what event will likely occur?
The men will fight well in battle
The men will sign a peace treaty
The men will earn the rank of noble
The men’s extended families will be united by marriage
None of these
The purpose of the passage is to convince a group of soldiers to fight (see Line 10: “That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day”). The passage does so by telling the men that they will be united as brothers if they fight together: “For he today that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile” (Lines 5-6). Thus, if the passage succeeds, the men will not only fight together, they will also fight well.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)