As many know by now, everyday Americans, including many gamers and others on Reddit, found their common voice and a call to action when they joined together to squeeze the Wall Street short sellers who were attacking GameStop, a brick-and-mortar video game retailer. It’s a delicious way to exact revenge on the same people who bilked America’s workers out of trillions in 2008 after the financial panic. And as usual, Shakespeare is right there with us, in this case with Henry V’s inspiring speech to his troops, the current holders of GameStop shares, who need all the strength they can muster to hold together until Wall Street surrenders, and covers their naked short positions.

Henry starts by assuring the troops that their service is entirely voluntary.

Henry V: “That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.”

No modern military goes this far. While enlistment in the U.S. is currently voluntary, soldiers cannot seek to be discharged just prior to battle. But of course, the Reddit army attacking the Wall Street wolves is indeed a volunteer army. Let’s go on:

“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.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'”

Well, Henry does offer his soldiers one reward if they stay with him and fight, but it isn’t a reward that he himself will bestow; it will be bestowed by their neighbors in the form of admiration and praise. A modern parallel is obvious here as well; future generations will either praise or condemn today’s generation of soldier – OK, voters and squeezers of Wall Street shorter sellers – depending on the wisdom of their choices.

“Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.”

It’s a stirring speech, and it goes on:

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:”

Be he never so vile. A fair number of the soldiers would have been reformed, or unreformed, criminals, and Henry is telling them that their actions on the day of the election, or rather the day of battle, can provide them with a form of redemption. This day shall gentle your condition.