Vocabulary in Henry V

The English are vastly outnumbered against the French, and King Henry V attempts to rouse his troops to keep them from losing faith. In this speech, he appeals to the pride and glory found in tales about war, rather than the war itself. Victory brings immortality, because the soldiers and heroes will live on as "household words," familiar to all English men and women. As we do today, King Henry V uses "household" to connote extreme familiarity.