“Once more to the breach, dear friends, once more”, one of the most famous openings of, without doubt, the most famous passage in all of Shakespeare's Henry V play. Through this opening, we can tell that Henry is a character of perseverance and courage as he leads his troops into war. Shakespeare's presentation of Henry is undoubtedly that of a hero and protagonist, as he is presented as a man with a certain degree of intelligence and attractiveness with motivations that are not focused on the lust for power, like most kings, but on his obligations and responsibilities as an exalted rank. It is also clear from Henry's undeniably inspiring speeches that Shakespeare intends to make us consider Henry as a hero, or, at the very least, as an estimable king. Siegfried Sassoon, for his part, in his poem “Hero”, seeks to reveal the facade and sad irony of the traditional image of the “war hero”. Sassoon himself joined the army motivated by patriotism, but after his first-hand experiences, he expressed his views on the "crude realism" of war through his writings. One of his most acclaimed works is his poem “The Hero” in which he addresses a subject close to his heart; the wide gap between the public perception of the soldier fighting for his country and the harsh reality of life in the trenches. The most remarkable and heroic quality of Shakespeare's Henry is his determination; Once Henry sets his sights on accomplishing something, he uses every tool at his disposal to achieve it. “If we can get through, we will; if we are embarrassed, we will discolor your tawny floor with your red blood. Henry meticulously presents himself as an unstoppable force to which his enemies must choose to respond; although his methods are morally questionable, they are in the middle of a piece of paper......fficer portrays Jack to his mother in Sassoon's poem. Both work hard to satisfy their audience rather than to present reality. Shakespeare's deception can be inferred from the surrounding political climate and its historical context, one need only briefly examine what actually happened at Harfluer as opposed to Shakespeare's version of events to confirm this, Sassoon, on the other hand, reveals the mask of the hero in the poem itself “He had told this poor old man a few gallant lies”. So, in effect, Shakespeare's audience is the historical version of Jack's mother. “We mothers are so proud of our dead soldiers,” there is no doubt that Shakespeare's audience would have left the theater in a euphoric state of hero worship after listening to Henry's heartfelt speeches, as did reportedly the emotional state of Jack's mother when she learned of her son's death in combat.