Bravery: In the play, reality, now…

So, as I was reading through Henry V, I noticed that Shakespeare portrayed many of the English as incredibly brave. A great example of this would definitely be York, who says (at the Battle of Agincourt), "My lord, most humbly on my knee I beg the leading of the vaward." So, basically suicide for honor.  Amazingly, he pulls through despite the enormous odds against him.  Again we see:

"EXETER: The Duke of York commends him to your majesty.

KING HENRY V: Lives he, good uncle? Thrice within this hour I saw him down; thrice up again fighting; from
                              helmet to the spur all blood he was."

It is definitely interesting to note the difference between this Duke of York with most people today.  So, what's the difference?  Why is such bravery so unique and rarely seen?

First, I definitely imagine that Shakespeare definitely appealed to his main audience (namely, the English). Naturally, he'd paint the under-dog victors in a radiant light.  Let's face it: playwrights are in show business, and they need to sell.  In a history like this, characters like the Duke of York are probably played up a bit.  Don't get me wrong: he was definitely brave to do this.  I'm just saying he and his men were probably all shaking in their boots until adrenaline took over.  It's the same principle we always see (and, for me at least, feel) in NCAA March Madness.  Take last year for example:

     1.  Especially at the beginning, how would a team like VCU feel when facing the big-name teams they
          were matched up with?
     2.  How did you feel when they kept winning?  For me, I didn't even see a single game of theirs, but they
          were definitely my favorites, nothing in them could be wrong, and I was proper gutted when they lost
          to Butler in the Final Four.
Who says Shakespeare couldn't have played on these basic human reactions in order to better appeal to his audience?

Secondly, there are of course people out in the world who would likewise overcome their fears in the time of need and exhibit similar bravery.  So, I'd like to focus on YOU (or me, you decide).  Are you one who would be able to cast away fear in a way that outside viewers would deem a worthless effort?  Even for smaller things.  Do we have the ability to exhibit courage in our daily lives?  Do we do the things that we know are right, or do we take the path of least resistance?  Just a little something to think about I guess.