The introduction of Ettore Moretti brings Henry’s character
into greater focus by juxtaposing him with a sharp contrast. The
Italian-American soldier is boastful, ambitious, and arrogant; he
is quick to insult others, such as the tenor at whom, he claims,
audiences throw benches, and equally quick to sing his own praises.
Henry, on the other hand, is reserved, detached, and disciplined.
Suspicious of, or simply uninterested in, the glory for which the
army awards medals, Henry maintains a calm levelheadedness that
helps to convince the reader that his feelings for Catherine are
indeed genuine.
Henry’s words about cowards echo Julius Caesar’s defiant
utterance in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar: “Cowards
die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of
death but once” (II.ii.32–33).
Although Caesar’s stoicism carries an arrogant refusal to believe
that any harm can actually befall him, Henry, like Caesar, remains
philosophical and unafraid in the face of potential peril. His inability
to contextualize the reference suggests shortsightedness about the
development of his relationship with Catherine. His failure to recognize
that Caesar dies a few scenes after making this bold declaration
seems to foreshadow disaster for Henry.
