Henry V Translation

The Chorus steps on stage and kicks things off with a bang by asking for a muse to help the theater company portray what's about to go down. Shakespeare means serious business in this play. (This c...

At King Henry V's swanky English palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely chat about a bill that's been raised by Parliament.It turns out that the bill was raised years ago during...

In a private room at the royal palace, Henry gets ready to talk with the French ambassador. To flex his muscles, the king takes his sweet time and makes the Ambassador cool his heels while Henry ch...

The Chorus steps out on stage and sets the scene for us: England is pumped up and preparing for war and the French are shaking in their boots because they know what's coming. The Chorus also...

At a seedy tavern in Eastcheap (a London slum), two commoners named Bardolph and Nim talk about the impending war with France. (We know what you're thinking, Shmoopsters. Why does Shakespeare...

The scene shifts to Southampton. We learn from Gloucester, Exeter, and Westmoreland that Henry knows all about the traitors' plot to assassinate him.Brain Snack: Shakespeare doesn't exactly tell us...

Back in the seedy underworld of Eastcheap, Pistol tells us point blank that Falstaff's dead.

In France (where the rest of the play takes place), King Charles and his son the Dauphin talk about how the English troops are about two seconds from knocking on France's front door.King Charles wa...

The Chorus appears on stage and asks us to imagine that we've just watched Henry leave Dover, England and arrive on the shores of Harfleur, France. In fact, we should imagine we were on the shi...

The scene opens in the middle of the siege of Harfleur, where King Henry delivers a famously rousing speech to his troops as he urges them on into a gap in the French fortifications.Henry also tell...

While Henry leads the charge "unto the breach" (the giant hole they've just blown in the town's walls), Bardolph, Nim, and Pistol stay back and avoid the fray. (Hmm. So much for warfare turning t...

The scene cuts to King Henry and his attendants at the gates of Harfleur.Henry delivers a disturbing speech about how the Governor of Harfleur better hurry up and surrender peacefully. Otherwise, H...

At the French palace, Princess Catherine asks her lady-in-waiting (Alice) to give her an English lesson. (After all, it seems likely that Catherine will be married off to King Henry.)

Meanwhile, King Charles, the Constable, and the Dauphin discuss the fact that Henry is marching through France unchecked.The Constable worries that they'll have to hand over their French vineyards...

Over at the English camp, we learn that Bardolph has been busted for stealing a pax (a tablet with a crucifix stamped on it) from a Church. He's been sentenced to death for looting.

Over at the French camp, Bourbon brags about his horse (seriously) until the Constable and Orléans say enough already!

The Chorus steps out on stage and delivers a speech about what's going down at both the French and English camps. The French are overly cocky while the underdog Englishmen are worried about...

At the English camp, King Henry talks with Gloucester and Clarence.

Over at the enemy camp, the French are as cocky as ever as they prepare for battle.

At the English camp, we learn that Henry's army is seriously outnumbered. Things are not looking good.Westmoreland says he wishes they had some more soldiers here with them.

Cut to the battlefield, where Pistol has encountered an unnamed French Soldier, who mistakes Pistol for a gentleman.Pistol takes the soldier prisoner and demands a ransom, which the French soldier...

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the French are losing big time, despite the fact that they outnumber the English.The once confident Constable, Bourbon, and Orléans are running around shouting things...

On the battlefield, it seems pretty clear that the English are the victors. Still, the fighting's not over.Exeter shows up and debriefs King Henry: The Earl of Suffolk and the Duke of York have bee...

As the battle wages on, we learn that a group of French soldiers just attacked the English camp, where they set fire to it and slaughtered all of the young boys (including the kid who used to be Fa...

When Williams returns and sees his glove in Fluellen's hat, he slaps Fluellen.

The Chorus comes out on stage and tells us about Henry's trip to Calais and his victorious return to London, which we'll just have to imagine because it's impossible to portray such a journey o...

Back at the English camp in France, Fluellen and Gower talk about why Fluellen is wearing a leek (kind of like an onion) in his hat, even though St. Davy's Day was yesterday (March 1).Brain Snack:...

At the French palace, King Henry meets with King Charles and Queen Isabel to negotiate a peace treaty.

The Chorus troops out on stage one last time to deliver the Epilogue. We're told that after Henry's victorious exploits in France, he and Catherine had a son (who became Henry VI). Unfortunately...