Henry VI Part 1: Act 2, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 1 of Henry VI Part 1 from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter on the walls a French Sergeant of a Band, with two Sentinels. SERGEANT Sirs, take your places and be vigilant. If any noise or soldier you perceive Near to the walls, by some apparent sign Let us have knowledge at the court of guard. SENTINEL Sergeant, you shall. Sergeant exits. 5 Thus are poor servitors, When others sleep upon their quiet beds, Constrained to watch in darkness, rain, and cold.	The scene starts with the French setting a watch on the walls of Orleans.
Enter Talbot, Bedford, and Burgundy, below, with scaling ladders. TALBOT Lord Regent, and redoubted Burgundy, By whose approach the regions of Artois, 10 Walloon, and Picardy are friends to us, This happy night the Frenchmen are secure, Having all day caroused and banqueted. Embrace we then this opportunity, As fitting best to quittance their deceit 15 Contrived by art and baleful sorcery. BEDFORD Coward of France, how much he wrongs his fame, Despairing of his own arm’s fortitude, To join with witches and the help of hell!	Talbot is planning a surprise attack, since the French have been feasting and are likely not to be on their guard. He's talking to Bedford, the king's regent or representative in France, and to Burgundy, a very powerful French noble who is on England's side. Bedford says Charles is cowardly to accept a witch's help in battle: Charles must not be very confident in his strength if he needs hell to help him.
BURGUNDY Traitors have never other company. 20 But what’s that Pucelle whom they term so pure? TALBOT A maid, they say. BEDFORD A maid? And be so martial? BURGUNDY Pray God she prove not masculine ere long, If underneath the standard of the French 25 She carry armor as she hath begun. TALBOT Well, let them practice and converse with spirits. God is our fortress, in whose conquering name Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks.	Burgundy inquires about Joan of Arc and Talbot says she is a maid or virgin. Bedford doubts that a maid could be so warlike, in a classic example of the views of the period. Burgundy says Joan may prove masculine, especially if she carries armor. Talbot says oh well, if the French want to invoke evil spirits, that's their problem; the English will trust in God as their fortress.
BEDFORD Ascend, brave Talbot. We will follow thee. 30 TALBOT Not all together. Better far, I guess, That we do make our entrance several ways, That if it chance the one of us do fail, The other yet may rise against their force. BEDFORD Agreed. I’ll to yond corner. 35 BURGUNDY And I to this. TALBOT And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave. Now, Salisbury, for thee and for the right Of English Henry, shall this night appear How much in duty I am bound to both. 40 Scaling the walls, they cry “Saint George! À Talbot!”	The English agree to split up and attack Orleans from several places. The English call out to St. George, the patron saint of England. This is sort of like trying to get Obi-Wan Kenobi on your side.
SENTINEL Arm, arm! The enemy doth make assault. The English, pursuing the Sentinels, exit aloft. The French leap o’er the walls in their shirts. Enter several ways, Bastard, Alanson, Reignier, half ready, and half unready. ALANSON How now, my lords? What, all unready so? BASTARD Unready? Ay, and glad we scaped so well. REIGNIER ’Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our beds, Hearing alarums at our chamber doors. 45 ALANSON Of all exploits since first I followed arms Ne’er heard I of a warlike enterprise More venturous or desperate than this. BASTARD I think this Talbot be a fiend of hell. REIGNIER If not of hell, the heavens sure favor him. 50 ALANSON Here cometh Charles. I marvel how he sped.	The sentinels aren't asleep, and they do notice the English, so the French lords are surprised instead and have to leap over the wall to retreat half ready. It's like turning up to class with your dressy Oxford shirt and your Mario pajama pants. The French say how desperate and bold the attack is, and wonder whether Talbot might be "a fiend of hell" (2.1.49), or supported by heaven. Either way, his success seems supernatural to them.
Enter Charles and Joan la Pucelle. BASTARD Tut, holy Joan was his defensive guard. CHARLES Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame? Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal, Make us partakers of a little gain 55 That now our loss might be ten times so much? PUCELLE Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend? At all times will you have my power alike? Sleeping or waking, must I still prevail, Or will you blame and lay the fault on me?— 60 Improvident soldiers, had your watch been good, This sudden mischief never could have fall’n.	Charles and Joan come in together, which is maybe a little suspicious since it's the middle of the night. Have they been in bed together? Or have they been virtuously keeping guard on the walls? Hrm… Charles turns on Joan and asks if she wanted them to succeed a little only to lose a lot. He's pretty fickle, given that he was just promising to make her the patron saint of France. Joan asks why he is so impatient and says her power isn't always at the same level; she blames the French military for not keeping a better watch.
CHARLES Duke of Alanson, this was your default, That, being captain of the watch tonight, Did look no better to that weighty charge. 65 ALANSON Had all your quarters been as safely kept As that whereof I had the government, We had not been thus shamefully surprised. BASTARD Mine was secure. REIGNIER And so was mine, my lord. 70 CHARLES And for myself, most part of all this night Within her quarter and mine own precinct I was employed in passing to and fro About relieving of the sentinels. Then how or which way should they first break in? 75 PUCELLE Question, my lords, no further of the case, How or which way; ’tis sure they found some place But weakly guarded, where the breach was made. And now there rests no other shift but this: To gather our soldiers, scattered and dispersed, 80 And lay new platforms to endamage them.	Charles blames Alencon. Alencon says his area was fine—what about the other leaders? The Bastard says his quarter was secure, too. Reignier gets in on the action and says "Mine, too." Charles says he's spent the whole night walking around and helping the sentinels, and asks how this could have happened. Joan says it won't really help to figure out why it happened—they should get going and fix the problem.
Alarum. Enter an English Soldier, crying, “À Talbot, À Talbot!” The French fly, leaving their clothes behind. SOLDIER I’ll be so bold to take what they have left. The cry of “Talbot” serves me for a sword, For I have loaden me with many spoils, Using no other weapon but his name. 85 He exits.	An English soldier comes and chases them off. Embarrassingly, they leave their clothing, or at least some of it, behind, so the English soldier takes their things. This has got to be pretty humiliating for France: A soldier who doesn't even get a name in the play is taking spoils from the King and his closest advisors. The soldier points out that Talbot's name is just as good as a sword: It scares the French off. Good thing the French nobility is already gone. This would be pretty awkward if they were around to hear it.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter on the walls a French Sergeant of a Band,
with two Sentinels.

SERGEANT
Sirs, take your places and be vigilant.
If any noise or soldier you perceive
Near to the walls, by some apparent sign
Let us have knowledge at the court of guard.

SENTINEL
Sergeant, you shall. Sergeant exits. 5
Thus are poor servitors,
When others sleep upon their quiet beds,
Constrained to watch in darkness, rain, and cold.

The scene starts with the French setting a watch on the walls of Orleans.

Enter Talbot, Bedford, and Burgundy, below,
with scaling ladders.

TALBOT
Lord Regent, and redoubted Burgundy,
By whose approach the regions of Artois, 10
Walloon, and Picardy are friends to us,
This happy night the Frenchmen are secure,
Having all day caroused and banqueted.
Embrace we then this opportunity,
As fitting best to quittance their deceit 15
Contrived by art and baleful sorcery.

BEDFORD
Coward of France, how much he wrongs his fame,
Despairing of his own arm’s fortitude,
To join with witches and the help of hell!

Talbot is planning a surprise attack, since the French have been feasting and are likely not to be on their guard. He's talking to Bedford, the king's regent or representative in France, and to Burgundy, a very powerful French noble who is on England's side.

Bedford says Charles is cowardly to accept a witch's help in battle: Charles must not be very confident in his strength if he needs hell to help him.

BURGUNDY
Traitors have never other company. 20
But what’s that Pucelle whom they term so pure?

TALBOT
A maid, they say.

BEDFORD A maid? And be so martial?

BURGUNDY
Pray God she prove not masculine ere long,
If underneath the standard of the French 25
She carry armor as she hath begun.

TALBOT
Well, let them practice and converse with spirits.
God is our fortress, in whose conquering name
Let us resolve to scale their flinty bulwarks.

Burgundy inquires about Joan of Arc and Talbot says she is a maid or virgin.

Bedford doubts that a maid could be so warlike, in a classic example of the views of the period.
Burgundy says Joan may prove masculine, especially if she carries armor.

Talbot says oh well, if the French want to invoke evil spirits, that's their problem; the English will trust in God as their fortress.

BEDFORD
Ascend, brave Talbot. We will follow thee. 30

TALBOT
Not all together. Better far, I guess,
That we do make our entrance several ways,
That if it chance the one of us do fail,
The other yet may rise against their force.

BEDFORD
Agreed. I’ll to yond corner. 35

BURGUNDY And I to this.

TALBOT
And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave.
Now, Salisbury, for thee and for the right
Of English Henry, shall this night appear
How much in duty I am bound to both. 40

Scaling the walls, they cry
“Saint George! À Talbot!”

The English agree to split up and attack Orleans from several places.

The English call out to St. George, the patron saint of England. This is sort of like trying to get Obi-Wan Kenobi on your side.

SENTINEL
Arm, arm! The enemy doth make assault.

The English, pursuing the Sentinels, exit aloft.
The French leap o’er the walls in their shirts.

Enter several ways, Bastard, Alanson, Reignier,
half ready, and half unready.

ALANSON
How now, my lords? What, all unready so?

BASTARD
Unready? Ay, and glad we scaped so well.

REIGNIER
’Twas time, I trow, to wake and leave our beds,
Hearing alarums at our chamber doors. 45

ALANSON
Of all exploits since first I followed arms
Ne’er heard I of a warlike enterprise
More venturous or desperate than this.

BASTARD
I think this Talbot be a fiend of hell.

REIGNIER
If not of hell, the heavens sure favor him. 50

ALANSON
Here cometh Charles. I marvel how he sped.

The sentinels aren't asleep, and they do notice the English, so the French lords are surprised instead and have to leap over the wall to retreat half ready. It's like turning up to class with your dressy Oxford shirt and your Mario pajama pants.

The French say how desperate and bold the attack is, and wonder whether Talbot might be "a fiend of hell" (2.1.49), or supported by heaven. Either way, his success seems supernatural to them.

Enter Charles and Joan la Pucelle.

BASTARD
Tut, holy Joan was his defensive guard.

CHARLES
Is this thy cunning, thou deceitful dame?
Didst thou at first, to flatter us withal,
Make us partakers of a little gain 55
That now our loss might be ten times so much?

PUCELLE
Wherefore is Charles impatient with his friend?
At all times will you have my power alike?
Sleeping or waking, must I still prevail,
Or will you blame and lay the fault on me?— 60
Improvident soldiers, had your watch been good,
This sudden mischief never could have fall’n.

Charles and Joan come in together, which is maybe a little suspicious since it's the middle of the night. Have they been in bed together? Or have they been virtuously keeping guard on the walls? Hrm…

Charles turns on Joan and asks if she wanted them to succeed a little only to lose a lot. He's pretty fickle, given that he was just promising to make her the patron saint of France.

Joan asks why he is so impatient and says her power isn't always at the same level; she blames the French military for not keeping a better watch.

CHARLES
Duke of Alanson, this was your default,
That, being captain of the watch tonight,
Did look no better to that weighty charge. 65

ALANSON
Had all your quarters been as safely kept
As that whereof I had the government,
We had not been thus shamefully surprised.

BASTARD
Mine was secure.

REIGNIER And so was mine, my lord. 70

CHARLES
And for myself, most part of all this night
Within her quarter and mine own precinct
I was employed in passing to and fro
About relieving of the sentinels.
Then how or which way should they first break in? 75

PUCELLE
Question, my lords, no further of the case,
How or which way; ’tis sure they found some place
But weakly guarded, where the breach was made.
And now there rests no other shift but this:
To gather our soldiers, scattered and dispersed, 80
And lay new platforms to endamage them.

Charles blames Alencon. Alencon says his area was fine—what about the other leaders?

The Bastard says his quarter was secure, too. Reignier gets in on the action and says "Mine, too."

Charles says he's spent the whole night walking around and helping the sentinels, and asks how this could have happened.

Joan says it won't really help to figure out why it happened—they should get going and fix the problem.

Alarum. Enter an English Soldier, crying,
“À Talbot, À Talbot!” The French fly,
leaving their clothes behind.

SOLDIER
I’ll be so bold to take what they have left.
The cry of “Talbot” serves me for a sword,
For I have loaden me with many spoils,
Using no other weapon but his name. 85

He exits.

An English soldier comes and chases them off. Embarrassingly, they leave their clothing, or at least some of it, behind, so the English soldier takes their things. This has got to be pretty humiliating for France: A soldier who doesn't even get a name in the play is taking spoils from the King and his closest advisors.

The soldier points out that Talbot's name is just as good as a sword: It scares the French off. Good thing the French nobility is already gone. This would be pretty awkward if they were around to hear it.

Henry VI Part 1: Act 2, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 1 of Henry VI Part 1 from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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