Henry V Steaminess Rating

Exactly how steamy is this story?

PG-13, if you're fluent in French. Otherwise, PG.

We all know that Shakespeare is the master of the dirty joke and lewd innuendo. In Henry V, our favorite playwright ups his game by taking an opportunity to teach his (original) English speaking audience a couple of vulgar French words.

In Act 3, Scene 4, the French speaking Princess Catherine gets an English language tutorial from her lady-in-waiting. When Catherine learns the words "foot" and "gown," she declares they're too naughty for her to say in front of any French gentlemen because they sound too much like the French words "foutre" and "con." (Go ahead and looks those up. Or go read "Characters: Catherine.") Then, as Catherine rants about how disgusting and awful the words sound, she repeats them like a gajillion times.

We know it's the worst kind of silly, immature humor (think American Pie or Beavis and Butthead), but it usually gets more than a few giggles from modern-day audiences.