Original: No blame be to you, sir; for all was lost,
Modern: Don’t blame yourself, sir; everything seemed hopeless,

Original: But that the heavens fought: the king himself
Modern: Except that the gods themselves intervened: even the king

Original: Of his wings destitute, the army broken,
Modern: Had lost his protection, the army was defeated,

Original: And but the backs of Britons seen, all flying
Modern: And all you could see were the backs of British soldiers, everyone running away

Original: Through a straight lane; the enemy full-hearted,
Modern: Through a narrow passage; the enemy was confident and eager,

Original: Lolling the tongue with slaughtering, having work
Modern: Licking their lips with excitement over the killing, having more victims

Original: More plentiful than tools to do’t, struck down
Modern: Than they had weapons to kill them with, they struck down

Original: Some mortally, some slightly touch’d, some falling
Modern: Some fatally, some with minor wounds, some falling

Original: Merely through fear; that the straight pass was damm’d
Modern: Just from terror; so the narrow passage was blocked

Original: With dead men hurt behind, and cowards living
Modern: With dead men wounded in the back, and cowards still living

Original: To die with lengthen’d shame.
Modern: Only to die with prolonged disgrace.

Original: Close by the battle, ditch’d, and wall’d with turf;
Modern: Right near the battle, with a ditch and walls made of earth;

Original: Which gave advantage to an ancient soldier,
Modern: This gave an advantage to an old soldier,

Original: An honest one, I warrant; who deserved
Modern: An honorable one, I assure you; who had earned

Original: So long a breeding as his white beard came to,
Modern: The respect that comes with living long enough to have a white beard,

Original: In doing this for’s country: athwart the lane,
Modern: By doing this for his country: blocking the lane,

Original: He, with two striplings-lads more like to run
Modern: He, with two young boys more likely to play

Original: The country base than to commit such slaughter
Modern: Children’s games than to do such killing

Original: With faces fit for masks, or rather fairer
Modern: With faces beautiful enough to be worn as masks, or even prettier

Original: Than those for preservation cased, or shame.
Modern: Than the masks people wear to protect themselves, or to hide shame.

Original: Made good the passage; cried to those that fled,
Modern: Defended the passage; shouted to those who were fleeing,

Original: ‘Our Britain s harts die flying, not our men:
Modern: ‘Our British deer die running away, not our men:

Original: To darkness fleet souls that fly backwards. Stand;
Modern: May souls that run backward flee to darkness. Stand and fight;

Original: Or we are Romans and will give you that
Modern: Or we’re no better than Romans and will give you the death

Original: Like beasts which you shun beastly, and may save,
Modern: Like animals that you’re avoiding like cowards, and you can only save yourselves,

Original: But to look back in frown: stand, stand.’
Modern: By turning back with determination: stand, stand and fight.’

Original: These three,
Modern: These three men,

Original: Three thousand confident, in act as many.
Modern: Were as effective as three thousand brave soldiers.

Original: For three performers are the file when all
Modern: Because three men doing the actual fighting count for everything when all

Original: The rest do nothing.with this word ‘Stand, stand,’
Modern: The rest do nothing. With this command ‘Stand, stand,’

Original: Accommodated by the place, more charming
Modern: Helped by the location, and made even more inspiring

Original: With their own nobleness, which could have turn’d
Modern: By their own courage, which could have transformed

Original: A distaff to a lance, gilded pale looks,
Modern: A woman’s spinning stick into a spear, covered pale faces with glory,

Original: Part shame, part spirit renew’d; that some, turn’d coward
Modern: Partly from shame, partly from renewed courage; so that some who had turned coward

Original: But by example.O, a sin in war,
Modern: Only by following others’ example—Oh, a terrible sin in war,

Original: Damn’d in the first beginners!–gan to look
Modern: Damned are those who start it!—began to face

Original: The way that they did, and to grin like lions
Modern: The same direction as these three, and to snarl like lions

Original: Upon the pikes o’ the hunters. Then began
Modern: At the spears of the enemy. Then there began

Original: A stop i’ the chaser, a retire, anon
Modern: A halt in the pursuers, a retreat, and soon

Original: A rout, confusion thick; forthwith they fly
Modern: A total defeat, thick chaos; immediately they flee

Original: Chickens, the way which they stoop’d eagles; slaves,
Modern: Like chickens, along the same path where they had swooped like eagles; like slaves,

Original: The strides they victors made: and now our cowards,
Modern: Taking the same steps they had made as victors: and now our cowards,

Original: Like fragments in hard voyages, became
Modern: Like scraps of food on difficult sea journeys, became

Original: The life o’ the need: having found the backdoor open
Modern: Essential to survival: having found the back entrance undefended

Original: Of the unguarded hearts, heavens, how they wound!
Modern: To the enemy’s unprotected center, heavens, how they inflict wounds!

Original: Some slain before; some dying; some their friends
Modern: They kill some; mortally wound others; some find their own friends

Original: O’er borne i’ the former wave: ten, chased by one,
Modern: Trampled in the earlier retreat: ten men, who had been chasing one,

Original: Are now each one the slaughter-man of twenty:
Modern: Are now each one being killed by twenty:

Original: Those that would die or ere resist are grown
Modern: Those who would rather die than fight back have become

Original: The mortal bugs o’ the field.
Modern: The deadly terrors of the battlefield.

Original: Nay, do not wonder at it: you are made
Modern: No, don’t be amazed by it: you’re better suited

Original: Rather to wonder at the things you hear
Modern: To marvel at the things you hear about

Original: Than to work any. Will you rhyme upon’t,
Modern: Than to do any real work yourself. Will you make rhymes about it,

Original: And vent it for a mockery? Here is one:
Modern: And repeat it as a joke? Here’s one for you:

Original: ‘Two boys, an old man twice a boy, a lane,
Modern: ‘Two boys, an old man in his second childhood, a lane,

Original: Preserved the Britons, was the Romans’ bane.’
Modern: Saved the British, was the Romans’ destruction.’

Original: ‘Lack, to what end?
Modern: ‘Alas, what’s the point?

Original: Who dares not stand his foe, I’ll be his friend;
Modern: Whoever’s too afraid to face his enemy, I’ll befriend him;

Original: For if he’ll do as he is made to do,
Modern: Because if he does what he’s naturally meant to do,

Original: I know he’ll quickly fly my friendship too.
Modern: I know he’ll quickly run away from my friendship too.

Original: You have put me into rhyme.
Modern: You’ve made me start speaking in rhymes.

In Act V, Scene iii of Cymbeline, Posthumus encounters a British Lord following the battle between the British and Roman forces. Posthumus recounts the dramatic turn of events in the battle, describing how the British forces had been routed and were fleeing in disarray. He explains how an old man and his two sons took a stand in a narrow lane, rallying the retreating British soldiers and single-handedly turning the tide of the battle. Posthumus himself fought alongside these three, and together they managed to repel the Roman advance, inspiring the British army to regroup and ultimately achieve victory. The Lord, who had not witnessed the battle firsthand, listens with amazement to this account.

Following his recounting of the battle, Posthumus expresses frustration and dismay that he himself survived the fighting. He had entered the battle on the British side, having previously fought for the Romans, hoping to find death in combat as a form of penance for ordering the death of Innogen. Having survived the battle, he removes his British peasant disguise and reassumes his Roman garb, with the intention of being taken prisoner by the British as a Roman soldier, hoping this will lead to his execution. Two British Captains then enter and discuss the heroic deeds of the old man and his two sons in the battle, confirming Posthumus’s account. Posthumus is subsequently taken prisoner by British soldiers as he had planned.

Cymbeline tells the story of King Cymbeline of Britain, whose daughter Imogen secretly marries Posthumus Leonatus against her father’s wishes. Cymbeline banishes Posthumus to Rome, where he boasts of Imogen’s virtue and fidelity. The cunning Iachimo wagers that he can seduce Imogen and prove her unfaithful. When his direct attempts fail, Iachimo hides in a trunk in Imogen’s bedchamber, emerges while she sleeps, and steals her bracelet while noting intimate details of her body and room.

Returning to Rome with his false evidence, Iachimo convinces Posthumus that Imogen has been unfaithful. Enraged, Posthumus orders his servant Pisanio to kill Imogen. Instead, Pisanio reveals the plot to Imogen and helps her escape by disguising her as a young man named Fidele. She flees to the Welsh mountains, where she unknowingly encounters her long-lost brothers, Guiderius and Arviragus, who were kidnapped as infants and raised by the banished lord Belarius.

Meanwhile, Cymbeline’s evil Queen (Imogen’s stepmother) plots to poison Imogen and place her own son Cloten on the throne. Cloten pursues Imogen to Wales, where Guiderius kills him in combat. The Queen’s physician Cornelius has secretly given her a sleeping potion instead of poison, but when Imogen takes it believing it to be medicine, she falls into a death-like sleep beside Cloten’s headless corpse, whom she mistakes for Posthumus upon awakening.

The play culminates when Roman forces invade Britain. During the battle, the disguised Imogen serves the Romans while her unknown brothers and Belarius fight for Britain. After Britain’s victory, all deceptions are revealed: Iachimo confesses his lies, the Queen dies after admitting her evil plots, Imogen’s true identity and virtue are established, the royal brothers are restored to their father, and Posthumus and Imogen are reunited. Cymbeline makes peace with Rome and pardons all offenders.