Original: O, my good lord, why are you thus alone?
Modern: Oh, my dear husband, why are you isolating yourself like this?

Original: For what offence have I this fortnight been
Modern: What have I done wrong that for the past two weeks

Original: A banish’d woman from my Harry’s bed?
Modern: I’ve been exiled from your bed like a stranger?

Original: Tell me, sweet lord, what is’t that takes from thee
Modern: Tell me, my sweet husband, what is it that’s stealing from you

Original: Thy stomach, pleasure and thy golden sleep?
Modern: Your appetite, your enjoyment of life, and your peaceful sleep?

Original: Why dost thou bend thine eyes upon the earth,
Modern: Why do you keep staring down at the ground,

Original: And start so often when thou sit’st alone?
Modern: And jump nervously so often when you’re sitting by yourself?

Original: Why hast thou lost the fresh blood in thy cheeks;
Modern: Why have you lost the healthy color in your face;

Original: And given my treasures and my rights of thee
Modern: And given up the intimacy and closeness that’s rightfully mine

Original: To thick-eyed musing and cursed melancholy?
Modern: To heavy brooding and damned depression?

Original: In thy faint slumbers I by thee have watch’d,
Modern: During your restless sleep I’ve stayed awake beside you and watched,

Original: And heard thee murmur tales of iron wars;
Modern: And heard you mumbling stories about brutal battles;

Original: Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed;
Modern: Giving commands about controlling your charging horse;

Original: Cry ‘Courage! to the field!’ And thou hast talk’d
Modern: Shouting ‘Be brave! To battle!’ And you’ve talked

Original: Of sallies and retires, of trenches, tents,
Modern: About attacks and retreats, about trenches, military camps,

Original: Of palisadoes, frontiers, parapets,
Modern: About defensive stakes, battle lines, protective walls,

Original: Of basilisks, of cannon, culverin,
Modern: About large cannons, artillery, and medium-sized guns,

Original: Of prisoners’ ransom and of soldiers slain,
Modern: About ransoming captured prisoners and soldiers being killed,

Original: And all the currents of a heady fight.
Modern: And all the intense action of an exciting battle.

Original: Thy spirit within thee hath been so at war
Modern: Your inner self has been so caught up in conflict

Original: And thus hath so bestirr’d thee in thy sleep,
Modern: And this has made you so restless while you sleep,

Original: That beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow
Modern: That drops of sweat have formed on your forehead

Original: Like bubbles in a late-disturbed stream;
Modern: Like bubbles in a stream that’s just been stirred up;

Original: And in thy face strange motions have appear’d,
Modern: And strange expressions have appeared on your face,

Original: Such as we see when men restrain their breath
Modern: Like the ones we see when men hold their breath

Original: On some great sudden hest. O, what portents are these?
Modern: Right before receiving some urgent command. Oh, what do these warning signs mean?

Original: Some heavy business hath my lord in hand,
Modern: My husband is dealing with some serious matter,

Original: And I must know it, else he loves me not.
Modern: And I need to know what it is, or else he doesn’t truly love me.

In Act II, Scene 3 of Henry IV, Part 1, Hotspur reads a letter from a nobleman who refuses to join the rebellion against King Henry IV. The letter writer expresses doubt about the conspiracy’s chances of success and declines to participate, citing the dangerous and uncertain nature of the enterprise. Hotspur reacts with anger and frustration at this refusal, calling the letter writer a coward and expressing contempt for his cautious approach to the rebellion.

Lady Percy, Hotspur’s wife, enters and confronts her husband about his recent behavior. She has noticed his restlessness, his talking in his sleep about military matters, and his general preoccupation with warfare and rebellion. Lady Percy demands to know what is troubling him and what plans he is making, expressing her concern about being excluded from his thoughts and activities. Hotspur deflects her questions and refuses to reveal the details of the conspiracy, leading to tension between the married couple as she presses him for answers about his secretive behavior and martial preparations.

Henry IV, Part I follows the political and personal struggles of King Henry IV as he faces rebellion from powerful nobles while dealing with his wayward son, Prince Hal. The play opens with Henry’s guilt over having deposed Richard II and his disappointment in his eldest son, who spends his time in taverns with the disreputable Sir John Falstaff rather than at court. Meanwhile, the Percy family—led by Henry “Hotspur” Percy, his father the Earl of Northumberland, and his uncle the Earl of Worcester—grows increasingly resentful of the king’s treatment of them despite their crucial role in placing him on the throne.

The Percys form an alliance with Welsh rebel Owen Glendower and Scottish rebel the Earl of Douglas to overthrow Henry IV. Hotspur, a fiery young warrior obsessed with honor, becomes the rebellion’s military leader. Simultaneously, Prince Hal reveals in soliloquy that he deliberately maintains his dissolute reputation to make his eventual reformation more impressive. When his father confronts him about his behavior and unfavorably compares him to the noble Hotspur, Hal promises to redeem himself by defeating his rival in battle.

The rebellion comes to a head at the Battle of Shrewsbury, where the royal forces face the rebel army. During the battle, Prince Hal saves his father’s life and fulfills his promise by killing Hotspur in single combat, finally proving his worthiness as heir to the throne. Falstaff, who has been cowardly throughout the battle, claims credit for Hotspur’s death after discovering the body. The king’s forces win the battle, with Worcester and Douglas captured, though some rebels escape. The play concludes with the king’s victory secured but the realm’s troubles not entirely resolved, as other rebels remain at large and the crown’s stability depends on continued military action.