Original: Revolted Mortimer!
Modern: Mortimer, a traitor?

Original: He never did fall off, my sovereign liege,
Modern: He never turned against you, my king,

Original: But by the chance of war; to prove that true
Modern: Except by the accidents of battle; and to prove that’s true

Original: Needs no more but one tongue for all those wounds,
Modern: All you need is one voice speaking for all those wounds he received,

Original: Those mouthed wounds, which valiantly he took
Modern: Those gaping wounds, which he bravely suffered

Original: When on the gentle Severn’s sedgy bank,
Modern: When on the grassy bank of the peaceful Severn River,

Original: In single opposition, hand to hand,
Modern: In one-on-one combat, fighting hand to hand,

Original: He did confound the best part of an hour
Modern: He spent the better part of an hour

Original: In changing hardiment with great Glendower:
Modern: Trading fierce blows with the great Glendower:

Original: Three times they breathed and three times did they drink,
Modern: Three times they paused to catch their breath and three times they drank,

Original: Upon agreement, of swift Severn’s flood;
Modern: By mutual agreement, from the fast-flowing Severn River;

Original: Who then, affrighted with their bloody looks,
Modern: Which then, frightened by their blood-covered appearance,

Original: Ran fearfully among the trembling reeds,
Modern: Flowed anxiously through the shaking reeds,

Original: And hid his crisp head in the hollow bank,
Modern: And hid its rippling surface in the hollowed-out riverbank,

Original: Bloodstained with these valiant combatants.
Modern: Stained with blood from these brave fighters.

Original: Never did base and rotten policy
Modern: Never did low and corrupt scheming

Original: Colour her working with such deadly wounds;
Modern: Disguise its deceitful work with such serious wounds;

Original: Nor could the noble Mortimer
Modern: Nor would the noble Mortimer

Original: Receive so many, and all willingly:
Modern: Accept so many wounds, and all of them willingly:

Original: Then let not him be slander’d with revolt.
Modern: So don’t let him be falsely accused of betrayal.

In Act I, Scene 3 of “Henry IV, Part 1,” King Henry confronts the Percy family—Northumberland, Worcester, and Hotspur—about their refusal to turn over Scottish prisoners taken in battle. The scene begins with the King expressing his displeasure at Hotspur’s defiance in withholding the prisoners, while Hotspur attempts to explain that he denied the King’s messenger only because the man was an effeminate courtier who irritated him immediately after the exhausting battle. Worcester tries to calm the situation, but the King angrily dismisses him from the court. Hotspur defends his family’s honor and reminds the King of the crucial role the Percys played in helping him gain the throne, but Henry remains firm in his demand for the prisoners and warns the family not to test his patience further before departing.

After the King’s exit, Worcester returns and reveals a plot to the others. He reminds them that their family’s power helped place Henry on the throne after deposing Richard II, and now they are being treated with ingratitude and suspicion. Worcester proposes that they refuse to ransom Hotspur’s brother-in-law, Mortimer, who was captured by the Welsh rebel Glendower, as a form of defiance against the King. Hotspur becomes increasingly agitated, revealing that Mortimer has actually married Glendower’s daughter and joined forces with him. The three men discuss Mortimer’s claim to the throne as Richard II’s designated heir and begin formulating a rebellion against King Henry, planning to unite with the Scots, Welsh, and the Archbishop of York to challenge the King’s authority and restore what they see as the rightful order.

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.