Original: Do not think so; you shall not find it so:
Modern: Don’t believe that; you won’t find that to be true:

Original: And God forgive them that so much have sway’d
Modern: And may God forgive those who have so greatly influenced

Original: Your majesty’s good thoughts away from me!
Modern: Your good opinion to turn away from me!

Original: I will redeem all this on Percy’s head
Modern: I will make up for all of this by defeating Percy

Original: And in the closing of some glorious day
Modern: And at the end of some great day of battle

Original: Be bold to tell you that I am your son;
Modern: Be confident in telling you that I am truly your son;

Original: When I will wear a garment all of blood
Modern: When I will be covered in blood from fighting

Original: And stain my favours in a bloody mask,
Modern: And cover my face with a mask of blood,

Original: Which, wash’d away, shall scour my shame with it:
Modern: Which, when washed away, will cleanse my shame along with it:

Original: And that shall be the day, whene’er it lights,
Modern: And that will be the day, whenever it comes,

Original: That this same child of honour and renown,
Modern: That this same person who is honored and famous,

Original: This gallant Hotspur, this all-praised knight,
Modern: This brave Hotspur, this knight everyone praises,

Original: And your unthought-of Harry chance to meet.
Modern: And your forgotten Harry happen to meet in battle.

Original: For every honour sitting on his helm,
Modern: For every honor he has earned in battle,

Original: Would they were multitudes, and on my head
Modern: I wish there were countless honors, and on my head

Original: My shames redoubled! for the time will come,
Modern: My shames doubled! because the time will come,

Original: That I shall make this northern youth exchange
Modern: When I will force this young man from the north to trade

Original: His glorious deeds for my indignities.
Modern: His glorious achievements for my shameful acts.

Original: Percy is but my factor, good my lord,
Modern: Percy is just my agent, my good lord,

Original: To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf;
Modern: To collect glorious deeds for me;

Original: And I will call him to so strict account,
Modern: And I will demand such a strict accounting from him,

Original: That he shall render every glory up,
Modern: That he will have to give up every bit of glory,

Original: Yea, even the slightest worship of his time,
Modern: Yes, even the smallest honor he has earned,

Original: Or I will tear the reckoning from his heart.
Modern: Or I will rip the payment from his heart.

Original: This, in the name of God, I promise here:
Modern: This, in God’s name, I promise here:

Original: The which if He be pleased I shall perform,
Modern: Which, if God is willing and I accomplish it,

Original: I do beseech your majesty may salve
Modern: I beg that your majesty might heal

Original: The long-grown wounds of my intemperance:
Modern: The old wounds caused by my wild behavior:

Original: If not, the end of life cancels all bands;
Modern: If not, death breaks all promises;

Original: And I will die a hundred thousand deaths
Modern: And I will die a hundred thousand deaths

Original: Ere break the smallest parcel of this vow.
Modern: Before I break even the smallest part of this promise.

In Act III, Scene 2 of Henry IV, Part 1, King Henry IV meets privately with his son Prince Hal in the palace. The King confronts his son about his dissolute behavior and association with lowly companions, expressing deep disappointment and concern about Hal’s fitness to inherit the throne. Henry draws unfavorable comparisons between Hal and the rebellious Henry “Hotspur” Percy, lamenting that his own son appears to lack the noble qualities and martial prowess that Hotspur displays. The King reveals his fears that Hal’s reputation has become so tarnished that he may not command the respect necessary to rule effectively.

Prince Hal responds to his father’s rebuke with a lengthy speech promising to reform his ways and prove himself worthy. He vows to redeem his honor by confronting Hotspur in battle and winning glory that will overshadow his previous misconduct. Hal assures his father that he will exchange his current idle lifestyle for one of duty and valor, specifically pledging to defeat Hotspur and claim the honor that the young Percy has earned. The King, moved by his son’s promises and apparent sincerity, forgives Hal and begins to restore him to favor, agreeing to give him a military command in the upcoming campaign against the rebels.

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.