Original: Then hear me, gracious sovereign, and you peers,
Modern: So listen to me, your majesty, and you noblemen,

Original: That owe yourselves, your lives and services
Modern: Who owe your very selves, your lives, and your loyalty

Original: To this imperial throne. There is no bar
Modern: To this royal throne. There is no legal obstacle

Original: To make against your highness’ claim to France
Modern: That can be used against your majesty’s claim to France

Original: But this, which they produce from Pharamond,
Modern: Except this one thing, which they pull from Pharamond’s law,

Original: ‘In terram Salicam mulieres ne succedant:’
Modern: “In Salic land, let no woman inherit:”

Original: ‘No woman shall succeed in Salique land:’
Modern: “No woman shall inherit in Salic land:”

Original: Which Salique land the French unjustly gloze
Modern: The French wrongly interpret this Salic land

Original: To be the realm of France, and Pharamond
Modern: To mean the kingdom of France, and claim Pharamond was

Original: The founder of this law and female bar.
Modern: The creator of this law that blocks female inheritance.

Original: Yet their own authors faithfully affirm
Modern: But their own historians honestly confirm

Original: That the land Salique is in Germany,
Modern: That the Salic land is actually in Germany,

Original: Between the floods of Sala and of Elbe;
Modern: Between the Sala and Elbe rivers;

Original: Where Charles the Great, having subdued the Saxons,
Modern: Where Charlemagne, after conquering the Saxons,

Original: There left behind and settled certain French;
Modern: Left behind and established some French people;

Original: Who, holding in disdain the German women
Modern: These Frenchmen, looking down on the German women

Original: For some dishonest manners of their life,
Modern: Because of some immoral aspects of their lifestyle,

Original: Establish’d then this law; to wit, no female
Modern: Created this law; specifically, that no woman

Original: Should be inheritrix in Salique land:
Modern: Should be an heiress in Salic land:

Original: Which Salique, as I said, ‘twixt Elbe and Sala,
Modern: This Salic land, as I said, between the Elbe and Sala rivers,

Original: Is at this day in Germany call’d Meisen.
Modern: Is today in Germany and is called Meissen.

Original: Then doth it well appear that Salique law
Modern: So it’s clear that the Salic law

Original: Was not devised for the realm of France:
Modern: Was not created for the kingdom of France:

Original: Nor did the French possess the Salique land
Modern: And the French didn’t even control the Salic land

Original: Until four hundred one and twenty years
Modern: Until four hundred and twenty-one years

Original: After defunction of King Pharamond,
Modern: After the death of King Pharamond,

Original: Idly supposed the founder of this law;
Modern: Who is falsely assumed to be the founder of this law;

Original: Who died within the year of our redemption
Modern: Pharamond died in the year of our Lord

Original: Four hundred twenty-six; and Charles the Great
Modern: Four hundred and twenty-six; and Charlemagne

Original: Subdued the Saxons, and did seat the French
Modern: Conquered the Saxons and settled the French people

Original: Beyond the river Sala, in the year
Modern: Beyond the Sala river in the year

Original: Eight hundred five. Besides, their writers say,
Modern: Eight hundred and five. Furthermore, their own historians say

Original: King Pepin, which deposed Childeric,
Modern: King Pepin, who overthrew Childeric,

Original: Did, as heir general, being descended
Modern: Made his claim as the rightful heir, being descended

Original: Of Blithild, which was daughter to King Clothair,
Modern: From Blithild, who was the daughter of King Clothair,

Original: Make claim and title to the crown of France.
Modern: And claimed his right to the French crown.

Original: Hugh Capet also, who usurped the crown
Modern: Hugh Capet also, who illegally seized the crown

Original: Of Charles the duke of Lorraine, sole heir male
Modern: From Charles the Duke of Lorraine, the only male heir

Original: Of the true line and stock of Charles the Great,
Modern: Of the legitimate bloodline of Charlemagne,

Original: To find his title with some shows of truth,
Modern: To give his claim some appearance of legitimacy,

Original: Convey’d himself as heir to the Lady Lingare,
Modern: Presented himself as the heir of Lady Lingare,

Original: Daughter to Charlemain, who was the son
Modern: Daughter of Charlemain, who was the son

Original: To Lewis the emperor, and Lewis the son
Modern: Of Lewis the emperor, and Lewis was the son

Original: Of Charles the Great. Also King Lewis the Tenth,
Modern: Of Charlemagne. Also King Louis the Tenth,

Original: Who was sole heir to the usurper Capet,
Modern: Who was the only heir of the usurper Capet,

Original: Could not keep quiet in his conscience,
Modern: Could not have peace of mind,

Original: Wearing the crown of France, till satisfied
Modern: While wearing the French crown, until he was satisfied

Original: That fair Queen Isabel, his grandmother,
Modern: That his grandmother, the noble Queen Isabel,

Original: Was lineal of the Lady Ermengare,
Modern: Was a direct descendant of Lady Ermengare,

Original: Daughter to Charles the foresaid duke of Lorraine:
Modern: Daughter of Charles, the previously mentioned Duke of Lorraine:

Original: By the which marriage the line of Charles the Great
Modern: Through this marriage, the bloodline of Charlemagne

Original: Was re-united to the crown of France.
Modern: Was reconnected to the French crown.

Original: So that, as clear as is the summer’s sun.
Modern: So, as clearly as the summer sun shines,

Original: King Pepin’s title and Hugh Capet’s claim,
Modern: King Pepin’s right and Hugh Capet’s claim,

Original: King Lewis his satisfaction, all appear
Modern: King Louis’s need for reassurance, all show

Original: To hold in right and title of the female:
Modern: That they held their rights and claims through female descent:

Original: So do the kings of France unto this day;
Modern: And so have the French kings up to this very day;

Original: Howbeit they would hold up this Salique law
Modern: Yet now they want to use this Salic law

Original: To bar your highness claiming from the female,
Modern: To block your majesty from claiming the throne through female lineage,

Original: And rather choose to hide them in a net
Modern: And they’d rather trap themselves in their own lies

Original: Than amply to imbar their crooked titles
Modern: Than fully expose their dishonest claims

Original: Usurp’d from you and your progenitors.
Modern: That they stole from you and your ancestors.

In Act I, Scene ii, lines around 38 of Henry V, King Henry is in the midst of his crucial council meeting where he seeks guidance on his claim to the French throne. The Archbishop of Canterbury is delivering his lengthy exposition on the Salic Law, explaining why this French legal principle - which bars inheritance through the female line - should not prevent Henry from claiming France through his great-great-grandmother Isabella, daughter of Philip IV of France. Canterbury argues that the French themselves have violated this law in their own succession, citing historical precedents where French kings inherited through female lines.

This moment represents a pivotal point in the play’s opening movement, as Henry appears to be seeking legitimate justification for what may already be a predetermined decision to invade France. The Archbishop’s learned discourse serves both to provide legal cover for Henry’s ambitions and to demonstrate the king’s careful deliberation before embarking on war. For actors and directors, this section requires careful attention to the balance between Henry’s genuine seeking of counsel and his underlying martial intentions, while Canterbury must navigate between scholarly authority and his role as enabler of royal policy.

Henry V follows the young English king as he transforms from the wayward Prince Hal into a decisive military leader. The play opens with Henry’s court debating his claim to the French throne through his great-great-grandmother’s lineage. When the French Dauphin mockingly sends Henry tennis balls as a gift, suggesting he should stick to games rather than warfare, Henry uses this insult as justification to invade France. He sentences three conspirators - Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey - to death for plotting against his life, then sets sail for France with his army.

The English forces land in France and lay siege to Harfleur, which Henry captures after his famous “Once more unto the breach” speech. However, his army is weakened by disease and casualties. Meanwhile, we follow the tavern companions from Henry’s youth - Pistol, Nym, Bardolph, and Hostess Quickly, who reports the death of Falstaff. The English army, vastly outnumbered, faces the French at Agincourt. On the eve of battle, Henry disguises himself and walks among his soldiers to gauge their morale, engaging in philosophical discussions about kingship and responsibility.

The Battle of Agincourt proves to be a decisive English victory despite overwhelming French numerical superiority. Henry orders the killing of French prisoners when he believes the French are regrouping, and becomes enraged when he discovers French forces have killed the English boys guarding the baggage train. The English suffer minimal casualties while French losses are enormous. The play concludes with Henry’s courtship of Princess Katherine of France, conducted partly in broken French and English. Their marriage seals the Treaty of Troyes, which names Henry as heir to the French throne, though the Chorus epilogue reminds the audience that Henry’s son would later lose these French territories.