Original: Thou dost thy office fairly. Turn thee back.
Modern: You’re doing your job well. Go back now.

Original: And tell thy king I do not seek him now;
Modern: And tell your king I’m not looking for a fight with him right now;

Original: But could be willing to march on to Calais
Modern: I’d be happy just to march on to Calais

Original: Without impeachment: for, to say the sooth,
Modern: Without being stopped: because, to tell the truth,

Original: Though ‘tis no wisdom to confess so much
Modern: Even though it’s not smart to admit so much

Original: Unto an enemy of craft and vantage,
Modern: To an enemy who has cunning and the advantage,

Original: My people are with sickness much enfeebled,
Modern: My soldiers are very weakened by sickness,

Original: My numbers lessened, and those few I have
Modern: My army is smaller, and the few men I have left

Original: Almost no better than so many French;
Modern: Are almost no better than if they were Frenchmen;

Original: Who when they were in health, I tell thee, herald,
Modern: When they were healthy, I tell you, messenger,

Original: I thought upon one pair of English legs
Modern: I believed that one English soldier

Original: Did march three Frenchmen. Yet, forgive me, God,
Modern: Was worth three Frenchmen. But, forgive me, God,

Original: That I do brag thus! This your air of France
Modern: For boasting like this! This French air

Original: Hath blown that vice in me: I must repent.
Modern: Has infected me with that bad habit: I need to take it back.

Original: Go therefore, tell thy master here I am;
Modern: So go and tell your master that I’m here;

Original: My ransom is this frail and worthless trunk,
Modern: My ransom is just this weak and worthless body,

Original: My army but a weak and sickly guard;
Modern: My army is just a weak and sickly force;

Original: Yet, God before, tell him we will come on,
Modern: But, with God leading us, tell him we will keep coming,

Original: Though France himself and such another neighbour
Modern: Even if the King of France and another neighbor like him

Original: Stand in our way. There’s for thy labour, Montjoy.
Modern: Stand in our way. Here’s your payment for your work, Montjoy.

Original: Go bid thy master well advise himself:
Modern: Go tell your master to think carefully about this:

Original: If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder’d,
Modern: If we can pass through, we will; if we’re blocked,

Original: We shall your tawny ground with your red blood
Modern: We will stain your brown earth with your red blood

Original: Discolour: and so Montjoy, fare you well.
Modern: And change its color: and so Montjoy, goodbye.

Original: The sum of all our answer is but this:
Modern: The summary of everything I’m saying is just this:

Original: We would not seek a battle, as we are;
Modern: We wouldn’t look for a battle, in the condition we’re in;

Original: Nor, as we are, we say we will not shun it:
Modern: But, as we are, we’re saying we won’t run away from one either:

Original: So tell your master.
Modern: So tell your master that.

In Act III, Scene 6 of “Henry V,” the action takes place near the bridge at the River Somme in France. The scene opens with Fluellen and Gower discussing the military action, with Fluellen praising the Duke of Exeter’s courage in defending the bridge. Captain Fluellen also commends an English officer’s bravery during the skirmish. King Henry arrives with his forces, and Fluellen reports on the successful defense of the bridge, noting that the Duke of Exeter is still holding the position. The King inquires about casualties and learns that the English have lost very few men while the French have suffered significant losses.

The tone of the scene shifts dramatically when Pistol enters and attempts to intercede on behalf of Bardolph, who has been sentenced to death for stealing a pax (a ceremonial tablet) from a French church. Despite Pistol’s pleas, Henry remains unmoved and refuses to show mercy to his former Eastcheap companion, insisting that his army must not plunder from the French civilians. Henry orders that Bardolph be executed as an example and issues a proclamation forbidding his soldiers from harassing French citizens or stealing from them. The French herald Montjoy then arrives with a message from the French King, offering Henry a chance to negotiate a ransom before facing the full might of the French army. Henry acknowledges his army’s weakened state but refuses to be intimidated, telling Montjoy that his soldiers will continue their march to Calais.

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.