Original: O God of battles! steel my soldiers’ hearts;
Modern: Oh God of war! Make my soldiers’ hearts strong and brave;

Original: Possess them not with fear; take from them now
Modern: Don’t let fear take control of them; remove from them right now

Original: The sense of reckoning, if the opposed numbers
Modern: The ability to count and calculate, if the enemy’s greater numbers

Original: Pluck their hearts from them. Not to-day, O Lord,
Modern: Would make them lose their courage. Not today, oh Lord,

Original: O, not to-day, think not upon the fault
Modern: Oh, not today, don’t think about the sin

Original: My father made in compassing the crown!
Modern: My father committed when he seized the throne!

Original: I Richard’s body have interred anew;
Modern: I have reburied King Richard’s body with honor;

Original: And on it have bestow’d more contrite tears
Modern: And I have cried more genuine tears of remorse over it

Original: Than from it issued forced drops of blood:
Modern: Than the drops of blood that were shed from his body:

Original: Five hundred poor I have in yearly pay,
Modern: I pay five hundred poor people every year,

Original: Who twice a-day their wither’d hands hold up
Modern: Who lift up their worn, aged hands twice a day

Original: Toward heaven, to pardon blood; and I have built
Modern: Toward heaven, to pray for forgiveness for the bloodshed; and I have built

Original: Two chantries, where the sad and solemn priests
Modern: Two chapels, where the serious and somber priests

Original: Sing still for Richard’s soul. More will I do;
Modern: Continuously sing prayers for Richard’s soul. I will do even more;

Original: Though all that I can do is nothing worth,
Modern: Though everything I can do is worthless,

Original: Since that my penitence comes after all,
Modern: Since my regret and repentance comes after everything has happened,

Original: Imploring pardon.
Modern: Begging for forgiveness.

In Act IV, Scene 1 of Henry V, King Henry disguises himself in a borrowed cloak and walks among his soldiers on the night before the Battle of Agincourt. Moving through the English camp incognito, he encounters various groups of his men, including Pistol (who doesn’t recognize him and speaks boldly about the king), and later engages in a lengthy conversation with common soldiers Williams, Court, and Bates. These soldiers express their fears about the coming battle and question whether the king truly understands the gravity of sending men to their deaths. When Williams challenges the king’s accountability for his soldiers’ souls if they die in an unjust war, Henry argues passionately that each man is responsible for his own spiritual state, leading to a heated exchange that nearly comes to blows.

After the soldiers depart, Henry finds himself alone and delivers a soliloquy reflecting on the burdens of kingship. He contemplates the heavy responsibilities of rule, contrasting the sleepless nights of a king with the peaceful rest of common subjects. Henry questions what ceremony and royal trappings truly offer beyond the basic humanity he shares with his subjects, acknowledging that the crown brings more anxiety than comfort. The scene concludes as dawn approaches and Henry prepares to face the momentous battle ahead, having spent the night grappling with both his soldiers’ doubts and his own internal conflicts about leadership and responsibility.

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.