Henry V, Act IV, Scene ii

The scene opens on the French camp at Agincourt on the morning of the battle. The French lords — including the Dauphin, Orleans, Rambures, and Grandpré — are in high spirits, confident of their imminent victory over the English forces. They call for their horses and eagerly anticipate the coming fight, speaking with great bravado about the strength and splendor of the French army. Grandpré delivers a vivid description of the sorry state of the English forces, depicting them as exhausted, ragged, and pitifully outnumbered — their horses gaunt and drooping, their soldiers pale and hollow-eyed with fatigue and illness. The French lords mock the English troops as already looking like defeated men, barely worth the effort of a battle.

The French commanders revel in their overwhelming numerical advantage and express near contempt for the English army, viewing the coming engagement less as a true contest and more as a foregone conclusion. A messenger arrives to report that the English forces have arranged themselves in battle formation and are ready to fight. The Constable of France urges the French lords to mount up and move out, dismissing the English as a spent and wretched force that will surrender or be easily swept aside. The French exit confidently to take the field, fully expecting a swift and decisive victory over King Henry’s beleaguered army.

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.