Original: In which array, brave soldier, doth he lie,
Modern: This is how that brave soldier lies there,

Original: Larding the plain; and by his bloody side,
Modern: His blood covering the battlefield; and by his bloody side,

Original: Yoke-fellow to his honour-owing wounds,
Modern: Joined together with his honorable wounds,

Original: The noble Earl of Suffolk also lies.
Modern: The noble Earl of Suffolk also lies dead.

Original: Suffolk first died: and York, all haggled over,
Modern: Suffolk died first, and York, all cut up and mangled,

Original: Comes to him, where in gore he lay insteep’d,
Modern: Crawls to him, where Suffolk lay soaked in blood,

Original: And takes him by the beard; kisses the gashes
Modern: And grabs him by the beard; kisses the wounds

Original: That bloodily did spawn upon his face;
Modern: That were bleeding all over his face;

Original: And cries aloud ‘Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk!
Modern: And cries out loud “Wait, dear cousin Suffolk!

Original: My soul shall thine keep company to heaven;
Modern: My soul will go with yours to heaven;

Original: Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly abreast,
Modern: Wait, dear friend, for my soul, then let’s fly together,

Original: As in this glorious and well-foughten field
Modern: Just as on this glorious and well-fought battlefield

Original: We kept together in our chivalry!’
Modern: We stayed together in our brotherhood as knights!”

Original: Upon these words I came and cheer’d him up:
Modern: When I heard these words, I came over and tried to encourage him:

Original: He smiled me in the face, raught me his hand,
Modern: He smiled at me, reached out his hand to me,

Original: And, with a feeble gripe, says ‘Dear my lord,
Modern: And with a weak grip, says “My dear lord,

Original: Commend my service to me sovereign.’
Modern: Tell the king I served him well.”

Original: So did he turn and over Suffolk’s neck
Modern: Then he turned and over Suffolk’s neck

Original: He threw his wounded arm and kiss’d his lips;
Modern: He threw his wounded arm and kissed his lips;

Original: And so espoused to death, with blood he seal’d
Modern: And so married to death, with blood he sealed

Original: A testament of noble-ending love.
Modern: A final pledge of noble love.

Original: The pretty and sweet manner of it forced
Modern: The beautiful and tender way he did this forced

Original: Those waters from me which I would have stopp’d;
Modern: Those tears from me that I tried to hold back;

Original: But I had not so much of man in me,
Modern: But I didn’t have enough manly strength in me,

Original: And all my mother came into mine eyes
Modern: And all my tender, motherly side came into my eyes

Original: And gave me up to tears.
Modern: And I surrendered to my tears.

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.