Original: Come hither, you that would be combatants:
Modern: Come here, you who want to fight each other:

Original: Henceforth I charge you, as you love our favour,
Modern: From now on, I command you, if you value my approval,

Original: Quite to forget this quarrel and the cause.
Modern: To completely forget this argument and what caused it.

Original: And you, my lords, remember where we are,
Modern: And you, my lords, remember where we are,

Original: In France, amongst a fickle wavering nation:
Modern: In France, surrounded by an unreliable and uncertain people:

Original: If they perceive dissension in our looks
Modern: If they notice disagreement in our faces

Original: And that within ourselves we disagree,
Modern: And see that we’re fighting among ourselves,

Original: How will their grudging stomachs be provoked
Modern: How will their resentful attitudes be stirred up

Original: To wilful disobedience, and rebel!
Modern: To deliberate disobedience and rebellion!

Original: Beside, what infamy will there arise,
Modern: Besides, what disgrace will result

Original: When foreign princes shall be certified
Modern: When foreign rulers are informed

Original: That for a toy, a thing of no regard,
Modern: That over a trivial matter, something worthless,

Original: King Henry’s peers and chief nobility
Modern: King Henry’s equals and highest-ranking nobles

Original: Destroy’d themselves, and lost the realm of France!
Modern: Destroyed themselves and lost control of France!

Original: O, think upon the conquest of my father,
Modern: Oh, think about my father’s military victories,

Original: My tender years, and let us not forego
Modern: My young age, and let us not give up

Original: That for a trifle that was bought with blood
Modern: What was purchased with blood for something so insignificant.

Original: Let me be umpire in this doubtful strife.
Modern: Let me be the judge in this uncertain conflict.

Original: I see no reason, if I wear this rose,
Modern: I see no reason why, if I wear this rose,

Original: That any one should therefore be suspicious
Modern: Anyone should be suspicious

Original: I more incline to Somerset than York:
Modern: That I favor Somerset more than York:

Original: Both are my kinsmen, and I love them both:
Modern: Both are my relatives, and I love them both:

Original: As well they may upbraid me with my crown,
Modern: They might as well criticize me for having my crown,

Original: Because, forsooth, the king of Scots is crown’d.
Modern: Just because, indeed, the king of Scotland is also crowned.

Original: But your discretions better can persuade
Modern: But your good judgment can convince others better

Original: Than I am able to instruct or teach:
Modern: Than I am able to direct or teach:

Original: And therefore, as we hither came in peace,
Modern: And therefore, since we came here in peace,

Original: So let us still continue peace and love.
Modern: Let us continue to maintain peace and love.

Original: Cousin of York, we institute your grace
Modern: Cousin of York, we appoint you

Original: To be our regent in these parts of France:
Modern: To be our representative in this region of France:

Original: And, good my Lord of Somerset, unite
Modern: And, good Lord of Somerset, combine

Original: Your troops of horsemen with his bands of foot;
Modern: Your cavalry troops with his foot soldiers;

Original: And, like true subjects, sons of your progenitors,
Modern: And, like loyal subjects, sons of your ancestors,

Original: Go cheerfully together and digest.
Modern: Go together willingly and work through

Original: Your angry choler on your enemies.
Modern: Your rage against your enemies.

Original: Ourself, my lord protector and the rest
Modern: I, my lord protector, and the others

Original: After some respite will return to Calais;
Modern: After some rest will return to Calais;

Original: From thence to England; where I hope ere long
Modern: From there to England; where I hope before long

Original: To be presented, by your victories,
Modern: To be given, through your victories,

Original: With Charles, Alencon and that traitorous rout.
Modern: Charles, Alencon, and that traitorous mob as prisoners.

Henry VI, Part 1 opens with the funeral of King Henry V, England’s great warrior king. The English nobles mourn his death while news arrives of military disasters in France, where English territories are being lost to French forces led by the Dauphin Charles. The Duke of Gloucester and the Bishop of Winchester engage in a bitter power struggle over control of the young King Henry VI, creating division within the English court.

In France, Joan of Pucelle (Joan of Arc) arrives at the French court, claiming divine guidance to drive the English from French soil. She demonstrates her supernatural powers and convinces the Dauphin of her mission. Joan leads the French forces to several victories, including the recapture of Orléans from the English. Meanwhile, the English hero Lord Talbot fights valiantly but faces increasingly difficult circumstances as French resistance grows stronger under Joan’s leadership.

The English nobles’ internal conflicts intensify when Richard Plantagenet (later Duke of York) and Edmund Beaufort, Earl of Somerset, quarrel in the Temple Garden. Their dispute leads to the symbolic plucking of white and red roses, representing the future Wars of the Roses. Plantagenet seeks to restore his family’s honor after his father’s execution for treason, while Somerset defends the Lancastrian cause.

The play concludes with the capture and execution of Joan of Pucelle by the English, though not before she attempts various defenses including claims of pregnancy. Despite her death, the French continue their resistance. Lord Talbot dies heroically in battle alongside his son John at Bordeaux, abandoned by the feuding English nobles who fail to send reinforcements. The Earl of Suffolk captures Margaret of Anjou and arranges her marriage to King Henry VI, setting the stage for future conflicts. The play ends with the English position in France severely weakened and internal divisions threatening the stability of the English crown.