Original: So, on my soul, he did, for aught he knew.
Modern: I swear on my soul, he did what he thought was right based on what he knew.

Original: But wherefore do you droop? why look you sad?
Modern: But why are you slumping? Why do you look so depressed?

Original: Be great in act, as you have been in thought;
Modern: Be as great in your actions as you’ve been in your ideas;

Original: Let not the world see fear and sad distrust
Modern: Don’t let the world see fear and gloomy doubt

Original: Govern the motion of a kingly eye:
Modern: Control the way a king looks at others:

Original: Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire;
Modern: Be as active as this moment demands; fight fire with fire;

Original: Threaten the threatener and outface the brow
Modern: Threaten those who threaten you and stare down the face

Original: Of bragging horror: so shall inferior eyes,
Modern: Of those who boast about their terror: this way lesser people,

Original: That borrow their behaviors from the great,
Modern: Who copy their behavior from great leaders,

Original: Grow great by your example and put on
Modern: Will become great by following your example and will adopt

Original: The dauntless spirit of resolution.
Modern: The fearless spirit of determination.

Original: Away, and glister like the god of war,
Modern: Go now, and shine like the god of war,

Original: When he intendeth to become the field:
Modern: When he’s about to take the battlefield:

Original: Show boldness and aspiring confidence.
Modern: Display courage and ambitious confidence.

Original: What, shall they seek the lion in his den,
Modern: What, should they hunt the lion in his own cave,

Original: And fright him there? and make him tremble there?
Modern: And scare him there? And make him shake with fear there?

Original: O, let it not be said: forage, and run
Modern: Oh, don’t let that be said: go out hunting, and run

Original: To meet displeasure farther from the doors,
Modern: To meet trouble farther away from your home,

Original: And grapple with him ere he comes so nigh.
Modern: And fight with him before he gets so close.

Original: O inglorious league!
Modern: Oh, what a shameful alliance!

Original: Shall we, upon the footing of our land,
Modern: Should we, on our own soil,

Original: Send fair-play orders and make compromise,
Modern: Send polite messages and make deals,

Original: Insinuation, parley and base truce
Modern: Use sneaky hints, have discussions, and make dishonorable peace agreements

Original: To arms invasive? shall a beardless boy,
Modern: With invading armies? Should a young, inexperienced boy,

Original: A cocker’d silken wanton, brave our fields,
Modern: A spoiled, pampered, luxury-loving brat, challenge us on our own fields,

Original: And flesh his spirit in a warlike soil,
Modern: And get his first taste of battle on our land,

Original: Mocking the air with colours idly spread,
Modern: Showing off his flags waving uselessly in the air,

Original: And find no cheque? Let us, my liege, to arms:
Modern: And face no opposition? Let’s take up arms, my lord:

Original: Perchance the cardinal cannot make your peace;
Modern: Perhaps the cardinal won’t be able to make peace for you;

Original: Or if he do, let it at least be said
Modern: Or if he does, let it at least be said

Original: They saw we had a purpose of defence.
Modern: They saw we were prepared to defend ourselves.

Original: Away, then, with good courage! yet, I know,
Modern: Let’s go then, with strong courage! Although, I know,

Original: Our party may well meet a prouder foe.
Modern: Our side may very well face an even more arrogant enemy.

In Act V, Scene 1 of “King John,” the scene opens at King John’s court where the monarch receives Cardinal Pandulph, who has come as a papal legate. Pandulph informs King John that he can restore peace between England and France, and between John and the Church, if John will yield his crown to the Pope and receive it back as a papal vassal. Faced with the rebellion of his nobles and the French invasion led by the Dauphin Lewis, John reluctantly agrees to this humiliating submission. He ceremonially surrenders his crown to Pandulph, who then returns it to him, effectively making John a vassal king under papal authority.

Following this submission, Pandulph assures John that he will go to the French camp to negotiate peace and persuade the Dauphin to withdraw his forces from England. John expresses hope that this papal intervention will resolve his troubles and restore stability to his kingdom. The Bastard enters and reports on the current military situation, describing the movements of the French forces and the state of the English defenses. The scene concludes with John and his remaining loyal followers preparing for the continued conflict, though now with the expectation that papal mediation may bring about a resolution to the war.

King John opens with King Philip of France supporting Arthur, the young son of John’s deceased brother Geoffrey, as the rightful heir to the English throne. John’s mother, Queen Eleanor, and the French court engage in heated disputes over legitimacy. Meanwhile, the Bastard (Philip Faulconbridge), illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart, joins John’s cause after being legitimized. War breaks out between England and France, with the strategic town of Angiers caught between the two armies.

The conflict temporarily resolves when John’s niece Blanche marries the French Dauphin Lewis, uniting the two kingdoms. However, Cardinal Pandulph arrives from Rome and excommunicates John for refusing to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. The Cardinal persuades France to break the peace and resume war against the excommunicated English king. In the ensuing battle, Arthur is captured by John’s forces.

John orders Hubert to kill the young Arthur, but Hubert cannot bring himself to murder the child and instead hides him. When Arthur later dies attempting to escape from his prison tower, the English nobles believe John has murdered him and defect to join the invading French forces led by the Dauphin. As John faces rebellion from within and invasion from without, he submits to the Pope’s authority to regain legitimacy. However, he falls ill and is poisoned by a monk at Swinstead Abbey.

The Bastard rallies the remaining English forces and discovers that the French nobles plan to kill their English allies after victory. This intelligence helps reconcile the English lords to their king. John dies, and his young son Henry is crowned King Henry III. The Dauphin withdraws his forces, and Cardinal Pandulph negotiates peace. The play concludes with the Bastard delivering a patriotic speech about England’s strength when united against foreign threats.