Original: Nay, sure, he’s not in hell: he’s in Arthur’s bosom, if ever man went to Arthur’s bosom.
Modern: No, I’m sure he’s not in hell: he’s in heaven with King Arthur, if anyone ever made it to that blessed place.

Original: A’ made a finer end and went away an it had been any christom child; a’ parted even just between twelve and one, even at the turning o’ the tide:
Modern: He died as peacefully as a newly baptized baby; he passed away right between midnight and one o’clock, just as the tide was turning.

Original: for after I saw him fumble with the sheets and play with flowers and smile upon his fingers’ ends, I knew there was but one way;
Modern: because after I saw him picking at the bedsheets and playing with imaginary flowers and smiling at his fingertips, I knew there was only one outcome;

Original: for his nose was as sharp as a pen, and a’ babbled of green fields.
Modern: his nose had become thin and pointed like a pen tip, and he rambled about green meadows.

Original: ‘How now, sir John!’ quoth I. ‘what, man! be o’ good cheer.’
Modern: “How are you doing, Sir John!” I said. “Come on, man! Keep your spirits up.”

Original: So a’ cried out ‘God, God, God!’ three or four times.
Modern: Then he called out “God, God, God!” three or four times.

Original: Now I, to comfort him, bid him a’ should not think of God; I hoped there was no need to trouble himself with any such thoughts yet.
Modern: So I, trying to comfort him, told him he shouldn’t think about God; I hoped there was no need for him to worry about such serious thoughts just yet.

Original: So a’ bade me lay more clothes on his feet: I put my hand into the bed and felt them, and they were as cold as any stone;
Modern: Then he asked me to put more blankets on his feet: I reached into the bed and touched them, and they were as cold as stone;

Original: then I felt to his knees, and they were as cold as any stone, and so upward and upward, and all was as cold as any stone.
Modern: then I felt his knees, and they were as cold as stone, and moving up his body, everything was as cold as stone.

In Act II, Scene 3 of “Henry V,” the scene takes place at the Boar’s Head Tavern in Eastcheap, London. The Hostess (Mistress Quickly) enters with Pistol, Nym, Bardolph, and the Boy, following the death of Sir John Falstaff. The Hostess describes Falstaff’s final moments in detail, recounting how he died peacefully, calling out to God and speaking deliriously about green fields. She reports that he was very cold, having lost all warmth in his body from his feet upward, and that he died around the turning of the tide. The men discuss their old companion’s passing with a mixture of grief and crude humor.

The scene shifts as Pistol, Nym, and Bardolph prepare to depart for the wars in France with King Henry’s army. The Hostess bids her husband Pistol farewell, expressing concern for his safety and urging him to look after himself. Pistol responds with his characteristic bombastic language, promising to return. The Boy, who will accompany them, expresses his own reluctance about following such dubious masters. The men exit to join the campaign, leaving behind their London tavern life as they march off to war under the command of the king who was once their companion Prince Hal.

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.