Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Dead March. Enter the funeral of King Henry the Fifth,
attended on by the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France;
the Duke of Gloucester, Protector; the Duke of Exeter;
the Earl of Warwick; the Bishop of Winchester; and
the Duke of Somerset, with Heralds and Attendants. BEDFORD
Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!
Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky,
And with them scourge the bad revolting stars
That have consented unto Henry’s death: 5
King Henry the Fifth, too famous to live long.
England ne’er lost a king of so much worth. GLOUCESTER
England ne’er had a king until his time.
Virtue he had, deserving to command;
His brandished sword did blind men with his beams; 10
His arms spread wider than a dragon’s wings;
His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies
Than midday sun fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? His deeds exceed all speech. 15
He ne’er lift up his hand but conquerèd. EXETER
We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood?
Henry is dead and never shall revive.
Upon a wooden coffin we attend,
And Death’s dishonorable victory 20
We with our stately presence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What? Shall we curse the planets of mishap
That plotted thus our glory’s overthrow?
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French 25
Conjurers and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verses have contrived his end? WINCHESTER
He was a king blest of the King of kings;
Unto the French the dreadful Judgment Day
So dreadful will not be as was his sight. 30
The battles of the Lord of Hosts he fought;
The Church’s prayers made him so prosperous. GLOUCESTER
The Church? Where is it? Had not churchmen prayed,
His thread of life had not so soon decayed.
None do you like but an effeminate prince 35
Whom like a schoolboy you may overawe. WINCHESTER
Gloucester, whate’er we like, thou art Protector
And lookest to command the Prince and realm.
Thy wife is proud; she holdeth thee in awe
More than God or religious churchmen may. 40 GLOUCESTER
Name not religion, for thou lov’st the flesh,
And ne’er throughout the year to church thou go’st,
Except it be to pray against thy foes. BEDFORD
Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!
Let’s to the altar.—Heralds, wait on us.— 45
Instead of gold, we’ll offer up our arms,
Since arms avail not, now that Henry’s dead.
Posterity, await for wretched years
When at their mothers’ moistened eyes babes shall
suck, 50
Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
And none but women left to wail the dead.
Henry the Fifth, thy ghost I invocate:
Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils,
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens. 55
A far more glorious star thy soul will make
Than Julius Caesar or bright— | It's sad when a play ends with a funeral, but it's seriously ominous when it starts with one. And that's just what happens here. News not bad enough yet? It's the funeral of Henry V, one of England's greatest military heroes and the leader it needs—he conquered France a while back and has been regarded as a major hero since. And oh, his son is a baby and won't be able to rule for years. Gloucester and Winchester, two members of the English nobility, have a
spat as well, just the beginning of a long series of conflicts they have
throughout the play. We learn that Gloucester is Lord Protector, which
means dude's basically running England until Henry VI is old enough to
act as king. |
Enter a Messenger. MESSENGER
My honorable lords, health to you all.
Sad tidings bring I to you out of France,
Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture: 60
Guyen, Champaigne, Rheims, Roan, Orleance,
Paris, Gisors, Poitiers, are all quite lost. BEDFORD
What say’st thou, man, before dead Henry’s corse?
Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns
Will make him burst his lead and rise from death. 65 GLOUCESTER
Is Paris lost? Is Roan yielded up?
If Henry were recalled to life again,
These news would cause him once more yield the
ghost. EXETER
How were they lost? What treachery was used? 70 MESSENGER
No treachery, but want of men and money.
Amongst the soldiers, this is mutterèd:
That here you maintain several factions
And, whilst a field should be dispatched and fought,
You are disputing of your generals. 75
One would have ling’ring wars with little cost;
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
A third thinks, without expense at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtained.
Awake, awake, English nobility! 80
Let not sloth dim your honors new begot.
Cropped are the flower-de-luces in your arms;
Of England’s coat, one half is cut away. He exits. | While the English nobles are mourning, a messenger arrives from France to say that the French have rebelled and many of the English lands and towns there have been lost, likely through the disunity of the English noblemen. Gee, it would be a good time for a strong leader, wouldn't it? |
EXETER
Were our tears wanting to this funeral,
These tidings would call forth her flowing tides. 85 BEDFORD
Me they concern; regent I am of France.
Give me my steelèd coat, I’ll fight for France.
Away with these disgraceful wailing robes.
Wounds will I lend the French instead of eyes
To weep their intermissive miseries. 90 | Bedford announces he will go to fight in France. |
Enter to them another Messenger, with papers. SECOND MESSENGER
Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance.
France is revolted from the English quite,
Except some petty towns of no import.
The Dauphin Charles is crownèd king in Rheims;
The Bastard of Orleance with him is joined; 95
Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
The Duke of Alanson flieth to his side. He exits. | A second messenger from France arrives. By now it's probably clear that it's not going to be good news, the way you just know the Millenium Falcon is going to have hyperdrive troubles not long into The Empire Strikes Back.
And sure enough, the crown prince of France has been declared king and
has every intention of ruling France on his own, with no help from
England. |
EXETER
The Dauphin crownèd king? All fly to him?
O, whither shall we fly from this reproach? GLOUCESTER
We will not fly but to our enemies’ throats.— 100
Bedford, if thou be slack, I’ll fight it out. BEDFORD
Gloucester, why doubt’st thou of my forwardness?
An army have I mustered in my thoughts,
Wherewith already France is overrun. | Gloucester and Bedford plan to fight the French. |
Enter another Messenger. THIRD MESSENGER
My gracious lords, to add to your laments, 105
Wherewith you now bedew King Henry’s hearse,
I must inform you of a dismal fight
Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French. WINCHESTER
What? Wherein Talbot overcame, is ’t so? THIRD MESSENGER
O no, wherein Lord Talbot was o’erthrown. 110
The circumstance I’ll tell you more at large.
The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord,
Retiring from the siege of Orleance,
Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,
By three and twenty thousand of the French 115
Was round encompassèd and set upon.
No leisure had he to enrank his men.
He wanted pikes to set before his archers,
Instead whereof, sharp stakes plucked out of hedges
They pitchèd in the ground confusedly 120
To keep the horsemen off from breaking in.
More than three hours the fight continuèd,
Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
Enacted wonders with his sword and lance.
Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand him; 125
Here, there, and everywhere, enraged, he slew.
The French exclaimed the devil was in arms;
All the whole army stood agazed on him.
His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,
“À Talbot! À Talbot!” cried out amain 130
And rushed into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conquest fully been sealed up
If Sir John Fastolf had not played the coward.
He, being in the vaward, placed behind
With purpose to relieve and follow them, 135
Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke.
Hence grew the general wrack and massacre.
Enclosèd were they with their enemies.
A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin’s grace,
Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back, 140
Whom all France, with their chief assembled
strength,
Durst not presume to look once in the face. | A third messenger arrives. You know the drill: It's bad news. The third messenger says that the English leader Talbot has been taken prisoner. He fought boldly, but didn't have enough men or supplies and was also betrayed by the cowardice of Sir John Fastolfe. |
BEDFORD
His ransom there is none but I shall pay.
I’ll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne;
His crown shall be the ransom of my friend.
Four of their lords I’ll change for one of ours.
Farewell, my masters; to my task will I. 155
Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make,
To keep our great Saint George’s feast withal.
Ten thousand soldiers with me I will take,
Whose bloody deeds shall make all Europe quake. THIRD MESSENGER
So you had need; ’fore Orleance besieged, 160
The English army is grown weak and faint;
The Earl of Salisbury craveth supply
And hardly keeps his men from mutiny,
Since they so few watch such a multitude.
He exits. EXETER
Remember, lords, your oaths to Henry sworn: 165
Either to quell the Dauphin utterly
Or bring him in obedience to your yoke. BEDFORD
I do remember it, and here take my leave
To go about my preparation. Bedford exits. GLOUCESTER
I’ll to the Tower with all the haste I can 170
To view th’ artillery and munition,
And then I will proclaim young Henry king.
Gloucester exits. EXETER
To Eltham will I, where the young king is,
Being ordained his special governor;
And for his safety there I’ll best devise. He exits. 175 | The nobles are demoralized, but at least they have a plan: They decide
to fight against France and declare Henry VI King. Even though he's a
baby, they'll totally rally around him and try to make things work. |
WINCHESTER, aside
Each hath his place and function to attend.
I am left out; for me nothing remains.
But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office.
The King from Eltham I intend to steal,
And sit at chiefest stern of public weal. 180 He exits at one door; at another door,
Warwick, Somerset, Attendants and
Heralds exit with the coffin. | Winchester complains that he hasn't been give a job. He feels left out
and threatens to kidnap the young king from his current home and use him
to gain power. There's no evidence that he actually does this, but it's
a tipoff that he's a prime candidate for spending most of the play
jockeying for power and quarrelling with Gloucester. |