Tyler Price Robinson, Henry V, External Actions Table of Contents

Henry V

Prologue: The play starts off very intensely when Chorus comes out asking for a “muse of fire.”

They tell us to get ready for a battle of two monarchies and England and France go into war. The

chorus also makes it clear that we have to us our imagination to get through the story since it’s

impossible to have thousands of soldiers and an accurate reenactment of a war on stage.

Act 1

Scene 1: The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Ely talk about a bill that’s been raised

by parliament during Henry IV’s reign but it was pushed aside due to the civil wars, it has since

resurfaced. If the bill goes into effect, the church will have to give some of the money that they

collected over years from rich people and give some it for the king’s treasury and some of it to

army and the poor. Canterbury and Ely don’t want the bill to be passed. They talk about how

Henry used to be a wild child but nowadays is the perfect king. Canterbury gives King Henry a

suddle bribe by giving him a large amount of money from the Church, encouraging a war

between England and France so King Henry can gain the French Crown.

Scene 2: Canterbury gives a long speech, telling Henry that he can make a legitimate claim

because Henry's great-great-grandmother, Isabella, was the daughter of the French King Phillip

IV. Canterbury says that the French have been using the "Salic Law" as an excuse to prevent

English kings from taking the power the deserve. He the convinces Henry that the Salic Law

shouldn't apply to him. Canterbury urges Henry to channel his great-grandfather's "warlike

spirit" and declare war on France. Canterbury promises Henry that the Church will raise a ton of

money to fund the war and convinces him that it will be the biggest donation the Church has ever

made to an English monarch. King Henry wants to start the war but is worried of the possibly

negative outcome. Canterbury and Ely peer pressure him into believing that England is strong

enough to win this war. The French Ambassador comes in with a treasure chest. The

Ambassador has a gift and a message for Henry, but asks the King not to shoot the messenger if

he doesn’t like what he sees or hears. The gift is a chest full of tennis balls which is a response to

a claim that Henry made on some French dukedoms. Henry gets ticked off and says that God will

help him turn Dauphin’s tennis balls into cannons that tear down castles and turn thousands of

French wives into widows. This was the final straw that broke the camels back.

Act 2

Chorus: The Chorus lets us know that England is gearing up for war and the French are a little

frazzled with doubt and fear of the unknown. The chorus also lets us know that three English

traitors, Cambridge, Lorde Scrope and Sir Thomas Grey, have taken money from France as a

payment for King Henry’s assassination

Scene 1: Bardolph and Nim talk about the impending war with France. Mistress Quickly and

Pistol, a married couple, enter and talk about their family business and how people think that it’s

sketchy. Nim is upset because he was engaged to Quickly before she ran off with Pistol so he

threatens to slit Pistol’s throat. Two men draw their swords at Nim but Bardolph breaks up the

argument to save his friend. A Boy runs in to tell everyone that John Falstaff, Henry’s old friend

that was banished once Henry became the king of England, is deathly ill. Mistress Quickly, Nim

and Pistol all come to conclusion that he is dying due to the loss of a friend.

Scene 2: Henry knows all about the traitors' plot to assassinate him. Meanwhile, King Henry is

boarding a ship that will take him and his troops to France. Henry decides to play mind games

with his traitors by bringing up a fake story of treason to see what they would say. All of the

traitors tell him that he should punish any man who commits treason, after that Henry hands the

men documents that prove he knows their plan The traitors faces become pale and they

immediately confess, begging for mercy. But Henry has them arrested and sentenced to death.

Cambridge then declares that he didn’t do it for the French’s money, he did it because he wanted

to kill the King. This serves as another excuse for the King to invade France.

Scene 3: Pistol reveals that Falstaff has died of a venereal disease. Quickly, Pistol and Bardolph

are devastated because they were friends with Falstaff. The men don’t grieve for too long

because they know that they need to focus on the approaching war.

Scene 4: King Charles is making plans to defend his kingdom but his son, the Dauphin, tells him

that Henry is just a fool and that they shouldn’t be worried. King Charles recalls the great

fighters in Henry’s ancestry and that makes him fearful of Henry V. A messenger tells King

Charles that England is near and they want a word with the King. The Duke of Exeter delivers a

message from King Henry saying that he wants King Charles to step down as King of France

peacefully so Henry can receive the crown or they will start fire.

Act 3

Chorus: The Chorus lets us know that Henry and his men have arrived in France.

Scene 1: King Henry gives his troops a big encouraging speech before the war begins. He tells

them to channel inner tigers. He says that if they give everything is this fight, they are bound to

win.

Scene 2: During the war, Bardolph, Nim, and Pistol yield trying to avoid being hurt. The Boy

turns out to be Falstaff’s old servant, says he wishes he could relax back in England. Captain

Fluellen comes in and demands that the men start carrying their weight and fighting. Nim then

goes off of Fluellen and Fluellen reacts by beating him. The Boy lets us know his disapproval of

Bardolph, Nim and Pistol being nothing but dirty thieves.

Scene 3: Henry gives a speech about how the Governor of Harfleur needs to surrender soon or

his troops will raid the town and rape all of it’s virgin women. The governor surrenders after

Henry claims that he will have no control over what his men do if the war continues and they

enter the town.

Scene 4: At the French palace, Princess Catherine begins an English lesson with her lady in

waiting, Alice. Catherine believes that the English words for "le pied" (foot) and "de cown"

(gown) are filthy and she will never say them in front of a French gentlemen.

Scene 5: King Charles, the Constable, and the Dauphin acknowledge the fact that Henry is

marching through France unchecked. They are worried that they will have an advantage in the

war since they were already superior in one town. The Dauphin, runs his mouth again, claiming

that some women are cheering for England to win this war. The French notice that the English

troops are ill and are falling short. King Charles orders his men to plow through England’s troops

and kidnap Henry. The French believe that they will win at this point.

Scene 6: Captains Gower and Fluellen are discussing the Duke of Exeter’s success in controlling

a vital bridge due to Pistol’s lack of nobility. Bardolph is set for assassination for stealing and

Pistol tries to plea for his life, Fluellen isn’t having any of it. Gower advises Fluellen to be wary

of men like are good at being conniving. The French herald, Montjoy arrives to deliver a

message from the French king, telling King Henry that the French have just begun their fight and

the English will soon realize that they are in over their heads. King Henry disputes the message

and lets Montjoy know that he is not phased.

Scene 7: At the French Camp, Bourbon starts bragging about this horse he received and Orleans

points out that Bourbon talks about it like he wants to marry it. Which causes Bourbon to reveal

that he once wrote a sonnet about his horse. The men then compare riding a horse to having sex

with a woman. A messenger arrives with news that the English are only 1500 paces away.

Act 4

Chorus: They lets us know that the French are being very arrogant and that King Henry has

been walking around the English camp trying to encourage his soldiers even though Henry

himself is worried. The Chorus apologizes again for not being able to show the action of the war.

Scene 1:

Henry borrows Erpingham's dirty old cloak to disguise himself as a commoner. Henry walks

around the camp in the disguise realizing that the only man who isn’t questioning the King’s

decision to goto war on the French is Fluellen. They even claim that the King will be responsible

for every soldiers death. When Henry is left alone onstage he gives a monologue about the

challenges he is facing as King. He then prays for God to help him out in this battle.

Scene 2: The French are even more cocky about the battle. A messenger comes in telling them

that the English are prepared and set for battle. The Constable states that the English soldiers are

going to fall very easily, suggesting that they should just quit. The guys all go on about how they

are going to beat the English. Then they run off to fight.

Scene 3: Henry’s army realizes that they are outnumbered after Westmoreland states that he

wishes they had more soldiers with them. Henry then gives a speech, proving to be a great

leader. Henry then tells the men that he will pay for any man to leave if they don’t want to stand

by him and fight. He then encourages every brave man who wants to stay by giving the famous

St. Cripin’s speech. Montjoy then comes in with another message urging the men to give up and

not fight. Henry refuses, AGAIN and send Montjoy back to where he came from.

Scene 4: Pistol takes an unarmed soldier prisoner and makes a deal with him in exchange for his

life through the boy. The boy translates the bargain between the two men because they don’t

speak each other’s languages. The boy reveals that Nim has been hung for stealing then heads

back to the English camp to take cover with the other servant boys while the war takes place.

Scene 5: French start losing the war. A soldier named Rambures runs away. Bourbon

encourages his men to stay by telling them that running away is going to result in English

soldiers raping their French daughters.

Scene 6: The English are winning, Exeter shows up to let King Henry know that The Earl of

Suffolk and Duke of York have been killed in battle. The two men cry over the deaths.

Scene 7: A group of French soldiers attack the English camp, cowardly. Montjoy declares that

the English won the battle. Williams shows up wearing the King's glove in his cap. Henry pokes

fun by sending Williams off on an errand and then gives Fluellen Williams' glove and asks him

to wear it in his cap. Henry lies and says the glove belonged to a Frenchman and, if anyone

confronts Fluellen about the glove, it means that they're a traitor.

Scene 8: When Williams returns and sees his glove in Fluellen's hat, he slaps Fluellen. Fluellen

accuses Williams of being a traitor and says that Williams should be arrested. Williams is

shocked, but he defends himself and says that he didn't know he was arguing with the king, since

Henry was disguised as a commoner. Henry fills the glove with some coins and gives it to

William. An English Herald shows up to tell us that ten thousand French soldiers have been

counted dead while, only four English nobles and twenty-five commoners have been killed in

battle.

Act Five

Chorus: The Chorus tells us about Henry's trip to Calais and his return to London. They also

tell us that the Holy Roman Emperor made a trip to England to try to negotiate peace between

England and France and that Henry has returned to France.

Scene 1: Pistol shows up, Fluellen beats him severely and crams the leek from his hate into

Pistols mouth, then gives him money and sends him off. When left alone onstage, Pistol reveals

that Mistress Quickly has died.

Scene 2: At the French palace, King Henry meets with King Charles and Queen Isabel to

negotiate a peace treaty. King Charles approves of the treaty. King Henry and Catherine develop

a romance and are given the okay to marry.

Epilogue: The chorus tells us that Henry and Catherine has a son who became Henry VI. They

also tell us that these events play out in Henry VI Part 1 and Part 2 where Henry loses France in

a war.