Henry V

The scene consists of a rousing speech by King Henry, rallying his troops in the midst of battle. He urges them “[o]nce more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,” showing that the English have broken through the French defenses and must push their advantage with hand-to-hand fighting. He invokes the courage, nobleness, and “mettle” of the English and exhorts his soldiers to remember and be worthy of their English “breeding.” He appeals to his soldiers, the common men and the nobles alike, to fight for “Harry! England, and Saint George!” (3.1.34).

Bardolph, Nym, Pistol, and the boy are on the fringes of the battle. While Bardolph is inspired and urges his fellows with “On, on, on, on, on” (3.2.1), the other three hang back from the front line of fighting. They all wish they were back in a London alehouse. A Captain called Fluellen enters and orders the men into fight. The boy lingers behind and delivers a soliloquy. He considers the foolishness and hypocrisy of the three men who are “not men” in his eyes. They brag but are cowards, and Nym and Bardolph are thieves as well. They urge the boy to steal for them but he will not. He is resolved to leave them and find better companions.

Captain Fluellen speaks with Captain Gower. The men are friends and fellow officers. They talk about the English plan to construct tunnels (“mines”) under the walls surrounding Harfleur. Fluellen cites his knowledge of Roman military tactics to claim that the mines are not being correctly dug “according to the disciplines of war” (3.2.58). He looks down on the Irish officer, Captain MacMorris, who is overseeing the mine project. Fluellen much prefers Captain Jamy, the Scottish Captain. When Jamy and MacMorris enter, Fluellen tries to offer his advice about the tunnels. MacMorris is offended, and argues with Fluellen. Since they are responsible officers with many duties, however, they stop. After a discussion about the dangers of war and the certainty of death, they return to the siege.

King Henry’s arrival is signaled by trumpets. The people of Harfleur have asked to negotiate terms. King Henry calls out to the Governor of Harfleur from before the gates, calling on him to give up the town. If he does so, Henry promises, the people of Harfleur will live peacefully. If the battle continues, however, Henry will not leave “till in her ashes [Harfleur] lie buried” (3.3.92). He warns that the English soldiers, in their battle frenzy, will destroy the town and “mow like grass // Your fresh fair virgins and your flow’ring infants” (3.3.96-97). Henry says he will not hold himself responsible as he is giving the Governor a chance to prevent this. The Governor replies: He has learned that Dauphin has refused to send reinforcements to Harfleur and so the town is now indefensible. He surrenders to Henry’s “soft mercy” (3.3.48). Henry tells Exeter to hold the town for him. The English will rest there overnight and then “retire” to Calais (an English port enclave in France). Henry’s troops are tired and many are sick as the winter is advancing; he wishes for them to recuperate in safety.

At the French court, Charles’s daughter Katherine talks to Alice, her maid. The scene takes place in French. Katherine asks Alice, who has visited England, to teach her some English. Katherine says she must learn, “Il faut que j’apprenne à parler,” hinting at the likelihood that she will be married to Henry (3.4.4-5). Alice teaches Katherine to say various body parts in English, although her knowledge is not good and she mispronounces a lot of the words, a comic effect for the English audience. A joke is created by Katherine’s shock when she finds that certain words in English, as mispronounced by Alice, sound like French obscenities: “foot” sounds like foutre (fuck) and “cown” (i.e., gown) sounds like “con” (a vulgar French word for “vagina”). In her embarrassment, Katherine repeats them numerous times, augmenting the joke. She then recites the other words she has learned, practicing her lesson.

King Charles, the Dauphin, the Constable of France, and the Duke of Bourbon meet to discuss Henry’s rapid progress across France. Numerous exclamations (in both English and French) are indicative of their strong feelings and alarm. The Dauphin insults the English people as the slavish and illegitimate issue of ancient French nobles (a reference to the Norman Conquest of 1066). Bourbon also calls the English “Norman bastards.” They are baffled by the courage and the skill of an army that comes from a country with such a “foggy, raw, and dull” (3.5.16) climate. The English success offends their national pride and they resolve to turn the tide of the war, especially as the women of France “mock at us and plainly say // Our mettle is bred out. And they will give // Their bodies to the lust of English youth” (3.5.28-30). King Charles orders his noblemen to raise more troops. He calls on them to take Henry as a prisoner. The Constable reassures the King that the English are few in number and increasingly ill and starving. They are confident that they can beat Henry in battle.

After the victory at Harfleur, Fluellen talks to Gower regarding the English army’s efforts to control a bridge (over the Somme river). Pistol enters to ask a favor of Fluellen: Bardolph has been found guilty of looting Harfleur and he is due to be executed because Henry has given orders against looting on pain of death. Pistol hopes that Fluellen can intervene to save Bardolph by asking the Duke of Exeter for clemency for his “brother” (3.6.53). Fluellen refuses. He will not risk undermining the soldiers’ discipline. Pistol curses Fluellen and exits. Gower agrees with Fluellen and says that Pistol is the sort of man who will brag about his experiences as a soldier at home but who shirks his duties on campaign. Fluellen promises to keep a close eye on Pistol.

Henry enters, announced by a loud fanfare. He asks Fluellen about the fighting at the bridge. Thanks to Exeter’s strategy Fluellen explains, the English have been able to keep losses down. They have won without losing any men, except for the condemned Bardolph, who stole from a church. Henry maintains his composure, even though he knew Bardolph in his earlier years. He approves of the sentence as he insists that the English treat the conquered French with respect.

A French messenger named Montjoy arrives. He delivers a message from the King Charles to King Henry. Charles promises to punish the proud Henry and warns him to start raising a ransom fee ahead of his inevitable defeat. Henry counters that his army is “enfeebled” by sickness and fatigue but are still better fighters than the French. He would be willing to retreat temporarily to Calais but intends to continue his invasion as he believes that he is the rightful King of France. The English camp overnight on the riverbank.

The French nobles wait on the eve of battle. The Duke of Orleans speaks to the Dauphin and the Constable of France, and they boast about and compete over the quality of their armor and horses. A messenger arrives, saying that the English army is “within fifteen hundred paces” (3.7.123). The French nobles insult Henry, a “wretched and peevish fellow” (3.7.129), and his men, “foolish curs.”