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Last updated: Tue, Jun 02, 2020

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Act and scene list

Characters in the Play
Entire Play Henry V begins at the English court, where the young king is persuaded that he has a claim to the throne of France. When the French dauphin, or heir apparent, insults him by sending him tennis balls, Henry launches his military expedition to France.Before departing, Henry learns that three of his nobles have betrayed him, and he orders their execution. Meanwhile, his old tavern companions grieve over Sir John Falstaff’s death, and then leave for France.Henry and his army lay siege to the French town of Harfleur, which surrenders. The Princess of France, Katherine, starts to learn English, but the French nobles are sure of success against Henry. Instead, Henry’s forces win a great victory at Agincourt.After a brief return to England, Henry comes back to France to claim his rights and to set up his marriage to Princess Katherine. The play’s epilogue points out that Henry will die young and that England will as a result lose most of his French territories.
Prologue The Chorus wishes for a far greater stage, actors, and audience. He apologizes for the scanty resources that are available and urges the audience to use its imagination to make up for them.
Act 1, scene 1 The Bishop of Canterbury informs the Bishop of Ely of a bill threatening Church revenues and of a plan to postpone it by justifying King Henry’s invasion of France to claim the French throne. Canterbury also reports his offer of a most generous contribution to the King to help finance the war.
Act 1, scene 2 At the King’s request, Canterbury provides an extensive interpretation of French law to support Henry’s claim to the French throne. After the court discusses ways of preventing a Scottish invasion of England while Henry is in France, Henry decides to go to war against France. The French ambassadors present Henry with a token of the Dauphin’s insulting refusal to take seriously Henry’s claims in France.
Act 2, Chorus The Chorus announces the enthusiastic support of English youth for Henry’s French campaign, but also advises that the French have bribed three noblemen to attempt Henry’s assassination.
Act 2, scene 1 King Henry’s former tavern companion Bardolph prevents Pistol and Nym from fighting over Hostess Quickly, Pistol’s wife. They are interrupted by the news that Sir John Falstaff, once Henry’s intimate friend, is gravely ill.
Act 2, scene 2 Henry, informed of the treachery of three of his friends, confronts them with their crimes. They throw themselves on his mercy, but, having just denied mercy to another, they are themselves denied. As they leave, now welcoming their execution as deserved, Henry looks toward his French war.
Act 2, scene 3 The tavern crew—Bardolph, Pistol, Nym, and the Boy—join the Hostess in mourning the dead Falstaff and, saying good-bye to the Hostess, leave for France.
Act 2, scene 4 The King of France and his court plan their defense against Henry’s invasion. Exeter arrives to present the King with Henry’s claim to the French throne, to threaten the French, and to return to the Dauphin the insulting defiance he sent to Henry.
Act 3, Chorus The Chorus describes the embarkation of Henry’s fleet for France, Henry’s preparations to besiege the town of Harfleur, and the breakdown of talks between the French (who have offered Henry some land, and their princess in marriage) and the English, who now begin the siege.
Act 3, scene 1 Henry delivers an oration to inspire his troops to take Harfleur.
Act 3, scene 2 Bardolph, Pistol, Nym, and the Boy withdraw from the assault on Harfleur. They are driven back to it by Captain Fluellen. The Boy tells us of his masters’ cowardice. Fluellen then discusses military tactics with Captain Gower, Captain Jamy, and Captain Macmorris.
Act 3, scene 3 Henry threatens the men of Harfleur with the destruction of the town and its population if they do not yield to him. The Governor then surrenders the town to Henry, who spares its people.
Act 3, scene 4 An old gentlewoman, Alice, begins to teach English to Katherine, Princess of France.
Act 3, scene 5 The French nobles speak of their shame at the success of Henry’s invasion. The French King plans to block Henry’s march to Calais and orders the royal herald Montjoy sent to Henry to learn how much ransom Henry will pay for his release from certain capture by the French.
Act 3, scene 6 Captains Fluellen and Gower meet Pistol, who pleads for Bardolph, sentenced to die for robbery. Fluellen refuses to intervene and Pistol insults him and leaves. Henry enters and learns about Bardolph’s sentence of death, which he upholds. Montjoy enters to urge that Henry propose a ransom. Henry offers only his body as ransom.
Act 3, scene 7 On the eve of battle, the French nobles, confident of their army’s superiority, engage in verbal competition.
Act 4, Chorus The Chorus describes the confident French and anxious English armies on the night before the battle of Agincourt, and portrays Henry as passing among his troops cheering them up. Again the Chorus laments that the stage and actors are so inadequate to the presentation of the battle to come.
Act 4, scene 1 Henry borrows Erpingham’s cloak and, in this disguise, passes through his camp, meeting Pistol, overhearing a conversation between Fluellen and Gower, and getting into an argument with one of his soldiers, Michael Williams, about the King’s responsibility for the spiritual fate of those of his soldiers who die in battle. Henry (in disguise) and Williams postpone their disagreement until after the battle, exchanging gloves as pledges to fight with each other later. Alone, Henry laments the care that accompanies his crown and then prays that God will not avenge upon him, in the upcoming battle, his father’s usurpation of Richard II’s throne and instigation of Richard’s death.
Act 4, scene 2 The French nobles, about to fight, lament that the English are so few and so weak.
Act 4, scene 3 Henry delivers an oration to his troops urging them on to win glory in the battle. Montjoy again comes to establish the terms of Henry’s ransom, and Henry again refuses to be ransomed should he be defeated and captured.
Act 4, scene 4 A French soldier surrenders to Pistol, who threatens him with death until the soldier promises to pay a ransom of two hundred gold coins.
Act 4, scene 5 The French nobles, shamed in their defeat, decide to die fighting.
Act 4, scene 6 Henry, in doubt about the outcome of the battle, hears of York’s and Suffolk’s deaths, and then, when a French call to arms is again sounded, orders his troops to kill their prisoners.
Act 4, scene 7 Fluellen, in conversation with Gower, compares Henry to the classical world-conqueror Alexander the Great. Montjoy arrives to concede the French defeat. Williams appears with Henry’s glove, which Henry does not acknowledge. Instead Henry sends Fluellen to challenge Williams, and then, to prevent the fight certain to ensue, sends Warwick and Gloucester after Fluellen.
Act 4, scene 8 Williams and Fluellen are prevented from fighting by Warwick and Gloucester. Henry arrives and accuses Williams of promising to strike him. Williams successfully excuses himself and is rewarded. Henry learns of the huge number of French casualties and the very few English. He declares the English victory to be God’s own work, and he plans to return to England.
Act 5, Chorus The Chorus describes the great welcome accorded the English army when it returns home, the visit by the Holy Roman Emperor to establish peace between England and France, and the return of Henry to France.
Act 5, scene 1 Fluellen avenges Pistol’s insults by making Pistol eat a leek. Pistol, humiliated, plans to return to England in the guise of a wounded soldier.
Act 5, scene 2 The Duke of Burgundy has brought about a meeting between French and English to sign a peace treaty. Henry delegates negotiation of the treaty to his nobles while he woos Katherine, Princess of France, who agrees to marry him. The French are brought to accept all English terms, including Henry’s right to succeed to the French throne.
Act 5, Epilogue The Chorus reminds the audience that Henry died very young, leaving the kingdom to his infant son, during whose reign France was lost and England did “bleed.”

//tei:div1[@n='5-epilogue']: 0

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