Henry V

The triumphant conclusion of the Henriad, Henry V dramatizes the ideal warrior-king's invasion of France and victory at Agincourt — while also subjecting that ideal to searching scrutiny through the Chorus's commentary, the king's night-time meditation, and the deaths of Falstaff's companions.

At a Glance

Dramatis Personæ

Character Description
KING HENRY V Prince Hal transformed; warrior-king; diplomat; orator
DUKE OF CLARENCE Henry's brother
DUKE OF BEDFORD Henry's brother
DUKE OF GLOUCESTER Henry's brother
DUKE OF EXETER Henry's uncle
DUKE OF YORK Henry's cousin; dies at Agincourt
EARL OF SALISBURY
EARL OF WESTMORLAND
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY Urges the war on France
BISHOP OF ELY
EARL OF CAMBRIDGE Traitor; executed
LORD SCROOP Traitor; executed
SIR THOMAS GREY Traitor; executed
SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM Old knight; helps Henry on the night before Agincourt
GOWER English officer
FLUELLEN Welsh officer; pedantic; passionate about military discipline
MACMORRIS Irish officer
JAMY Scottish officer
BATES, COURT, WILLIAMS Common soldiers; Henry debates with them in disguise
PISTOL Falstaff's former companion; now a soldier
NYM Falstaff's former companion
BARDOLPH Falstaff's former companion; hanged for theft
BOY Bardolph's young page; killed at Agincourt
A HERALD
CHARLES VI King of France
LEWIS The Dauphin; underestimates Henry
DUKE OF BURGUNDY
DUKE OF ORLEANS
DUKE OF BOURBON
THE CONSTABLE OF FRANCE
RAMBURES and GRANDPRÉ French lords
MONTJOY French herald; brings challenges from France
ISABEL Queen of France
KATHARINE Henry's prize; French princess; English lesson scene
ALICE Katharine's lady
MISTRESS QUICKLY Now Pistol's wife; reports Falstaff's death
CHORUS Frames each act; apologizes for the stage's inadequacy

Plot Summary

Prologue: The Chorus invites the audience to use their imagination to fill in what the stage cannot show: the armies, the seas, the battlefields.

Act I: The Archbishop of Canterbury urges Henry to press his claim to France (partly to forestall the confiscation of church lands). The French ambassador brings a mocking gift of tennis balls from the Dauphin. Henry accepts the challenge.

Act II: Three traitors — Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey — are exposed and executed. Falstaff dies off stage (Mistress Quickly: "His nose was as sharp as a pen..."). Pistol, Nym, and Bardolph go to war.

Act III: Henry's famous speech before Harfleur: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more." Harfleur falls. Bardolph is executed for robbing a church; Henry upholds military discipline without mercy for his old companion. The army crosses France toward Agincourt, reduced by illness.

Act IV (Agincourt Eve and Battle): Henry disguises himself and walks among his troops the night before battle. His debate with Bates and Williams raises uncomfortable questions about the king's responsibility for his soldiers' deaths. In soliloquy, Henry reflects on the burden of kingship ("What infinite heartsease / Must kings neglect, that private men enjoy?"). "St. Crispin's Day" speech: Henry refuses more men, embracing the small army as "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers." The Battle of Agincourt: the English, vastly outnumbered, slaughter the French. Henry orders the killing of French prisoners when (falsely) the French attack the English baggage (this decision is morally troubling). 10,000 French dead; 25 English.

Act V: Henry woos Katherine of France personally, awkwardly, charmingly. Peace is concluded. Henry and Katherine are betrothed.

Epilogue: The Chorus notes that Henry's early death and Henry VI's weakness would undo all these gains.

Key Themes

Notable Quotations

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more." *(Henry, III.i)*

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." *(Henry, IV.iii)*

"The king is but a man as I am; the violet smells to him as it doth to me." *(Henry in disguise, IV.i)*

LibriVox Recording

Henry V audiobook on LibriVox — Free public domain recording.

Cross-references