Henry V: Act 2, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 1 of Henry V from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

  Original Text

 Translated Text

  Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Enter Corporal Nym and Lieutenant Bardolph.

BARDOLPH Well met, Corporal Nym.

NYM Good morrow, Lieutenant Bardolph.

BARDOLPH What, are Ancient Pistol and you friends
yet?

NYM For my part, I care not. I say little, but when time 5
shall serve, there shall be smiles; but that shall be as
it may. I dare not fight, but I will wink and hold out
mine iron. It is a simple one, but what though? It
will toast cheese, and it will endure cold as another
man’s sword will, and there’s an end. 10

BARDOLPH I will bestow a breakfast to make you
friends, and we’ll be all three sworn brothers to
France. Let ’t be so, good Corporal Nym.

NYM Faith, I will live so long as I may, that’s the
certain of it; and when I cannot live any longer, I 15
will do as I may. That is my rest, that is the
rendezvous of it.

BARDOLPH It is certain, corporal, that he is married to
Nell Quickly, and certainly she did you wrong, for
you were troth-plight to her. 20

NYM I cannot tell. Things must be as they may. Men
may sleep, and they may have their throats about
them at that time, and some say knives have edges.
It must be as it may. Though patience be a tired
mare, yet she will plod. There must be conclusions. 25
Well, I cannot tell.

At a seedy tavern in Eastcheap (a London slum), two commoners named Bardolph and Nim talk about the impending war with France. 

(We know what you're thinking, Shmoopsters. Why does Shakespeare direct us to this tavern in Eastcheap right after the Chorus has just told us about a plot against the King's life? Why not open this scene by dropping in on the traitors? Well, we're not exactly sure, but we're guessing that Shakespeare wants us to make some kind of connection between the traitors and the rowdy Eastcheap characters.)

Enter Pistol and Hostess Quickly.

BARDOLPH Here comes Ancient Pistol and his wife.
Good corporal, be patient here.—How now, mine
host Pistol?

PISTOL Base tyke, call’st thou me host? Now, by this 30
hand, I swear I scorn the term, nor shall my Nell
keep lodgers.

HOSTESS No, by my troth, not long; for we cannot
lodge and board a dozen or fourteen gentlewomen
that live honestly by the prick of their needles but it 35
will be thought we keep a bawdy house straight.

Nym and Pistol draw their swords.

O well-a-day, Lady! If he be not hewn now, we shall
see willful adultery and murder committed.

Mistress Quickly and Pistol (who have recently tied the knot) enter and talk about their family business. Their conversation sounds a lot like this: "Dang. We're so tired of everyone accusing us of running a 'bawdy house' (brothel) when all we're trying to do is run an honest business."

BARDOLPH Good lieutenant, good corporal, offer nothing
here. 40

NYM Pish!

PISTOL Pish for thee, Iceland dog, thou prick-eared
cur of Iceland!

HOSTESS Good Corporal Nym, show thy valor, and put
up your sword. 45

NYM Will you shog off? To Pistol. I would have you
solus.

PISTOL “Solus, egregious dog? O viper vile, the solus
in thy most marvelous face, the solus in thy teeth
and in thy throat and in thy hateful lungs, yea, in thy 50
maw, perdy, and, which is worse, within thy nasty
mouth! I do retort the solus in thy bowels, for I can
take, and Pistol’s cock is up, and flashing fire will
follow.

NYM I am not Barbason, you cannot conjure me. I 55
have an humor to knock you indifferently well. If
you grow foul with me, Pistol, I will scour you with
my rapier, as I may, in fair terms. If you would walk
off, I would prick your guts a little in good terms, as
I may, and that’s the humor of it. 60

PISTOL
O braggart vile and damnèd furious wight,
The grave doth gape, and doting death is near.
Therefore exhale.

BARDOLPH Hear me, hear me what I say: he that strikes
the first stroke, I’ll run him up to the hilts, as I am a 65
soldier. He draws.

PISTOL An oath of mickle might, and fury shall abate.

Pistol and Nym and then Bardolph
sheathe their swords.

Give me thy fist, thy forefoot to me give. Thy spirits
are most tall.

NYM, to Pistol I will cut thy throat one time or other 70
in fair terms, that is the humor of it.

PISTOL Couple à gorge, that is the word. I defy thee
again. O hound of Crete, think’st thou my spouse to
get? No, to the spital go, and from the powd’ring tub
of infamy fetch forth the lazar kite of Cressid’s kind, 75
Doll Tearsheet she by name, and her espouse. I
have, and I will hold, the quondam Quickly for the
only she: and pauca, there’s enough too! Go to.

Nim gets all bent out of shape and we find out why. Apparently, he was engaged to Mistress Quickly before she ran off and married Pistol.

Nim threatens to slit Pistol's throat and the two men draw their swords (several times) before Bardolph manages to break up the argument.

Enter the Boy.

BOY Mine host Pistol, you must come to my master,
and your hostess. He is very sick and would to 80
bed.—Good Bardolph, put thy face between his
sheets, and do the office of a warming-pan. Faith,
he’s very ill.

A Boy runs in and declares that Sir John Falstaff is deathly ill. (Remember, Falstaff is Henry's old pal from Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2. When he became King of England, Henry banished Falstaff.)

BARDOLPH Away, you rogue!

HOSTESS By my troth, he’ll yield the crow a pudding 85
one of these days. The King has killed his heart.
Good husband, come home presently.

She exits with the Boy.

BARDOLPH Come, shall I make you two friends? We
must to France together. Why the devil should we
keep knives to cut one another’s throats? 90

PISTOL
Let floods o’erswell and fiends for food howl on!

NYM You’ll pay me the eight shillings I won of you at
betting?

PISTOL Base is the slave that pays.

NYM That now I will have, that’s the humor of it. 95

PISTOL As manhood shall compound. Push home.

They draw.

BARDOLPH, drawing his sword By this sword, he that
makes the first thrust, I’ll kill him. By this sword, I
will.

PISTOL, sheathing his sword “Sword” is an oath, and 100
oaths must have their course.

BARDOLPH Corporal Nym, an thou wilt be friends, be
friends; an thou wilt not, why then be enemies with
me too. Prithee, put up.

PISTOL, to Nym A noble shalt thou have, and present 105
pay, and liquor likewise will I give to thee, and
friendship shall combine, and brotherhood. I’ll live
by Nym, and Nym shall live by me. Is not this just?
For I shall sutler be unto the camp, and profits will
accrue. Give me thy hand. 110

NYM I shall have my noble?

PISTOL In cash, most justly paid.

NYM Well, then, that’s the humor of ’t.

Nym and Bardolph sheathe their swords.

Enter Hostess.

HOSTESS As ever you come of women, come in quickly
to Sir John. Ah, poor heart, he is so shaked of a 115
burning quotidian-tertian that it is most lamentable
to behold. Sweet men, come to him.

NYM The King hath run bad humors on the knight,
that’s the even of it.

PISTOL Nym, thou hast spoke the right. His heart is 120
fracted and corroborate.

NYM The King is a good king, but it must be as it may;
he passes some humors and careers.

PISTOL Let us condole the knight, for, lambkins, we
will live. 125

They exit.

Mistress Quickly, Nim, and Pistol agree that Falstaff is dying of a broken heart because King Henry unfriended him.