King Henry V By: William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
First Page: 1599 THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH by William Shakespeare DRAMATIS PERSONAE CHORUS KING HENRY THE FIFTH DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, brother to the King DUKE OF BEDFORD, " " " " DUKE OF EXETER, Uncle to the King DUKE OF YORK, cousin to the King EARL OF SALISBURY EARL OF WESTMORELAND EARL OF WARWICK ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY BISHOP OF ELY EARL OF CAMBRIDGE, conspirator against the King LORD SCROOP, " " " " SIR THOMAS GREY, " " " " SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM, officer in the King's army GOWER, " " " " " FLUELLEN, " " " " " MACMORRIS, " " " " " JAMY, " " " " " BATES, soldier in the King's army COURT, " " " " " WILLIAMS, " " " " " NYM, " " " " " BARDOLPH, " " " " " PISTOL, " " " " " BOY A HERALD CHARLES THE SIXTH, King of France LEWIS, the Dauphin DUKE OF BURGUNDY DUKE OF ORLEANS DUKE OF BRITAINE DUKE OF BOURBON THE CONSTABLE OF FRANCE RAMBURES, French Lord GRANDPRE, " " GOVERNOR OF HARFLEUR MONTJOY, a French herald AMBASSADORS to the King of England ISABEL, Queen of France KATHERINE, daughter to Charles and Isabel ALICE, a lady attending her HOSTESS of the Boar's Head, Eastcheap; formerly Mrs. Quickly, now married to Pistol Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, Attendants SCENE: England and France PROLOGUE PROLOGUE. Enter CHORUS CHORUS. O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire, Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all, The flat unraised spirits that hath dar'd On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object. Can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? Or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at Agincourt? O, pardon! since a crooked figure may Attest in little place a million; And let us, ciphers to this great accompt, On your imaginary forces work. Suppose within the girdle of these walls Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies, Whose high upreared and abutting fronts The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder. Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts: Into a thousand parts divide one man, And make imaginary puissance; Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hoofs i' th' receiving earth; For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings, Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times, Turning th' accomplishment of many years Into an hour glass; for the which supply, Admit me Chorus to this history; Who prologue like, your humble patience pray Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play. Exit ACT I. SCENE I. London. An ante chamber in the KING'S palace Enter the ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY and the BISHOP OF ELY CANTERBURY. My lord, I'll tell you: that self bill is urg'd Which in th' eleventh year of the last king's reign Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd But that the scambling and unquiet time Did push it out of farther question. ELY. But how, my lord, shall we resist it now? CANTERBURY. It must be thought on. If it pass against us, We lose the better half of our possession; For all the temporal lands which men devout By testament have given to the church Would they strip from us; being valu'd thus As much as would maintain, to the King's honour, Full fifteen earls and fifteen hundred knights, Six thousand and two hundred good esquires; And, to relief of lazars and weak age, Of indigent faint souls, past corporal toil, A hundred alms houses right well supplied; And to the coffers of the King, beside, A thousand pounds by th' year: thus runs the bill... Continue reading book >>

King Henry V By: William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

First Page:

1599

THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH

by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

CHORUS KING HENRY THE FIFTH DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, brother to the King DUKE OF BEDFORD, " " " " DUKE OF EXETER, Uncle to the King DUKE OF YORK, cousin to the King EARL OF SALISBURY EARL OF WESTMORELAND EARL OF WARWICK ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY BISHOP OF ELY

EARL OF CAMBRIDGE, conspirator against the King LORD SCROOP, " " " " SIR THOMAS GREY, " " " " SIR THOMAS ERPINGHAM, officer in the King's army GOWER, " " " " " FLUELLEN, " " " " " MACMORRIS, " " " " " JAMY, " " " " "

BATES, soldier in the King's army COURT, " " " " " WILLIAMS, " " " " " NYM, " " " " " BARDOLPH, " " " " " PISTOL, " " " " "

BOY A HERALD

CHARLES THE SIXTH, King of France LEWIS, the Dauphin DUKE OF BURGUNDY DUKE OF ORLEANS DUKE OF BRITAINE DUKE OF BOURBON THE CONSTABLE OF FRANCE RAMBURES, French Lord GRANDPRE, " " GOVERNOR OF HARFLEUR MONTJOY, a French herald AMBASSADORS to the King of England

ISABEL, Queen of France KATHERINE, daughter to Charles and Isabel ALICE, a lady attending her HOSTESS of the Boar's Head, Eastcheap; formerly Mrs. Quickly, now married to Pistol

Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, Attendants

SCENE: England and France

PROLOGUE PROLOGUE.

Enter CHORUS

CHORUS. O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword, and fire, Crouch for employment. But pardon, gentles all, The flat unraised spirits that hath dar'd On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object. Can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? Or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at Agincourt? O, pardon! since a crooked figure may Attest in little place a million; And let us, ciphers to this great accompt, On your imaginary forces work. Suppose within the girdle of these walls Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies, Whose high upreared and abutting fronts The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder. Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts: Into a thousand parts divide one man, And make imaginary puissance; Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hoofs i' th' receiving earth; For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings, Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times, Turning th' accomplishment of many years Into an hour glass; for the which supply, Admit me Chorus to this history; Who prologue like, your humble patience pray Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play. Exit

ACT I. SCENE I. London. An ante chamber in the KING'S palace

Enter the ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY and the BISHOP OF ELY

CANTERBURY. My lord, I'll tell you: that self bill is urg'd Which in th' eleventh year of the last king's reign Was like, and had indeed against us pass'd But that the scambling and unquiet time Did push it out of farther question. ELY. But how, my lord, shall we resist it now? CANTERBURY. It must be thought on. If it pass against us, We lose the better half of our possession; For all the temporal lands which men devout By testament have given to the church Would they strip from us; being valu'd thus As much as would maintain, to the King's honour, Full fifteen earls and fifteen hundred knights, Six thousand and two hundred good esquires; And, to relief of lazars and weak age, Of indigent faint souls, past corporal toil, A hundred alms houses right well supplied; And to the coffers of the King, beside, A thousand pounds by th' year: thus runs the bill... Continue reading book >>

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