Henry V

Act 4, Scene 5

Modern spelling. Stage directions omitted.

Listen to Act 4. LibriVox volunteers recorded “Act 4” as one track, so it runs past this scene and includes stage directions this page leaves out. LibriVox catalog.

CONSTABLE

O diable!

ORLEANS

O Seigneur! le jour est perdu, tout est perdu!

DAUPHIN

Mort de ma vie! all is confounded, all!
Reproach and everlasting shame
Sits mocking in our plumes.

DAUPHIN

O méchante Fortune! Do not run away.

CONSTABLE

Why, all our ranks are broke.

DAUPHIN

O perdurable shame! Let’s stab ourselves,
Be these the wretches that we play’d at dice for?

ORLEANS

Is this the king we sent to for his ransom?

BOURBON

Shame and eternal shame, nothing but shame!
Let’s die in honour! Once more back again!
And he that will not follow Bourbon now,
Let him go , and with his cap in hand,
Like a base pandar, hold the chamber door
Whilst by a slave, no gentler than my dog,
His fairest daughter is contaminated.

CONSTABLE

Disorder, that spoil’d us, friend us now!
Let us on heaps go offer up our lives.

ORLEANS

We are enough yet living in the field
To smother up the English in our throngs,
If any order might be thought upon.

BOURBON

The devil take order now! I’ll to the throng.
Let life be short, else shame will be too long.

All of Henry V

Opening and close

PrologueEpilogue,

Act 1

Act 1, Scene 1Act 1, Scene 2,

Act 2

Act 2Act 2, Scene 1Act 2, Scene 2Act 2, Scene 3Act 2, Scene 4,

Act 3

Act 3Act 3, Scene 1Act 3, Scene 2Act 3, Scene 3Act 3, Scene 4Act 3, Scene 5Act 3, Scene 6Act 3, Scene 7,

Act 4

Act 4Act 4, Scene 1Act 4, Scene 2Act 4, Scene 3Act 4, Scene 4Act 4, Scene 5Act 4, Scene 6Act 4, Scene 7Act 4, Scene 8,

Act 5

Act 5Act 5, Scene 1Act 5, Scene 2

Open Henry V in the 1623 First Folio. See its words in the cloud.

Modern spelling for reading. The edition is public domain in the United States. Edition source.