Henry V: Act 5, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 1 of Henry V from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Fluellen and Gower. GOWER Nay, that’s right. But why wear you your leek today? Saint Davy’s day is past. FLUELLEN There is occasions and causes why and wherefore in all things. I will tell you ass my friend, Captain Gower. The rascally, scald, beggarly, 5 lousy, pragging knave Pistol, which you and yourself and all the world know to be no petter than a fellow, look you now, of no merits, he is come to me and prings me pread and salt yesterday, look you, and bid me eat my leek. It was in a place where 10 I could not breed no contention with him, but I will be so bold as to wear it in my cap till I see him once again, and then I will tell him a little piece of my desires.	Back at the English camp in France, Fluellen and Gower talk about why Fluellen is wearing a leek (kind of like an onion) in his hat, even though St. Davy's Day was yesterday (March 1). Brain Snack: For the Welsh, wearing a leek in one's hat on St. Davy's Day was as patriotic as Americans eating too many hotdogs and lighting fireworks on Independence Day. Fluellen tells us that he's still wearing the leek because, yesterday, Pistol insulted him by sending him some salt and bread (to eat with the leek).
Enter Pistol. GOWER Why here he comes, swelling like a 15 turkey-cock. FLUELLEN ’Tis no matter for his swellings, nor his turkey-cocks.—God pless you, Aunchient Pistol, you scurvy, lousy knave, God pless you. PISTOL Ha, art thou bedlam? Dost thou thirst, base 20 Trojan, to have me fold up Parca’s fatal web? Hence. I am qualmish at the smell of leek. FLUELLEN I peseech you heartily, scurvy, lousy knave, at my desires and my requests and my petitions, to eat, look you, this leek. Because, look you, you do 25 not love it, nor your affections and your appetites and your disgestions does not agree with it, I would desire you to eat it. PISTOL Not for Cadwallader and all his goats. FLUELLEN There is one goat for you. (Strikes him 30 with a cudgel.) Will you be so good, scald knave, as eat it? PISTOL Base Trojan, thou shalt die. FLUELLEN You say very true, scald knave, when God’s will is. I will desire you to live in the meantime and 35 eat your victuals. Come, there is sauce for it. Strikes him. You called me yesterday “mountain squire,” but I will make you today a squire of low degree. I pray you, fall to. If you can mock a leek, you can eat a leek. 40 GOWER Enough, captain. You have astonished him. FLUELLEN I say I will make him eat some part of my leek, or I will peat his pate four days.—Bite, I pray you. It is good for your green wound and your ploody coxcomb. 45 PISTOL Must I bite? FLUELLEN Yes, certainly, and out of doubt and out of question, too, and ambiguities. PISTOL By this leek, I will most horribly revenge. Fluellen threatens him. I eat and eat, I swear— 50 FLUELLEN Eat, I pray you. Will you have some more sauce to your leek? There is not enough leek to swear by. PISTOL Quiet thy cudgel. Thou dost see I eat. FLUELLEN Much good do you, scald knave, heartily. 55 Nay, pray you throw none away. The skin is good for your broken coxcomb. When you take occásions to see leeks hereafter, I pray you mock at ’em, that is all. PISTOL Good. 60 FLUELLEN Ay, leeks is good. Hold you, there is a groat to heal your pate. PISTOL Me, a groat? FLUELLEN Yes, verily, and in truth you shall take it, or I have another leek in my pocket, which you shall 65 eat. PISTOL I take thy groat in earnest of revenge. FLUELLEN If I owe you anything, I will pay you in cudgels. You shall be a woodmonger and buy nothing of me but cudgels. God be wi’ you and 70 keep you and heal your pate. He exits.	When Pistol shows up, Fluellen beats him severely and crams the leek in his mouth. Then Fluellen gives Pistol some money and tells him to scram.
PISTOL All hell shall stir for this. GOWER Go, go. You are a counterfeit cowardly knave. Will you mock at an ancient tradition begun upon an honorable respect and worn as a memorable 75 trophy of predeceased valor, and dare not avouch in your deeds any of your words? I have seen you gleeking and galling at this gentleman twice or thrice. You thought because he could not speak English in the native garb, he could not therefore 80 handle an English cudgel. You find it otherwise, and henceforth let a Welsh correction teach you a good English condition. Fare you well. He exits.	Gower points out that Pistol got what was coming to him. Next time, Pistol will think twice before messing with a guy just because he's got a whacky Welsh accent.
PISTOL Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now? News have I that my Doll is dead i’ th’ spital of a 85 malady of France, and there my rendezvous is quite cut off. Old I do wax, and from my weary limbs honor is cudgeled. Well, bawd I’ll turn, and something lean to cutpurse of quick hand. To England will I steal, and there I’ll steal. 90 And patches will I get unto these cudgeled scars, And swear I got them in the Gallia wars. He exits.	Left alone on stage, Pistol relates some sad news: His wife, Mistress Quickly, has died of venereal disease. (Just like Falstaff.) Pistol decides that, since he no longer has a wife to go home to, he's going to become a pimp.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Fluellen and Gower.

GOWER Nay, that’s right. But why wear you your leek
today? Saint Davy’s day is past.

FLUELLEN There is occasions and causes why and
wherefore in all things. I will tell you ass my
friend, Captain Gower. The rascally, scald, beggarly, 5
lousy, pragging knave Pistol, which you and
yourself and all the world know to be no petter than
a fellow, look you now, of no merits, he is come to
me and prings me pread and salt yesterday, look
you, and bid me eat my leek. It was in a place where 10
I could not breed no contention with him, but I will
be so bold as to wear it in my cap till I see him once
again, and then I will tell him a little piece of my
desires.

Back at the English camp in France, Fluellen and Gower talk about why Fluellen is wearing a leek (kind of like an onion) in his hat, even though St. Davy's Day was yesterday (March 1).

Brain Snack: For the Welsh, wearing a leek in one's hat on St. Davy's Day was as patriotic as Americans eating too many hotdogs and lighting fireworks on Independence Day.

Fluellen tells us that he's still wearing the leek because, yesterday, Pistol insulted him by sending him some salt and bread (to eat with the leek).

Enter Pistol.

GOWER Why here he comes, swelling like a 15
turkey-cock.

FLUELLEN ’Tis no matter for his swellings, nor his
turkey-cocks.—God pless you, Aunchient Pistol,
you scurvy, lousy knave, God pless you.

PISTOL Ha, art thou bedlam? Dost thou thirst, base 20
Trojan, to have me fold up Parca’s fatal web? Hence.
I am qualmish at the smell of leek.

FLUELLEN I peseech you heartily, scurvy, lousy knave,
at my desires and my requests and my petitions, to
eat, look you, this leek. Because, look you, you do 25
not love it, nor your affections and your appetites
and your disgestions does not agree with it, I would
desire you to eat it.

PISTOL Not for Cadwallader and all his goats.

FLUELLEN There is one goat for you. (Strikes him 30
with a cudgel.) Will you be so good, scald knave,
as eat it?

PISTOL Base Trojan, thou shalt die.

FLUELLEN You say very true, scald knave, when God’s
will is. I will desire you to live in the meantime and 35
eat your victuals. Come, there is sauce for it. Strikes
him. You called me yesterday “mountain squire,”
but I will make you today a squire of low degree. I
pray you, fall to. If you can mock a leek, you can eat
a leek. 40

GOWER Enough, captain. You have astonished him.

FLUELLEN I say I will make him eat some part of my
leek, or I will peat his pate four days.—Bite, I pray
you. It is good for your green wound and your
ploody coxcomb. 45

PISTOL Must I bite?

FLUELLEN Yes, certainly, and out of doubt and out of
question, too, and ambiguities.

PISTOL By this leek, I will most horribly revenge.
Fluellen threatens him. I eat and eat, I swear— 50

FLUELLEN Eat, I pray you. Will you have some more
sauce to your leek? There is not enough leek to
swear by.

PISTOL Quiet thy cudgel. Thou dost see I eat.

FLUELLEN Much good do you, scald knave, heartily. 55
Nay, pray you throw none away. The skin is good for
your broken coxcomb. When you take occásions to
see leeks hereafter, I pray you mock at ’em, that is
all.

PISTOL Good. 60

FLUELLEN Ay, leeks is good. Hold you, there is a groat
to heal your pate.

PISTOL Me, a groat?

FLUELLEN Yes, verily, and in truth you shall take it, or I
have another leek in my pocket, which you shall 65
eat.

PISTOL I take thy groat in earnest of revenge.

FLUELLEN If I owe you anything, I will pay you in
cudgels. You shall be a woodmonger and buy
nothing of me but cudgels. God be wi’ you and 70
keep you and heal your pate. He exits.

When Pistol shows up, Fluellen beats him severely and crams the leek in his mouth.

Then Fluellen gives Pistol some money and tells him to scram.

PISTOL All hell shall stir for this.

GOWER Go, go. You are a counterfeit cowardly knave.
Will you mock at an ancient tradition begun upon
an honorable respect and worn as a memorable 75
trophy of predeceased valor, and dare not avouch in
your deeds any of your words? I have seen you
gleeking and galling at this gentleman twice or
thrice. You thought because he could not speak
English in the native garb, he could not therefore 80
handle an English cudgel. You find it otherwise, and
henceforth let a Welsh correction teach you a good
English condition. Fare you well.

He exits.

Gower points out that Pistol got what was coming to him. Next time, Pistol will think twice before messing with a guy just because he's got a whacky Welsh accent.

PISTOL Doth Fortune play the huswife with me now?
News have I that my Doll is dead i’ th’ spital of a 85
malady of France, and there my rendezvous is quite
cut off. Old I do wax, and from my weary limbs
honor is cudgeled. Well, bawd I’ll turn, and something
lean to cutpurse of quick hand. To England
will I steal, and there I’ll steal. 90
And patches will I get unto these cudgeled scars,
And swear I got them in the Gallia wars.

He exits.

Left alone on stage, Pistol relates some sad news: His wife, Mistress Quickly, has died of venereal disease. (Just like Falstaff.)

Pistol decides that, since he no longer has a wife to go home to, he's going to become a pimp.

Henry V: Act 5, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 1 of Henry V from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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