Henry V – Act 1 Prologue

CHORUS

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend

If we can conjure burning inspiration

The brightest heaven of invention,

To fire up our creativity,

A kingdom for a stage, princes to act

This stage will seem a country, full of princes

And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

And royalty observing the commotion!

Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,

Then Harry seems the real army general,

Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,

Appearing like the god of war, commanding

Leashed in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire

Starvation, swords and fire – like tied-up dogs –

Crouch for employment. But pardon, and gentles all,

To get to work. But, audience, forgive us:

The flat unraised spirits that have dared

We’re merely simple people who have dared,

On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth

Upon this insufficient stage, to act

So great an object: can this cockpit hold

So great a story. Can this theatre seem

The vasty fields of France? Or may we cram

To be the sprawling fields of France? Can we fit

Within this wooden O the very casques

Within this wood rotunda, all the helmets

That did affright the air at Agincourt?

That filled the air of Agincourt with terror?

O, pardon! Since a crooked figure may

Forgive me! For though I can scribble down

Attest in little place a million;

Small zeros that can represent one million,

And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,

Let all us zeros acting this great story

On your imaginary forces work.

Have huge effect on your imagination.

Suppose within the girdle of these walls

Imagine, if you will, within these walls

Are now confined two mighty monarchies,

Two mighty kingdoms both confined in here,

Whose high upreared and abutting fronts

Whose cliffs rise up to face each other down,

The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder:

Divided by the dangerous English Channel.

Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts;

Outthink the limitations of our acting;

Into a thousand parts divide one man,

Think each man represents a thousand soldiers,

And make imaginary puissance;

And conjure up two nations’ mighty forces.

Think when we talk of horses, that you see them

And when we talk of horses, try to see them

Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;

Planting their hoofprints on the ground below;

For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,

For now your fertile minds must make our kings,

Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,

Transporting them around; and skipping time,

Turning the accomplishment of many years

Converting what’s occurred over the years

Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,

To merely last an hour; to relate it,

Admit me Chorus to this history;

Permit me – I’m called Chorus – to narrate it;

Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,

And, like a prologue in a book, I pray

Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

You’ll listen up and kindly judge our play.