Henry V – Act 3 Prologue

CHORUS

Thus with imagined wing our swift scene flies

Now, using your imagination, our scene

In motion of no less celerity

Moves swiftly on as expeditiously

Than that of thought. Suppose that you have seen

As thought. Imagine that you have observed

The well-appointed king at Hampton pier

The well-dressed king beside Southampton dock

Embark his royalty; and his brave fleet

Embarking on his royal mission; his fleet

With silken streamers the young Phoebus fanning:

Adorned with flags lit by the morning sun;

Play with your fancies, and in them behold

Think fancifully and, in those thoughts, bear witness

Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;

To cabin boys ascending up the rigging;

Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give

Hear the shrill whistle dishing out the orders

To sounds confused; behold the threaden sails,

Above all the commotion; see the sails

Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,

Filled up aloft by gentle, unseen wind,

Draw the huge bottoms through the furrowed sea,

That drags the massive hulls through choppy seas,

Breasting the lofty surge: O, do but think

And break through crested waves. Simply imagine

You stand upon the rivage and behold

You’re standing on the shoreline, witnessing

A city on the inconstant billows dancing;

A city bobbing on the dancing swell;

For so appears this fleet majestical,

For this majestic fleet appears this way,

Holding due course to Harfleur. Follow, follow:

And holds its course to Harfleur. Follow us!

Grapple your minds to sternage of this navy,

Imagine you are following this navy,

And leave your England, as dead midnight still,

And that you’re leaving England, calm as midnight,

Guarded with grandsires, babies and old women,

Protected by the old, the young and women,

Either past or not arrived to pith and puissance;

Either too old or not mature enough;

For who is he, whose chin is but enriched

For who’s the youth who has grown on his chin

With one appearing hair, that will not follow

A single hair that will not follow on

These culled and choice-drawn cavaliers to France?

Behind distinguished soldiers into France?

Work, work your thoughts, and therein see a siege;

Embellish all your thoughts and see a siege;

Behold the ordnance on their carriages,

Observe the cannons resting on their carts,

With fatal mouths gaping on girded Harfleur.

Their muzzles aiming at the walls of Harfleur.

Suppose the ambassador from the French comes back;

Suppose the French ambassador returns,

Tells Harry that the king doth offer him

Informing Harry that the king has offered

Katharine his daughter, and with her, to dowry,

His daughter Katharine as his wife, and with her

Some petty and unprofitable dukedoms.

Some small, inconsequential bits of land.

The offer likes not: and the nimble gunner

He doesn’t like it; and the cannoneer

With linstock now the devilish cannon touches,

Strikes up a match and lights the cannon’s fuse,

[ALARUM, AND CHAMBERS GO OFF]

And down goes all before them. Still be kind,

And everything’s knocked over. Please be kind,

And eke out our performance with your mind.

Embellishing our acting with your mind.