Description: Dramatis Personae king Henry the fourth prince Henry, Prince of Wales, sons of the King prince john of Lancaster, earl of Westmorland sir Walter blunt earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, Harry Percy, (hotspur), his son, earl of Worcester, Northumberland''s younger brother, lord Mortimer, Edmund Mortimer, also referred to as the Earl of March, Owen Glendower, earl of Douglas, Archibald Douglas, sir Richard Vernon, archbishop of York, Richard Scroop, sir Michael, a member of the Archbishop''s household, lady Percy, Hotspur''s wife and Mortimer''s sister lady Mortimer, Mortimer''s wife and Glendower''s daughter sir john Falstaff Ned Poins Bardolph Peto Gadshill, arranger of the highway robbery hostess of the tavern, Mistress Quickly Francis, a drawer, or tapster vintner, or tavern keeper first carrier second carrier hostler chamberlain first traveler sheriff servant to Hotspur messenger second messenger Soldiers, Travelers, Lords, Attendants scene: England and Wales 1.1. Location: The royal court. 2 Find we let us find. frighted frightened 3 breathe short-winded accents speak, even though we are out of breath. accents words broils battles 4 strands afar remote far-off shores, i.e., of the Holy Land (to which, at the end of Richard II, Henry has pledged himself to a crusade) 5 thirsty entrance i.e., parched mouth 6 daub coat, smear 7 trenching cutting, plowing 9 paces horses'' tread 12 intestine internal 13 close hand-to-hand encounter. civil (as in "civil war") 18 his its 21 impressed conscripted 22 power army 23 their mother''s i.e., England''s, but also suggesting their mothers'' 1.1 A Enter the King, Lord John of Lancaster, [the] Earl of Westmorland, [Sir Walter Blunt,] with others. king So shaken as we are, so wan with care, Find we a time for frighted peace to pant, 2 And breathe short-winded accents of new broils 3 To be commenced in strands afar remote. 4 No more the thirsty entrance of this soil 5 Shall daub her lips with her own children''s blood; 6 No more shall trenching war channel her fields 7 Nor bruise her flowerets with the armed hoofs Of hostile paces. Those opposed eyes, 9 Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven, All of one nature, of one substance bred, Did lately meet in the intestine shock 12 And furious close of civil butchery, 13 Shall now in mutual well-beseeming ranks March all one way and be no more opposed Against acquaintance, kindred, and allies. The edge of war, like an ill-sheathed knife, No more shall cut his master. Therefore, friends, 18 As far as to the sepulcher of Christ-- Whose soldier now, under whose blessed cross We are impressed and engaged to fight-- 21 Forthwith a power of English shall we levy, 22 Whose arms were molded in their mothers'' womb 23 To chase these pagans in those holy fields Over whose acres walked those blessed feet Which fourteen hundred years ago were nailed For our advantage on the bitter cross. But this our purpose now is twelve month old, 29 bootless useless 30 Therefore . . . now That is not the reason for our present meeting. 31 Of from. gentle cousin noble kinsman 33 dear expedience urgent expedition 34 hot in question being hotly debated 35 limits . . . charge particulars of military responsibility 36 athwart at cross purposes, contrarily 37 post messenger. loaden laden 43 corpse corpses 44 transformation mutilation 49 other other news 50 uneven disconcerting, distressing 52 Holy Rood Day September 14 54 approved proved by experience 55 Holmedon Humbleton in Northumberland 57 by judging from 58 shape of likelihood likely outcome 59 them the news And bootless ''tis to tell you we will go. 29 Therefore we meet not now. Then let me hear 30 Of you, my gentle cousin Westmorland, 31 What yesternight our council did decree In forwarding this dear expedience. 33 Westmorland My liege, this haste was hot in question, 34 And many limits of the charge set down 35 But yesternight, when all athwart there came 36 A post from Wales loaden with heavy news, 37 Whose worst was that the noble Mortimer, Leading the men of Herefordshire to fight Against the irregular and wild Glendower, Was by the rude hands of that Welshman taken, A thousand of his people butchered-- Upon whose dead corpse there was such misuse, 43 Such beastly shameless transformation, 44 By those Welshwomen done as may not be Without much shame retold or spoken of. king It seems then that the tidings of this broil Brake off our business for the Holy Land. Westmorland This matched with other did, my gracious lord; 49 For more uneven and unwelcome news 50 Came from the north, and thus it did import: On Holy Rood Day, the gallant Hotspur there, 52 Young Harry Percy, and brave Archibald, That ever-valiant and approved Scot, 54 At Holmedon met, where they did spend 55 A sad and bloody hour, As by discharge of their artillery 57 And shape of likelihood the news was told; 58 For he that brought them, in the very heat 59 60 pride height 62-3 Here . . . Blunt (Whether Blunt enters at the start of the scene, or now, or possibly not at all, is not certain in the original text.) 66 smooth pleasant 67 discomfited defeated 69 Balked heaped up in balks, or ridges 71 Mordake i.e., Murdoch, son of the Earl of Albany 81 plant young tree 82 minion favorite 84 riot debauchery 86 night-tripping i.e., moving nimbly in the night 88 Plantagenet (Family name of English royalty since Henry II) 90 let him let him go. coz cousin, i.e., kinsman And pride of their contention did take horse, 60 Uncertain of the issue any way. king Here is a dear, a true industrious friend, 62 Sir Walter Blunt, new lighted from his horse, 63 Stained with the variation of each soil Betwixt that Holmedon and this seat of ours; And he hath brought us smooth and welcome news. 66 The Earl of Douglas is discomfited; 67 Ten thousand bold Scots, two-and-twenty knights, Balked in their own blood, did Sir Walter see 69 On Holmedon''s plains. Of prisoners, Hotspur took Mordake, Earl of Fife and eldest son 71 To beaten Douglas, and the Earl of Atholl, Of Murray, Angus, and Menteith. And is not this an honorable spoil? A gallant prize? Ha, cousin, is it not? Westmorland In faith, it is a conquest for a prince to boast of. king Yea, there thou mak''st me sad, and mak''st me sin In envy that my lord Northumberland Should be the father to so blest a son-- A son who is the theme of honor''s tongue, Amongst a grove the very straightest plant, 81 Who is sweet Fortune''s minion and her pride, 82 Whilst I, by looking on the praise of him, See riot and dishonor stain the brow 84 Of my young Harry. Oh, that it could be proved That some night-tripping fairy had exchanged 86 In cradle clothes our children where they lay, And called mine Percy, his Plantagenet! 88 Then would I have his Harry, and he mine. But let him from my thoughts. What think you, coz, 90 92 surprised ambushed, captured 93 To . . . use i.e., to collect ransom for them 94 none but Mordake (Since Mordake was of royal blood, being grandson to Robert II of Scotland, Hotspur could not claim him as his prisoner according to the law of arms.) 96 Malevolent . . . aspects (1) implacably hostile to you (2) in astrological terms, a planet in a disobedient orbit, ominous as seen from every angle 97 Which . . . himself i.e., which teaching makes Hotspur preen himself (as a falcon preens its feathers) 1.2 Location: London, perhaps in an apartment of the Prince''s. 2 sack a Spanish white wine 4 forgotten forgotten how 6 a devil in the devil 8 dials clocks 9 leaping houses houses of prostitution 10 taffeta (commonly worn by prostitutes) 11 superfluous (1) unnecessarily concerned (2) self-indulgent Of this young Percy''s pride? The prisoners Which he in this adventure hath surprised 92 To his own use he keeps, and sends me word 93 I shall have none but Mordake, Earl of Fife. 94 Westmorland This is his uncle''s teaching. This is Worcester, Malevolent to you in all aspects, 96 Which makes him prune himself and bristle up 97 The crest of youth against your dignity. King But I have sent for hi

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