“O for a Muse of fire that, would ascend the brightest heaven of invention. A kingdom for a stage, princes to act and monarchs to behold the swelling scene! Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, assume the port of Mars; and at his heels, leash’d in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire crouch for employment…”
The young King Henry V has assumed the throne, but the people of England are restless and dissatisfied. King Henry stakes claim to rule over France, but a strong rebuke from the French royal family follows. He decides to invade France. The King and his country prepare for war, as a plot against his life is discovered.