William Shakespeare
Henry V
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
Henry V leads England to war in France and wins at Agincourt, while the Chorus asks the audience to imagine what the stage cannot show.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (108 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (101 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
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All 37 plays in every format cost $99, less than 8 single Full Packages. PDFs only: $55 for all 37.
- Genre
- History
- Written
- c. 1599
- Setting
- England and France
- Scenes
- 23
- Speaking roles
- 46
- Uncut running time
- ~3h 10m
What happens in Henry V
Newly crowned, Henry V is told by the Archbishop of Canterbury that he has a legitimate claim to the French throne. After a rebuke to the Dauphin, who sends him tennis balls as a mockery, Henry prepares an invasion. He uncovers and executes three conspirators, then takes the French town of Harfleur with a threat of ruin. His old companions from the tavern, including Nym, Bardolph and Pistol, are caught up in the war.
As the English army, sick and outnumbered, marches on, Henry walks among his soldiers in disguise the night before the battle of Agincourt. The English win a surprising victory. Afterward, Henry wooes Katharine, the French princess, and the two kingdoms are joined in a treaty. The Chorus closes with a reminder of the troubles that followed his son's reign.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 46 characters speak; 28 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| King Henry V | | 154 |
| Fluellen | | 72 |
| Chorus | | 6 |
| Canterbury | | 18 |
| Pistol | | 62 |
| Exeter | | 22 |
| Constable | | 40 |
| Dauphin | | 32 |
For directors
King Henry V takes about 33 percent of the words, a very large share, so the lead is a heavy commitment. The next largest roles, Fluellen at 10, the Chorus at 7 and Canterbury at 6, are well below him, and only four roles exceed 5 percent. The play has 46 speaking roles, 28 under 1 percent, and French and English soldiers can be doubled. The uncut estimate of 190 minutes is long. The Chorus is a distinct acting opportunity.
Cutting notes
- The Cambridge, Scroop and Grey conspiracy scene (2.2) is sometimes cut or shortened; Olivier's 1944 film omits it.
- Shorten the comic scenes among Fluellen, Gower, Macmorris and Jamy, which depend on period dialect jokes.
- Reduce the French court scenes before Agincourt and the Chorus's longer speeches.
For teachers
Students study leadership and rhetoric, the justification of war, national identity and the role of the Chorus in asking the audience to imagine. Frequently taught passages include "Once more unto the breach", the speech before Agincourt, Henry's night walk among his soldiers, and the wooing of Katharine. The play prompts discussion of whether it glorifies or questions war, and links with the two Henry IV plays.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of Henry V?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 23 scenes and about 25,800 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this Henry V script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
