The Journey to Battle Begins: Who’s Scared Now?

Act IV opens with the Chorus painting a picture of camp life the night before the battle is to begin.  The once arrogant and poised English soldiers are now reflecting on the possibility of their untimely death that awaits their arrival on the battlefield.  As they sit quietly around their campfires, the King, dressed in a disguise, visits his warriors in an attempt to gauge their confidence.  Unaware of his presence, the King becomes just another face in the crowd and attempts to connect with whoever wanders by.  He learns of the backhanded loyalty of Pistol and muses to himself as mere commoners slander his name.  In the end, the audience learns of the lingering insecurities hiding behind the King’s cool exterior.  He envies the easy life of his commoners, one where a victory over the French does not rest on his shoulders.

While the English quietly ponder their fate, the French are enjoying a boost of morale.  The soldiers see a victory on the horizon and joke to one another how they will split their winnings and treasure, which they intend to take from the English.

Throughout Act IV, the audience can notice a dramatic shift in attitudes of both the English and the French.  The once cocky and overly confident English now face the possibility of defeat, while the French, who initially opposed the battle, boast of their impending victory over the English monarchy.  This sudden shift in morale allows the reader to question who will come out of this fight victorious. Until the battle begins, the audience sits in dramatic suspense.