Yield, cur!
Yield, cur!
Yield, cur!
Yield, cur!
_Je pense que vous êtes le gentilhomme de bonne qualité._
I think that you are a gentleman of good quality.
You seem like a respectable gentleman to me.
you seem like a good guy
_Qualité? Caleno custore me!_
Art thou a gentleman?
What is thy name? Discuss.
Quality? You think so! Are you a gentleman? What is your name? Tell me.
Quality? Listen here! Are you a gentleman? What's your name? Start talking.
quality?? you a gentleman? what's your name? talk
_O Seigneur Dieu!_
Oh Lord God!
Oh my God!
oh lord help me
O, Signieur Dew should be a gentleman.
Perpend my words, O Signieur Dew, and mark:
O Signieur Dew, thou diest on point of fox,
Except, O signieur, thou do give to me
Egregious ransom.
So, Mister God should be a gentleman. Listen to my words, Mister God, and pay attention: Mister God, you will die on the point of my sword, Unless, sir, you give to me A huge ransom.
So you think you're a gentleman, do you? Listen up and pay attention: You're about to die on my sword, Unless, buddy, you pay me A massive amount of money.
you're gonna die on my sword unless you pay me a ton listen up
_O, prenez miséricorde! Ayez pitié de moi!_
Oh, show mercy! Have pity on me!
Oh please, have mercy! Show some pity on me!
please have mercy pity me
Moy shall not serve; I will have forty moys,
Or I will fetch thy rim out at thy throat
In drops of crimson blood.
That amount alone won't do; I will have forty times that, Or I will pull your guts out of your throat In streams of red blood.
I'm not satisfied with a small amount; I want forty times that, Or I'll rip your guts out through your throat In streams of blood.
i want way more or i'll tear your throat out and make you bleed
The Boy is one of Shakespeare's most underrated characters. He came with Falstaff's company from 2 Henry IV, where he was already too smart for his companions. Here, forced to translate for Pistol, he does something remarkable: he is completely honest to both sides — telling the French soldier the brutal truth ('he's going to cut your throat') and telling Pistol the flattering truth ('he thinks you're the bravest lord in England'). He improvises diplomatically when he adds 'though it is against his oath to spare prisoners' — softening Pistol's capitulation to greed into a principled decision. He's doing real diplomatic work. His closing speech is devastating: Bardolph and Nym, braver than Pistol, are dead; Pistol is alive because he's too cowardly to steal boldly. The Boy says all this, and then goes to guard the luggage. He doesn't come back.
_Est-il impossible d’échapper la force de ton bras?_
Is it impossible to escape the power of your arm?
Can I actually escape from your strength?
can i escape your strength?
Brass, cur!
Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat,
Offer’st me brass?
Worthless metal, dog! You cursed and outrageous fool, You're offering me garbage?
Junk, you dog! You crazy lunatic, You're trying to pay me with garbage?
trash money? you idiot! you trying to pay me junk?
_O pardonnez-moi!_
Oh, forgive me!
Oh, I'm begging you, forgive me!
forgive me please
Say’st thou me so? Is that a ton of moys?
Come hither, boy; ask me this slave in French
What is his name.
You say so? Is that a large sum? Come here, boy; ask this captive in French What his name is.
That's what you're offering? A big amount? Hey boy, come ask this guy in French What his name is.
that's a lot? hey boy ask this guy in french what's his name
_Écoutez. Comment êtes-vous appelé?_
Listen. What are you called?
Okay listen up. What's your name?
hey what's your name?
_Monsieur le Fer._
_Monsieur le Fer._
_Monsieur le Fer._
_Monsieur le Fer._
He says his name is Master Fer.
He tells you his name is Master Fer.
He's telling us his name is Master Fer.
he's master fer
Master Fer! I’ll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him.
Discuss the same in French unto him.
Master Fer! I'll beat him, I'll strip him, and I'll hunt him down. Tell him the same thing in French.
Master Fer! I'm gonna hit him, strip him, and chase him! Tell him that in French.
master fer? i'll beat him strip him hunt him tell him in french
Scene 4-4 is placed between the sublime (St. Crispin's Day) and the terrible (4-5, the French lords' collapse; 4-6, the order to kill prisoners). This placement is deliberate. Shakespeare's war is not purely heroic — it contains Pistol threatening to rip out a man's guts while mishearing everything he says. The comedy does not undercut the heroism; it shows the other face of the same coin. Every real battle has both Henry's speech and Pistol's bluster, and Shakespeare will not let us forget it. The Pistol scene is also the most explicitly multilingual scene in the play, and the language barrier is both the joke and the point: the English cannot understand the French, and they are killing each other anyway.
I do not know the French for fer, and ferret, and firk.
I don't know how to say those things in French.
I don't know how to translate those violent verbs into French.
can't translate that stuff to french
Bid him prepare; for I will cut his throat.
Tell him to get ready; because I will cut his throat.
Tell him to prepare himself; I'm about to kill him.
tell him get ready i'm cutting his throat
_Que dit-il, monsieur?_
What does he say, sir?
What's he saying, sir?
what'd he say?
_Il me commande à vous dire que vous faites vous prêt, car ce soldat
ici est disposé tout à cette heure de couper votre gorge._
He commands me to tell you that you make yourself ready, because this soldier here is disposed at this very hour to cut your throat.
He wants me to tell you to get ready, because he's about to kill you right now.
he says get ready he's bout to kill you now
Owy, cuppele gorge, permafoy,
Peasant, unless thou give me crowns, brave crowns;
Or mangled shalt thou be by this my sword.
Yes, your throat is in danger, by my word, Peasant, unless you give me gold coins, real gold coins; Or you will be mangled by this sword of mine.
Listen, farmer, you better give me money—real money— Or I'll cut you to pieces with this blade.
peasant give me real money or i'll destroy you with my sword
_O, je vous supplie, pour l’amour de Dieu, me pardonner! Je suis le
gentilhomme de bonne maison; gardez ma vie, et je vous donnerai deux
cents écus._
Oh, I supplicate you, for the love of God, forgive me! I am the gentleman of good house; keep my life, and I will give you two hundred crowns.
Please, I'm begging you, for God's sake forgive me! I'm from a good family; just save my life and I'll give you two hundred gold coins.
please please forgive me! i'm a good guy from good family save me i'll pay 200
What are his words?
What did he say?
What's he saying?
what'd he say?
He prays you to save his life. He is a gentleman of a good house; and
for his ransom he will give you two hundred crowns.
He's asking you to save his life. He's from a good family; and for his ransom he will give you two hundred crowns.
He's begging you to let him live. He says he's from a respectable family and he'll pay you two hundred gold coins.
he wants to live he's from a good family he'll pay 200
The Boy says 'the empty vessel makes the greatest sound' — a proverb about hollow things being loudest. It perfectly describes Pistol, who is one of Shakespeare's great boasters in a tradition going back to the Roman 'miles gloriosus' (bragging soldier) — a stock comic type from Plautus. Pistol is also related to the old Vice figure of medieval morality plays: the roaring devil who frightens people with noise but can be defused with a wooden sword. The Boy makes the connection explicit: 'this roaring devil i' the old play, that everyone may pare his nails with a wooden dagger.' Pistol is a theatrical anachronism — a figure from old-fashioned drama dropped into a realistic war play. He doesn't belong, and that's the point.
Tell him my fury shall abate, and I
The crowns will take.
Tell him my anger will ease, and I Will take the crowns.
Tell him I'm calming down and I'll accept the money.
tell him i'm cool with it i'll take the coins
_Petit monsieur, que dit-il?_
Little sir, what does he say?
Hey boy, what's he saying?
kid what's he saying?
_Encore qu’il est contre son jurement de pardonner aucun prisonnier;
néanmoins, pour les écus que vous lui avez promis, il est content à
vous donner la liberté, le franchisement._
Although it goes against his oath to spare any prisoner; however, for the coins you have promised him, he is willing to grant you freedom.
Even though he's sworn not to let any prisoners go, he's okay with freeing you because you're giving him those coins.
he's breaking his oath for those coins but yeah you're free
_Sur mes genoux je vous donne mille remerciements; et je m’estime
heureux que je suis tombé entre les mains d’un chevalier, je pense, le
plus brave, vaillant, et très distingué seigneur d’Angleterre._
On my knees I give you a thousand thanks; and I consider myself fortunate that I have fallen into the hands of a knight, I believe, the bravest, most courageous, and most distinguished lord of England.
I'm on my knees thanking you a thousand times; I'm so lucky I was captured by you—you must be the bravest, most noble knight in all of England.
thank you thank you! i'm so lucky i got caught by you you gotta be the bravest noble
Expound unto me, boy.
Explain to me what he said, boy.
Tell me what he just said.
what'd he say?
He gives you upon his knees, a thousand thanks; and he esteems himself
happy that he hath fallen into the hands of one, as he thinks, the most
brave, valorous, and thrice-worthy _seigneur_ of England.
He gives you, on his knees, a thousand thanks; and he considers himself fortunate to have fallen into the hands of someone he believes is the bravest, most courageous, and most worthy lord of England.
He's thanking you a thousand times from his knees, and he's saying he's lucky to have been captured by what he thinks is the bravest, most noble warrior in England.
he's thanking you tons says you're the bravest worthiest lord
As I suck blood, I will some mercy show.
Follow me!
As surely as I live and fight, I will show you some mercy. Follow me!
Okay, I'll show you some mercy now. Come with me!
i'll show you mercy follow me
_Suivez-vous le grand capitaine._
Follow the great captain.
Go along with the great captain.
follow the captain
I did never know so full a voice issue from so empty a heart; but the
saying is true, “The empty vessel makes the greatest sound.” Bardolph
and Nym had ten times more valour than this roaring devil i’ the old
play, that everyone may pare his nails with a wooden dagger; and they
are both hang’d; and so would this be, if he durst steal anything
adventurously. I must stay with the lackeys with the luggage of our
camp. The French might have a good prey of us, if he knew of it; for
there is none to guard it but boys.
I have never known such a full, commanding voice come from such an empty heart; but the saying holds true: the empty vessel makes the greatest sound. Bardolph and Nym had ten times more real courage than this roaring devil from those old morality plays—the kind anyone can whittle down with a wooden sword. And they are both hanged, and this man would be too if he dared to steal anything with actual boldness. I must stay with the servants watching the baggage of our camp. The French could have easy prey from us if they knew about it, since there is no one guarding it except boys.
I've never heard such a loud, impressive voice come from such an empty person. It's just like people say: the emptiest thing makes the most noise. You know, Bardolph and Nym were ten times braver than this loud-mouthed bully from the old plays—the kind of villain anyone could beat with a wooden dagger. Both of them got hanged, and this guy would too if he actually had the guts to steal something bold. Meanwhile I'm stuck with the servants guarding the camp's baggage. If the French find out about it, we're in trouble, because it's just us boys watching it.
empty vessel = loud noise he's all talk no guts bardolph and nym were real men they got hanged this guy's just a bully from old plays i'm stuck guarding baggage w/ boys french could wreck us if they knew
The Reckoning
This is the comic interlude in the middle of Agincourt, and it is doing real work. Pistol's scene is deliberately bathetic — the grand heroism of the St. Crispin's Day speech measured against a man who can't speak French, threatening to gut someone while mishearing 'Dieu' as a title. The Boy's closing speech is the punchline that isn't funny: Bardolph and Nym, braver than Pistol, are both hanged; and only boys guard the luggage. He's about to be killed.
If this happened today…
A very large, very loud man who doesn't speak French corners a French tourist at a rest stop and mistakes every attempt at communication for an insult. His twelve-year-old nephew has to translate. The nephew quietly tells his friends afterward that his uncle is all bark and no bite — but also that the family car is unlocked and they're the only ones watching it.