MEG, a lady of the Scottish court, nineteen to twenty-two years old

MURDAC STEWART, Regent of Scotland

WALTER STEWART, a soldier and mercenary, twenty-three to twenty-six years old

ALISDAIR STEWART, a soldier and mercenary, twenty-two to twenty-five years old

BIG JAMES STEWART, a soldier and mercenary, twenty-one to twenty-four years old

ISABELLA STEWART, Regent Consort

BALVENIE, a member of the Douglas family

HENRY V, King of England, thirty-six years old

And SERVANTS, a SCRIBE, a BISHOP, LORDS and LADIES of the Scottish court, MUSICIANS, GUARDS, etc.

ACT ONE

Song.

L’homme armé doibt on douter.

On a fait partout crier

Que chascun se viengne armer

D’un haubregon de fer

L’homme armé doibt on douter.

[Fear the armed men,

They’re shouting everywhere,

Get your armour on,

Fear the armed men.]

The Edge of a Battlefield Beside a Castle

WALTER, ALISDAIR, BALVENIE and BIG JAMES are Scottish prisoners of war. They are being herded into the courtyard where an execution is being prepared. Their English captors are taunting them.

GUARD ONE. Bloody Scots!

GUARD TWO. Fucking French!

GUARD ONE. See what you’re going to get!

GUARD TWO. See what’s coming to you!

GUARD ONE grabs BALVENIE, shaking him, showing him the execution platform.

GUARD ONE. Think you’ll hear your neck snap? Do you?

BALVENIE. Oh, Mary Mother of God…

GUARD TWO. I’ll cut your throat if you like, make it quicker for you.

GUARD ONE. Fuck that, let the French-loving bastard choke.

WALTER. Christ this one’s in a right mood, Alisdair.

ALISDAIR. They’re all a wee bit tetchy, Walter.

WALTER. What’s that about do you think, Big James?

BIG JAMES. They lost.

GUARD ONE. Oh, you think? You think we lost, do you? You murdering bastard! You’re losing more than me today, you wait.

WALTER. How many English dead?

ALISDAIR (pointing out over the battlefield). They’ve barely got half the bodies buried. Smell them? Ripe English dead. Three quarters of their fucking army.

WALTER. And the rest of them ran away.

BIG JAMES. We could beat you even when we’re tied up… wanna try?

GUARD ONE. You want a fight? Is that what you want?

The GUARDS lay into ALISDAIR, WALTER, BIG JAMES and BALVENIE, who defend themselves as well as they can with bound hands. ALISDAIR, WALTER and BIG JAMES are trying to hit back, BALVENIE is shielding himself, trying to get away. All of them are shouting at once.

BALVENIE. I’m no with them! No! No! Listen! Leave me! I’m no with these bastards!

GUARD ONE. Our King Henry is going to cut your tiny cocks off and make you eat them!

BIG JAMES. You lost! You lost! You’re fucking losers ’cause we gubbed you!

GUARD TWO. Hold still, stay still, you fucking murdering prick!

WALTER. Aye, tie us up and have the fight then, eh? Only way you’ll ever fucking win!

ALISDAIR. Allez! Allez! Allez les Écossaises!

HENRY V, JAMES and other GUARDS enter over this.

GUARD THREE. Order! Quiet! Order for His Majesty Henry the Fifth, King of England! Lord of Ireland! Regent and heir of France!