The OED. I found that reading King Henry was a whole lot easier with the help of this bad boy, easily accessible through the library website. The Oxford English Dictionary helped me out with words like:
Solus - alone
Shog off - go away
Puissance - power, might, or strength.
I also just have to take a moment and admire Shakespeare's sneakiness, and his genius. Act II, Prologue: "three corrupted men... / have for the gilt of France, - O guilt indeed! / Confirmed conspiracy with fearful France."
No one seeing the play performed or listening to the words would notice his play on words. Maybe there is a sort of relationship Shakespeare is building between him and his readers.
The OED defines 'gilt' as a gilt plate, gilding or a thin layer of gold, or gold money.
The OED is such a great tool! I love how it historically walks through several words. I could easily see the advantages of using it while reading Henry V. I will have to use it more often to look up words that in a modern context do not make sense to me and seem out of place. Great idea :)
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