Henry VI Part 2 abbreviated

Synopsis


Life changes abruptly for the young Henry VI, now that he’s married to the beautiful Margaret of Anjou, the daughter of Reignier, a well-connected, but relatively poor French nobleman. With little if any courtship, Henry VI and Margaret were married right at the end of the last play. William de la Pole, known here as Suffolk, a dashing and charismatic Englishman with ambitious plans, had strongly promoted Margaret to become the young king’s queen. The married Suffolk had two motives in mind as he was promoting Margaret. He had just met her, had fallen for her, and wanted to keep her nearby. He also felt he would have more influence over public policy if she became the king’s wife. At the time of her marriage she naively believed that the English king would be as charming as Suffolk. Also, at that very time, the king’s uncle Humphrey was pressing his own case, reminding the king that he had earlier agreed to marry the daughter of the earl of Armagnac, another French nobleman. Having cut some political deals, Suffolk had prevailed, overriding the protests of Humphrey. Henry VI had married Margaret.

This play opens on a contentious note when Suffolk presents Henry VI’s young queen to the English nobility. Humphrey immediately offers a stinging rebuke of the marriage “arranged” for the young king, a rebuke supported by Salisbury, Warwick and York, all nobles and all major players in this play. Humphrey, often referred to here as Gloucester, was the king’s uncle and had been appointed by the boy’s father (Henry V) to become the boy’s Protector in the event of his death. Humphrey did become the boy’s Protector, Henry V dying when the boy was only eight months old.

Gloucester is in particular upset with Suffolk whom he says “hath given the Duchy of Anjou and Maine unto the poor King Reignier.” (Pride, Act 1, Scene 1) This aggressive political-power-play gets heated. The young king is pious and naïve. He has dismissed Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York, as his Regent of France, York being the leader of the white rose contingent. He replaced him with Somerset, one of the young king’s uncles through John of Gaunt’s Beaufort line and the leader of the red rose contingent. York and Somerset had been at each other’s throat in the last play.

Gloucester’s wife is the Duchess. She, the queen, Suffolk, Winchester (the Cardinal), York and Somerset are talented and ambitious people, and each has an agenda. Gloucester being, as we say, the king’s only living uncle in the Legitimate line, is next in line to be king, and to-be-kings are always easy targets. Major constituencies develop; the king, Gloucester and Somerset being one; Suffolk, the queen and Cardinal Winchester another. As an illustration of the in-fighting, Salisbury famously says as Buckingham and Somerset exit, “Pride went before, ambition follows him.” York does all he can to build support in his effort to in due course be named king. Salisbury and his son Warwick are the two Nevilles York is recruiting; both in the words of Suffolk being “no simple peers”, (Statesmanship, Act 1, Scene 1) the Nevilles being major players in the Beaufort line. Correctly figuring that he has the support of these two Nevilles, York further develops his strategy to gain the crown, saying to himself “A day will come when York shall claim his own.” (Resentment, Act 1, Scene 1) The queen and the Duchess are ferociously competitive, this being a tough crowd all the way around. The War of the Roses, the conflict that quietly began in a London garden in Part 1 between Somerset and York, continues to grow.

Meanwhile, John Hume, a priest, in the “employ” of Suffolk and the Cardinal, arranges for Margery Jourdain, a witch, and Bolingbroke, a conjurer, to visit the Duchess in her garden. These two have “mystical powers”, and are there to help the Duchess gain insight into her future. The two of them cause a “Spirit” to rise from the earth and the Spirit then offers prophecies about the king, and about Suffolk and Somerset. She pays Hume, saying “Here, Hume, take this reward: make merry, man.” (Deviousness, Act 1, Scene 2) York and Buckingham enter and have her arrested. Buckingham then fatefully tells the king, queen and Cardinal about the Duchess and her indiscretions with conjurers and the like. As with soothsayers and witches in other plays, Shakespeare has the Spirit accurately and mysteriously foretell happenings. The Duchess will find herself in big trouble. Part of the problem for the Duchess is Queen Margaret, who lets her good friend Suffolk know how disappointed she is with her husband (the king) and with some of those around him. When Suffolk tries to comfort her, she says “Not all these lords do vex me half so much as that proud dame the Lord Protector’s wife (the Duchess).” (Disillusionment, Act 1, Scene 3)

The wily York invites Salisbury and his son Warwick to dinner where he provides them with a powerful refresher course in family history, convincing them that through his mother’s line he justifiably should be king. York’s wife is Cicely, Salisbury’s sister and Warwick’s aunt. (History, Act 2, Scene 2) These two Nevilles agree to York’s argument and pledge him their allegiance. (Legitimacy, Act 2, Scene 2) Meanwhile, for consorting with witches and the like, the king banishes the Duchess of Gloucester to the Isle of Man. In protest, Gloucester resigns his role as the king’s Protector, the king now becoming his own Protector. The Duchess is shamefully led through the streets. She prophetically warns her husband of the dangerous-for-him motives of some members of the King’s Council, a threat he naively dismisses. (Resignation, Act 2, Scene 4) He disappointingly puts up little fight to protest his wife’s banishment. Gloucester is like his grandfather’s brother York, back in the times of Richard II; his playing by the books and supporting his country’s monarch, regardless of other issues.

Meanwhile the King’s Council convenes at the Parliament building, and Gloucester arrives late. Before Gloucester’s arrival, Suffolk, Winchester and York claim among other accusations that Gloucester has unjustly profiteered as the king’s Protector. The queen suggests to the king that Gloucester represents a threat, he being (as we say) next in line to be king. (Wife to Husband, Act 3, Scene 1) When Gloucester does arrive, Suffolk says “I do arrest thee of high treason here.” The often weak king offers Gloucester surprisingly little support, saying “‘tis my special hope that you will clear yourself,” Gloucester having supported the king time-after-time, being his only living uncle in the Legitimate line. Gloucester gallantly lashes out at the council and at Winchester, Suffolk, Buckingham, and York in particular, telling the king “I know their conspiracy is to have my life.” (Disillusionment, Act 3, Scene 1) Gloucester is taken away and soon murdered. (Grief, Act 3, Scene 1) The Duchess was on target with her warnings. The king mourns Gloucester’s death. The queen cries out at the king, “Is all thy comfort shut in Gloucester’s tomb.” (Resentment, Act 3, Scene 2) Having seen the strangled Gloucester on his death bed, Warwick verbally attacks Suffolk. Warwick becomes a major player in the future histories. The “common people,” those in the streets, led by Salisbury and Warwick, claim mightily that Suffolk and the Cardinal (Winchester) are guilty of Gloucester’s murder. The king banishes Suffolk. Suffolk and the queen, long having had an intimate relationship, have a tender moment before he has to leave the country. (Love, Act 3, Scene 2.1) (Love, Act 3, Scene 2.2) Winchester soon dies, acknowledging his guilt, sort of. Suffolk is killed at sea. (Resentment, Act 4, Scene 1)

Meanwhile, the king learns that the Irish are once again rebelling and asks York to lead an effort to quell them. York accepts the assignment, using the opportunity to form a plan to advance his personal objectives, figuring he can best meet his objectives by leading the king’s forces in Ireland. (Deviousness, Act 3, Scene 1) While in Ireland, York engineers a plan to have one Jack Cade create some mischief in London. Cade’s “rebellion” becomes a class issue; the lettered versus the craftsmen. It’s here where Dick the butcher famously says, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” It’s here where Shakespeare adds a little lightness, offsetting the deaths of Gloucester, Suffolk and the Cardinal.

Meanwhile, Lord Say, a loyal-to-the-king noble, enters. He unrealistically believes that he himself can quell Cade’s rebellion. Jack Cade captures him and has him taken away. (Pleading, Act 4, Scene 7) Later, Buckingham and Clifford offer to pardon Cade if he’ll stop his rebellion, a pardon he rejects. Cade flees. A little later, a starving Jack Cade enters Alexander Iden’s garden looking for something to eat. Not knowing who he is, Iden challenges him; they fight; a weak and famished Cade loses quickly and dies. Meanwhile York returns from Ireland with his army and with plans to challenge the king. He confronts the king directly, suggesting he replace him. (Proposal, Act 5, Scene 1)

Somerset enters at St. Albans and attempts to arrest York. The action is quick here. It’s the site of the first actual battle in the War of the Roses. Old Clifford enters, Old Clifford being a nobleman very loyal to the king. Salisbury and Warwick let the king know that they support York’s cause, infuriating the king. Old Clifford and York fight; Old Clifford falls and dies. Richard, one of York’s sons, fights with Somerset, York’s long time red-rose-bearing nemesis. Somerset is killed. These two deaths, Old Clifford and Somerset, set the stage, so to speak, for furious action in the next play between Young Clifford and Richard, York’s fourth son. Young Clifford pledges that he will avenge his father’s death by getting even when “I meet an infant of the house of York.” (Revenge, Act 5, Scene 2) The king, queen and Young Clifford, having lost at St. Albans, quickly head for London. The play ends with Warwick, Salisbury, York and his son Richard planning to intercept the king and others as they flee to London, their plan failing in its execution.


Principal Characters


Cardinal
The Cardinal is Winchester, the Cardinal of Winchester, also known as Cardinal Beaufort or just as Beaufort. He is one of the king’s great uncles in the Beaufort line, ambitious for a higher role in the scheme of things. He is never very loyal to the king, acknowledging on his deathbed of his sins against the state.

Duchess
The Duchess is Eleanor, the ambitious wife of the Duke of Gloucester, the king’s only living uncle in the Legitimate line. He is Humphrey, and to him, she is Nell. She is advised (misled) by Margery Jourdain, a witch, Roger Bolingbroke, a conjurer, and Hume, a priest. Hume introduces her to Bolingbroke, who introduces her to a “Spirit,” who offers prophecies; prophecies which end up being true. She is exiled to the Isle of Man.

Gloucester
Gloucester is the king’s uncle Humphrey, named Protector of the realm by the King’s father, Henry V. As Protector, he acts on behalf of the King, protecting the young King and the state. He is competent, loyal and honorable, but being first in line to succeed the king is a political problem for him.

Henry VI
Henry VI is king. His father was Henry V; his grandfather, Henry IV and his great-grandfather, John of Gaunt, King Edward III’s fourth son. They are of the House of Lancaster, the Legitimate line. Their followers wear red roses. He was named king at age eight months, certainly never seeking the title.

Queen
The king calls her Meg. She is Margaret, daughter of Reignier, the French King of Naples. Reignier retained all rights to the French counties Anjou and Maine, a condition granted to him by Suffolk when Reignier offered his daughter to be the English king’s bride, an issue that haunts many in England throughout the play. She is loyal to the state, but her heart remains with Suffolk Late in the play York questions the Queen’s parentage.

Salisbury
Salisbury is Richard Neville, the Earl of Salisbury, John of Gaunt’s daughter’s grandson-in-law. Warwick (The Kingmaker) is Salisbury’s son. John of Gaunt’s daughter, Joan Beaufort, had married Ralph Neville, known in earlier plays as Westmorland, the “first” of the Nevilles. Salisbury’s father, Thomas, also the Earl of Salisbury, had died at Orleans in Henry VI Part 1. A point here is that Salisbury and his son Warwick are important figures in the Neville’s line, a family that plays a big role in these histories.

Somerset
He is Edmund Beaufort, one of John of Gaunt’s great-grandsons in the Beaufort line, and loyal to the Lancaster side of this powerful family. He and Richard Plantagenet (York) began the War of the Roses in the London garden in Part 1. He is the Second Duke of Somerset and one of the king’s uncles, but not the close uncle Gloucester is. He dies late in the play in a duel with York’s physically impaired son Richard, a key to events in the next history.

Suffolk
Suffolk is William de la Pole who entered the scene late in Part 1 with a major role, somehow meeting in France the beautiful Margaret, the daughter of Reignier. He successfully persuaded the youthful Henry VI and Gloucester, the King’s Protector, that she should be the young king’s wife. Suffolk and Queen Margaret had a continuing romantic affair from the time they met right up and through the murder of Gloucester.

Warwick
Warwick is Salisbury’s talented and outspoken son. He is, as is his father, a Richard Neville; he later becomes known as “The Kingmaker.” He’s a heavyweight. He has some of the characteristics of Hotspur and the French Dauphin featured in earlier plays.

York
York is Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, husband to Cecily Neville, Salisbury’s sister and Warwick’s aunt. He is the only grandson of Edmund Langley, Edward III’s fifth son. His father, the Earl of Cambridge, had married Anne Mortimer, the great-granddaughter of Lionel, Edward III’s third son. Lionel was John of Gaunt’s older brother; Edmund Langley, John of Gaunt’s younger brother. York is quite a talent and certainly royalty. He claims his right to be king through his mother’s line, his connection to Edward III’s third son, but he is also a direct descendent through his father to Edward III’s fifth son. He is the father of four sons and a daughter; two of the sons becoming England’s kings. The queen claims that York’s wife is not the mother of his sons. His followers wear white roses.

 A portrait of William Shakespeare