Henry
Called Henry VI, Henry is the
king of England. Crowned at a young age when his popular warrior father died,
Henry had a protector, Gloucester, to take care of the kingdom until he was old
enough to rule. Prophecies at the time of Henry's coronation declared that
Henry VI would lose all the land in France that his father Henry V won. 1
Henry VI depicts wars in France to save those lands, but in this play
France is finally lost. Henry marries Margaret, a French girl with no money,
giving the French two regions in return for her hand; this horrifies Henry's
nobles, who see France slipping out of their grasp. Henry's overall weakness
allows his nobles and his wife to create complex plots against each other and
against him, culminating in a full-fledged civil war with York. Throughout the
play Henry is unable to assert his power.
Gloucester
Named the protector of England until Henry is
old enough to rule, Gloucester has long-standing tension with Beaufort.
Margaret dislikes Gloucester because she believes he holds too much power over
the throne. The other nobles believe Gloucester desires to seize the crown.
However, Gloucester seems to be a genuinely noble man; he sticks up for the
common people, and he believes his honorable behavior should speak for itself.
Yet plots against him are too large, and Gloucester is murdered in his bed
through the scheming of Suffolk, Somerset, Beaufort, and Margaret.
Somerset
Somerset and York first disagreed in
1 Henry VI over a point of law, causing all their followers to align
themselves behind one or the other through wearing the emblem of the white or
red rose. Somerset stood for the red rose. He still hates York, but he also
schemes against Gloucester in this play.
Buckingham
Another lord of the court, Buckingham joins
Somerset, Suffolk, Beaufort and Margaret to plot against Gloucester. Later, he
delivers the news that the Duchess has been arrested. He serves as a messenger
to York when York marches to London, and he fights on the side of the king.
Beaufort
Beaufort is the head of the
English church. Known in 1 Henry VI as Winchester, he and Gloucester
have a long-standing dislike for each other. Beaufort suspects Gloucester of
wanting the throne for himself, though Beaufort himself is guilty of that
crime. When it is revealed that Gloucester was murdered, Beaufort falls ill and
dies miserably, signifying the fact that he had sins on his conscience.
York
York believes he is heir to the throne of
England, and this motivates his every action. Throughout this play and 1
Henry VI, he tries to stay calm
and wait until Henry is weaker and
can be more easily ousted, but his patience runs thin. Already involved in
disputes against Somerset, York allies with Warwick and Salisbury against the
other lords of the court. He explains to these two men that he is heir to the
third son of Edward III, and Henry is heir to Edward III's fourth son. Richard
II was wrongfully removed from the throne by Henry IV, meaning the Lancaster
line, including Henry VI, held the throne illegally. York intends to correct
that, and he is delighted to be sent to Ireland to put down rebellions, for
that means he is given an army. When he leaves, he hires Jack Cade to stir up
trouble by pretending to be a York claimant to the throne, intending to return
should Cade's campaign prove popular. When he does return, he can no longer
wait, and he declares his intentions to Henry.
Suffolk
A lord of the court, Suffolk convinced the
king to marry Margaret, a woman he captured in France and wooed for the king,
since he was himself already married. Suffolk is infatuated with Margaret and
hopes to influence Henry through her. Margaret and he plot together against
each of the lords. Yet Suffolk is banished when the commoners demand he be
punished for the wrongful death of Gloucester, and he is beheaded by pirates at
sea.
Salisbury
A lord of the court, Salisbury joins Warwick
in supporting York as the true king.
Warwick
A lord of the court, Warwick joins Salisbury
in supporting York as the true king.
Margaret
A French woman, Margaret was
captured during the French wars by Suffolk, who wooed her for Henry since he
could not have her himself. In exchange for Margaret, the French keep two
pivotal regions of French territory, which upsets Gloucester. Margaret had
imagined that Henry would be just like chivalrous Suffolk, so she is
disappointed in the weak king. She plots against Gloucester and gradually gains
more power. She is devastated when Suffolk is exiled, for she had begun an
affair with him.
Duchess
Wife of Gloucester, the
Duchess is very ambitious and wants Gloucester to desire the throne as much as
she does. She hires practitioners of the occult to help her find out about the
future of Henry's kingdom so she can figure out how to position herself to gain
the most power. When she is caught, she is banished after being led through the
streets of London. Her fall spells the end for Gloucester.
Hume
The Duchess hires Hume to bring
conjurers to her house to help her talk to the spirit world. Hume has also been
bribed by Beaufort to encourage the Duchess to try the occult, which was
illegal at the time. Beaufort hopes she will be caught and Gloucester may
topple also.
Peter
A working man, Peter brings a claim to the
court, falsely reporting that his master, Horner, spoke treasonous words in
saying that York is the true heir to the throne. Gloucester decides the case by
commanding that the two men engage in single combat. Peter is terrified but
kills Horner because Horner shows up drunk.
Horner
Accused by Peter of treason, it is
Horner's word against Peter's, so Gloucester decides the case by commanding the
two men to fight, believing that the innocent man shall win. As it turns out,
Horner loses because he fights while drunk, and the innocent man dies.
Witch
Hired by the Duchess, the
Witch helps raise a spirit to answer the Duchess' questions about the king.
Bolingbroke
A conjurer, Bolingbroke is
hired by the Duchess to help raise a spirit to answer the Duchess' questions
about the king.
Simpcox
Simpcox is a poor man who
pretends he has been blind since birth and has had his sight restored by a
miracle. Gloucester sees through his lies and has him publicly beaten.
Jack Cade
A common man and fierce warrior, Cade is hired
by York to raise a ruckus in England while York is away. He tells Cade to
pretend he is a Yorkist claimant to the throne, to see how the public responds.
York plans to return and take over if Cade is successful. In fact, Cade is very
successful; he takes London, kills Stafford and his brother, and puts to death
a number of literate people, including Lord Saye, who he accuses of ruining the
commonwealth with grammar. Cade metes out great violence throughout the
country. When his troops betray him under the influence of rhetoric of the
king's nobles, Cade flees. Starving in the countryside, he steals from
Alexander Iden's garden, and they come to blows. Cade dies.
Captain
Leader of the ship that
captures Suffolk at sea, the Captain orders Suffolk be put to death after
enumerating the bad things he has done in the English court. Suffolk can't
believe he can be killed by such low men, but the Captain orders it.
Whitmore
One of the Captain's men, Whitmore kills
Suffolk.
Rebels
- Common people led by Jack
Cade.
Butcher
The Butcher is one of Jack Cade's men. He
rapes the Sergeant's wife, but when the Sergeant reports it to Cade, Cade
orders the Butcher to kill the Sergeant as well, showing his bloodthirsty
nature.
Weaver
Another of Jack Cade's men.
Stafford
Stafford and his brother are
two nobles of the court who come to challenge Jack Cade, but when the commoners
refuse to lay down their arms, their armies fight. Stafford and his brother
die, and their bodies are dragged behind Cade's horse to London.
Lord Saye
Jack Cade and his men search out Lord Saye and
kill him. They blame him for having lost Normandy to the French but more for
having set up grammar schools and printing presses throughout the kingdom.
Sergeant
The Butcher rapes the Sergeant's wife, but
when the latter complains to Jack Cade, he is put to death. Cade explains that
all women are available to anyone in his new kingdom.
Clifford
A lord of the court, Clifford
helps convince Jack Cade's troops to lay down their arms. Later, Clifford is
called on to judge York when he makes his claim to the throne. In battle, York
kills Clifford, and Clifford's son decides he is finished with pity for any
Yorkist after he finds his father's body.
Alexander Iden
Iden is a landholding noble, who, unique among
nobles, prefers to stay on his property rather than come to London and deal in
the intrigues of the court. Seemingly kinder than the other nobles, Iden has no
desire to fight with Jack Cade, who appears in his garden and insults him; but
he is forced to fight and kills the starving Cade. Iden's loyalties are always
clear; he takes Cade's head immediately to the king.
Edward
York's son, brought in to testify on behalf of
his father after York marches his army back from Ireland. Edward will be the
next king of England.
Richard
York's son, brought in to testify on behalf of
his father after York marches his army back from Ireland. Richard will become
Richard III, subject for Shakespeare's play of the same name, and one of the most bloodthirsty and depraved kings in
English history.
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