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Henry VI, Part Two

Henry VI, Part Two

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  • Create Date：2021-07-26 09:53:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：William Shakespeare
  • ISBN：0199537429
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Summary

Shakespeare's Henry VI plays dramatize contemporary as much as Elizabethan issues: the struggle for power， the manoeuvres of politicians， social unrest， civil war。 This edition draws on experience of the play in rehearsal and performance to focus on both its theatricality and contemporary relevance in a wide-ranging introduction and detailed commentary。

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe。 Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship， providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features， including expert introductions by leading authorities， voluminous notes to clarify the text， up-to-date bibliographies for further study， and much more。

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Reviews

Gabriel Syme ，

I have no clue why this is considered one of Shakespeare’s worst plays。

Andrew ，

Three history plays， written out of sequence （II， then III， then I）， variously attributed to Shakespeare， with differing stylistic modes， span the life of King Henry VI， child successor to the early demise of Henry V， which pick up the War of the Roses unifying theme developed from Richard II to Richard III， and continue the wars with France。 A lot happens and some big characters have their day - Joan of Arc， Catholic martyr of the French （10% of dialogue of Part I）， the Duke of Gloucester， the Three history plays， written out of sequence （II， then III， then I）， variously attributed to Shakespeare， with differing stylistic modes， span the life of King Henry VI， child successor to the early demise of Henry V， which pick up the War of the Roses unifying theme developed from Richard II to Richard III， and continue the wars with France。 A lot happens and some big characters have their day - Joan of Arc， Catholic martyr of the French （10% of dialogue of Part I）， the Duke of Gloucester， the later Richard III's father （7% of Part I， 10% of II）， the brawling Richard， Duke of Gloucester （14% of III）， Queen Margaret （10% of II and III）， Jack Cade， champion of a people's rebellion （8% of II）， and not least the pious， troubled King Henry VI himself （7% of I， 10% of II， 12% of III， but not the primary roles of any [5th， 2nd and 4th respectively]）。Bate， in the RSC compilation， briefly outlines the provenance of authorship of the plays， supported by 21st century stylometric analysis。 Part II of 1591 demonstrates possible co-authorship; Part III of the same year demonstrates probable co-authorship， and Part I， of 1592， is likely to have had as many as four hands working on it。 Shakespeare probably wrote nearly all of Part II， some of Part III， and only some scenes of Part I。 Part II has 'gloriously Shakespearean energy and variety'; Part III has some 'immensely powerful rhetorical encounters but many longueurs' （tedious passages）; and Part I demonstrates only Shakespearean quality in the rose-plucking scene of 2。4 and the 'moving dialogue' between Talbot and his son in the battle of 4。6 （RSC Palgrave Macmillan， 2012， p。4）。 These probable attributions are generally held because the quality of the Shakespearean passages is matched by the stylistic analysis。The First Folio of 1623 first brings the three plays into one printing and designates their correct parts， whereas the earlier short quarto versions of Parts II and III were originally entitled 'The First Part of the Contention of the two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster' and 'The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York'。 All three were probably developed from authorial papers as opposed to scribal copies of the printer's or theatrical papers。 An Octavo version of Part III existed。 The Folio version of Part I has no quarto original extant。 Part I is 100% verse， Part II 85%， and Part III 100%。 Sources for Part I were Edward Hall's The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre and Yorke （1548） and Holinshed's Chronicles （1587）， the Temple garden scene and Talbot with his son are Shakespearean inventions。 These sources were also used for Parts II and III， supplemented （probably） with John Foxe's Actes and Monuments （1583） for Part II， a Protestant matryrology。It is unknown whether the plays were performed back-to-back as a trilogy at the time， while we fit them into the first tetralogy （written）， along with Richard III of 1592-4， in later historical chronology， matched with the second tetralogy （written） of earlier historical chronology （Richard II [1595-6]， 1 Henry IV [1596-7]， 2 Henry IV [1597-8] and Henry V [1599]）。 Many directors have subsequently linked up all these Wars of the Roses plays， both on stage and screen， such as the BBC Hollow Crown series （2012-2016）， while some directors have squished the three plays into two， as in Peter Hall's Wars of the Roses production of the 1970s。 But since we read them both as separate plays and part of a trilogy， the arrogance in compressing them into two， strikes as somehow impure - even while their impurity is established。 I then treat each play separately， as part of a trilogy and as part of a tetralogy。Part II of Henry VI sees the consequences of Suffolk's former negotiation with France of ceding two provinces for Margaret as new queen to Henry VI as a bone of contention among the nobles， particularly Gloucester， uncle to the young king。 The discussion of dreams between Gloucester and his wife Eleanor in 1。2 looks forward to Macbeth （1605-1606）， with the supernatural prompting。 Meanwhile， Beaufort， now Cardinal， and great-uncle to the king， who in the previous play determined to sow the seeds of unrest in the land， is now acting as seeming mediator to Gloucester's discontent， while plotting his downfall， but the other nobles observe immediately his duplicity， noting he bears himself 'More like a soldier than a man o'th'Church' （1。1。187）。 That scene ends with a long soliloquy from York， of the white rose， still on the same theme， of holding his tongue until the time is right to seize the crown。 Queen Margaret， aware of all the divisions and discontents， is shepherded by Suffolk， who has in hand a conspiracy against Gloucester， fostered by the Cardinal。 It is a grand chess match: which piece shall first fall？Yet， even while the field is clearly laid out regarding the roses， there are some minor confusions。 Nearly all are against Gloucester， even his own wife！ She， with her advising spirit Asnath， becomes the exotic of the play， and while Gloucester does not denounce her， he cannot support her either。 Thus begins his compromise， and soon he is out of the picture。 This is a shame， for he seems one of the very few who are not dissembling and Machiavellian。 Then there's Somerset， the horrid Cardinal's nephew， who suggests to his ally Buckingham that they watch the 'haughty cardinal' whose 'insolence is more intolerable / Than all the princes in the land beside' （1。1。175-7）。 He is; he's absolutely foul， and Shakespeare colours him so as a Catholic careerist in the pay of the Pope - almost a mole。 So it's complicated， but key figures not merely get their comeuppance， they lose all。What intrigues is the development， not of the factions and their constant scrapping， but of Margaret's role。 As it develops， she takes on a central role in stirring the factions against Gloucester （3。1）， while we discover late just how much Suffolk meant to her。 This， if anything， is the root of tragedy in the piece， and her bewailing his loss at the same time reveals the truth to Henry about his consort。 Margaret has great tracts in the heart of the piece， and while Suffolk is a schemer， who in the play isn't （except Gloucester and Buckingham， both Humphreys）？ But if pride was Gloucester's downfall， it is certainly Suffolk's end。The curious， grotesquely comic interregnum of Jack Cade's rebellion in Act IV， likely a treat for the groundlings， was just weird - and went on too long。 Just， as I imagine， many， many felt did the French and Russian revolutions。 Goodness， what a travesty the rabble are！ The play ends with the first real battle between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists as York， having just quelled yet another Irish remonstrance， is returned to see how his paid insurgent， Cade is doing back home， and， discovering him routed and the rebellion over， disbands his army， only to be immediately insulted again by the reds， and coming out in force， and temporary victory， at St。 Albans， the king and consort fled。 One of note who has had a damn good brawl was a certain Richard， a scrapper after his old father's heart。 The stage is set for Part III。Linguistically， this feels much more assuredly Shakespearean than was much of Part I， but yet lacks any great verse or moving speeches， despite Margaret's significant rhetoric on grief。 Again， it is almost certainly better seen performed， such parts usually raised by a significant factor。 I must， however， wait until Part III is read before I revisit The Hollow Crown， which is the go-to series for these two tetralogies for me， where I suspect even the lesser Henry VI plays （3 into 2） - and they are lesser than any of the others - would be a feast of interpretation。A moderately entertaining play， well-written， but with little magic or exotic fire， and that little comes through the two interesting female parts of Eleanor and Margaret。 Henry VI is not a Henry V， but if I had been around at that time， I would have preferred him， being a lily-livered liberal。 However， I would have run a mile from the new kid on the block， brawling his way to the front of the stage already， even while we are not really ready for him yet; he must wait two plays。 。。。more

Cece ，

More medieval House of Cards-ish action。 The smack talk， if literally nothing else， makes it worth the read。

Bernie Gourley ，

Whereas the previous part of this trilogy was a war story largely set in France， this middle section is much about courtly intrigues and more local threats to the Crown。 It does see the “War of the Roses” infighting between York and Somerset come to a head， as well as a successful plot by the new Queen and Suffolk （who might be making the beast with two backs） to get rid of the much beloved Gloucester （the King’s protector / advisor。） And there’s a brief but tumultuous rebellion led by a commone Whereas the previous part of this trilogy was a war story largely set in France， this middle section is much about courtly intrigues and more local threats to the Crown。 It does see the “War of the Roses” infighting between York and Somerset come to a head， as well as a successful plot by the new Queen and Suffolk （who might be making the beast with two backs） to get rid of the much beloved Gloucester （the King’s protector / advisor。） And there’s a brief but tumultuous rebellion led by a commoner who thinks himself kingly material， Jack Cade。tDespite the fact that the historical events of this play are among the latter half of those covered in Shakespeare’s histories – chronologically -- it is believed that this is one of Shakespeare’s first （and， quite possibly， THE first。） Like other early Shakespearean works （e。g。 “Titus Andronicus，”） it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles by way of beautiful language。 That said， it’s loaded with tension and has elements one might recognize from latter works， such as the comedically capricious nature of crowds。 （Shown when the people yo-yo between Cade’s rebellion and the aristocrats who argue for loyalty to the Crown。）tThe possibility that this might be Shakespeare’s first may seem unlikely because it turned out to be “Part II。” However， one piece of supporting evidence is the play’s intense cliff-hanger。 [Henry VI， Part 1 is comparatively self-contained， but this this part ends with the King being pursued by York’s forces -- who’ve dominated in a skirmish against loyalist forces。] tThis may be an early play， and – thus -- not one of the Shakespeare’s most mellifluous works， but it’s engaging and definitely worth a read。 。。。more

Serafina Pevensie ，

Compared to Part I， Part II is definitely more exciting， probably seen as it's not entirely about battles， but also has moments of other activities where the dialogue is more involving and fun to read。 It was particularly funny to read the part where a random man decided to have his own side narrative and organises a rebellion to then be beheaded in some random person's garden。。。 Towards the end， the story became a bit tedious， seen as everyone seemed to die but apart from that， I have no negati Compared to Part I， Part II is definitely more exciting， probably seen as it's not entirely about battles， but also has moments of other activities where the dialogue is more involving and fun to read。 It was particularly funny to read the part where a random man decided to have his own side narrative and organises a rebellion to then be beheaded in some random person's garden。。。 Towards the end， the story became a bit tedious， seen as everyone seemed to die but apart from that， I have no negative comments and I have to admit that， if Part III follows the trend then I'm looking forward to reading it。 。。。more

Juha ，

Henrik VI:n tarina jatkuu。 Gloucester， joka on ollut lordiprotektori alaikäisen kuninkaan aikaan， juonitellaan vallasta。 Ensi isketään vaimoon， joka saa syytteen noituudesta。 York tuo julki olevansa Henrikiä oikeutetumpi kruunuun。 Tästä alkaa Ruusujen sota Yorkien ja Lancasterien välillä。 Neljännen näytöksen talonpoikaiskapina tuntuu aika irralliselta muusta kokonaisuudesta。

Lucinda Winslow ，

This is where Shakespeare discovers his voice。 Comedy of Errors， a sitcom， delightful but a tangle of errors and wit。 Henry VI Part 1， more situation drama， lots of battles， and chases。 Joan of Arc has some lovely language， but still the overall is an action play。 But here， in Henry VI part 2， the "words wrung from people going into， during and moving out of a desperate situation" are in full flower。 Sure， the last two acts move back into action mode as the War of the Roses ignites， but here I'd This is where Shakespeare discovers his voice。 Comedy of Errors， a sitcom， delightful but a tangle of errors and wit。 Henry VI Part 1， more situation drama， lots of battles， and chases。 Joan of Arc has some lovely language， but still the overall is an action play。 But here， in Henry VI part 2， the "words wrung from people going into， during and moving out of a desperate situation" are in full flower。 Sure， the last two acts move back into action mode as the War of the Roses ignites， but here I'd say Shakespeare found his magic power。PS， I don't buy Marlowe as co-author。 You can see the young dramatist grappling to give his audience a good ride， and also beginning to seize on depth as well。 So， VI part 3 then Richard III。 A fun adventure！ 。。。more

Nicholas Vessel ，

Henry VI， Part 2 is a compelling drama with an impressive amount of memorable scenes despite its general deficit of memorable characters。2H6 deals mostly with the build-up to the bloody War of the Roses。 This build-up features a feast of striking moments that almost overshadow the general conflict。 An occult ritual （this later leads to a murder in the night， perhaps the seeds of Macbeth were already growing in Bill's mind）， a duel， a noble beheaded by pirates， and a buck-wild peasant uprising al Henry VI， Part 2 is a compelling drama with an impressive amount of memorable scenes despite its general deficit of memorable characters。2H6 deals mostly with the build-up to the bloody War of the Roses。 This build-up features a feast of striking moments that almost overshadow the general conflict。 An occult ritual （this later leads to a murder in the night， perhaps the seeds of Macbeth were already growing in Bill's mind）， a duel， a noble beheaded by pirates， and a buck-wild peasant uprising all lead up to the final act where the War of the Roses officially begins。Sadly， the characters who take part in those events aren't fantastic。 The one standout is rebel leader Jack Cade， whose passionate lack of reason leads to many of the play's darkest and funniest moments。 Aside from him， the characters are all fairly forgettable or easily conflated。 King Henry has even less agency than he did in Part 1 （sure， that's the point， but it doesn't make for a very exciting role）， and most of the nobles fall into "despicably selfish and dishonest" or "admirably chivalrous"。 This is still too early in Bill's career to see much of the excellent psychology he's now-famous for （even Cade—memorable as he is—is ultimately a shallow clown）。 This doesn't stop 2H6 from being an thrilling read and a step-up after 1H6 in just about every way。 。。。more

Christine ，

Pidin tästä ehkä aavistuksen enemmän kuin ensimmäisestä。 Tapahtumat ja hahmot tuntuivat selkeämmiltäkuin ensimmäisessä osassa。 Maalaiskapinakin oli mielenkiintoinen heijastuma varmaan kaikista alempien luokkien kapinoista maailman sivu。

Kevin ，

The intrigue heats up and the rebellions provide an excellent opportunity for political discussion。

Rebekah ，

Full of drama， full of action， and very entertaining。 It can be a little confusing， but I was able to follow the story better than some of the other historical plays。 I enjoyed this one more than part 1。 Excited to move on to my last two plays （part 3 and Richard 111）。

Brittany Petruzzi ，

Certainly not the most commpelling of the tetrology， given it's position leading up to the real drama in 2 Henry VI， but a solid middle to the trilogy。 That Shakespeare manages to make a solid and fullsome story arc despite this is quite amazing。 In some way， the actual history is more dramatic， with the King becoming incapcitated （and pretty insane） for a good while， allowing York to take the regency。 Then gave it BACK when the King had recovered。Anyway， there are some great elements to this pl Certainly not the most commpelling of the tetrology， given it's position leading up to the real drama in 2 Henry VI， but a solid middle to the trilogy。 That Shakespeare manages to make a solid and fullsome story arc despite this is quite amazing。 In some way， the actual history is more dramatic， with the King becoming incapcitated （and pretty insane） for a good while， allowing York to take the regency。 Then gave it BACK when the King had recovered。Anyway， there are some great elements to this play， including Cade's famous cry of the populist uprising， "First thing we do， let's kill all the lawyers。" And the scene in which the mob finally turns against thier new "king" seems Shakespeare's prototype for the similar scene in "Julius Caesar，" only without the lofty rhetoric。 Queen Margaret begins to take her turn for this wolfish here。 Having played her in "Richard III。" I loved every minute of it。It only gets bloodier from here。 "Game of Thrones，" eat your heart out。 。。。more

Alison ，

There are way too many characters in here。 I know it's based on history， but， well。。。。。。。。。then there are way too many characters in history！ How the hell did all these people keep everyone straight？ Were they just constantly like "Why do you want to kill him？" "I don't， I want to kill that other guy。" "Do we hate each other still or are we friends again？" "Wait， am I supposed to be conspiring with you or against you？" I hope they had group therapy in Elizabethan times。I think this play is a gre There are way too many characters in here。 I know it's based on history， but， well。。。。。。。。。then there are way too many characters in history！ How the hell did all these people keep everyone straight？ Were they just constantly like "Why do you want to kill him？" "I don't， I want to kill that other guy。" "Do we hate each other still or are we friends again？" "Wait， am I supposed to be conspiring with you or against you？" I hope they had group therapy in Elizabethan times。I think this play is a great example of why plays are meant to be seen and not read。 I imagine it might be easier to remember who is who， which characters are allies and which are enemies and which are allies-turned-enemies or enemies-turned-allies， and also when someone is being serious or when they're being a sarcastic salty bitch。 Reading it on the page， there were many times when I was wishing the plague would just roll through and do away with the whole lot of them。（Are plague jokes okay now that vaccinations are up？）I do appreciate how Shakespeare wove all of this history together for us， and how wild everything gets as we get into The War of the Roses。 He also showed us that basically every single person around the King， including the overgrown baby-man King himself， could be a shady ass bastard。 Makes you feel a little bit better about having people like Ted Cruz in government。Wait， no it doesn't。 And there were some great moments of bonkers action and shit-stirring speeches， plus it's always a good time anytime a woman walks into a room carrying some dude's head。 I liked seeing some of the machinations and how clever people could be when they're being hella evil。 But the confusion over just what the hell was happening most of the time （even with Spark Notes open） and the anticlimactic nature of fight scenes in a written play （S。D。: They fight。 He dies。） makes this hard to love for me。 But it did give us the glorious line， The first thing we do， let's kill all the lawyers。 And from now on whenever my manager calls me， I'm gonna greet her not with "Hi there， how's it going" but rather All health unto my gracious sovereign！ Maybe that'll get me a raise。 。。。more

Phillip ，

This play takes us into the beginning of the War of the Roses， the civil war that pitted the House of Lancaster against the House of York for control of the English crown。 Henry VI is a weak king， and he faces threats from all around--Richard Plantagenet， Duke of York， believes he has a superior claim to the throne and therefore plots in secret to eventually depose Henry; many in the court despise Humphrey， Duke of Gloucester， who is Protector of England， and so they plot to undermine the king's This play takes us into the beginning of the War of the Roses， the civil war that pitted the House of Lancaster against the House of York for control of the English crown。 Henry VI is a weak king， and he faces threats from all around--Richard Plantagenet， Duke of York， believes he has a superior claim to the throne and therefore plots in secret to eventually depose Henry; many in the court despise Humphrey， Duke of Gloucester， who is Protector of England， and so they plot to undermine the king's favor for him and eventually murder him; and there's an uprising in Kent led by John Cade， and partially planned by York。 One of the things I find really interesting about the play is that York really kind of prefigures Richard III--his son， who does appear briefly in this play--whom Shakespeare would bring to life in the play titled for that ruler。 York is scheming， ambitious， and often tries to get his way by subterfuge and by tricking others into doing his dirty work， which is very similar to the character of his son in Richard III。https://youtu。be/0HW1yNsrObk 。。。more

Colby Mcmurry ，

3。5 stars; Shakespeare's poetry shines through， but there are some sections that seem odd such as characters changing alliances at the tip of a hat and a large cast that only grows larger as the play continues into part 2 （in fact it is the largest cast of any Shakespeare play）。 Ultimately， this is a solid history play that can maintain attention and has a good sense of political intrique， but can get crowded and may cause the reader to take a second to reread passages again to make sure they're 3。5 stars; Shakespeare's poetry shines through， but there are some sections that seem odd such as characters changing alliances at the tip of a hat and a large cast that only grows larger as the play continues into part 2 （in fact it is the largest cast of any Shakespeare play）。 Ultimately， this is a solid history play that can maintain attention and has a good sense of political intrique， but can get crowded and may cause the reader to take a second to reread passages again to make sure they're aware of what leads to what。 。。。more

Garrick Anderson ，

The most entertaining Shakespeare play I've read。 Violence and invective are realer here， on the stage of history and politics。 You can learn some of the same lessons by watching Survivor。 The most entertaining Shakespeare play I've read。 Violence and invective are realer here， on the stage of history and politics。 You can learn some of the same lessons by watching Survivor。 。。。more

Aubrey ，

This is definitely the height of the Henry VI series， and probably one of Shakespeare's better histories。 The war scenes are exciting and the characters compelling。 The best part is getting to see the rise of Richard III。There are two issues with this play: its pacing and its massive cast。 The play sprints through 20-years of complex historical events at a break-neck speed。 Characters introduced in Act I Scene I are dead and gone by the end of the Act II。 The Earls and Dukes also become really a This is definitely the height of the Henry VI series， and probably one of Shakespeare's better histories。 The war scenes are exciting and the characters compelling。 The best part is getting to see the rise of Richard III。There are two issues with this play: its pacing and its massive cast。 The play sprints through 20-years of complex historical events at a break-neck speed。 Characters introduced in Act I Scene I are dead and gone by the end of the Act II。 The Earls and Dukes also become really annoying。 There are just so many characters。 It's tough to distinguish between them， especially since many of them are called one name in the text but have another name in the script （e。g。 the character 'Duke of Gloucester' is called 'Richard' by the characters）。 Despite these issues it was still a play worth reading。 。。。more

Fran Corteggiano ，

No es tan bueno como la parte 1 pero en el acto IV aparece un irlandes que se proclama alcalde de Londres y pide matar a todos los abogados y que lo llamen Su Majestad， y es por lejos el mejor y más gracioso （y temerario） personaje de la obra。

Katja ，

4 stars & 4/10 hearts。 The adventure continues。 So， to begin， I don’t like Margaret or Suffolk at all。 I did love the Duke of Gloucester; he was an amazing man！ His wife was awful and deserved her fate， but poor Humphrey！ I was really disgusted by how badly all the royals and nobles acted， except for Gloucester and Henry。 York is still a huge problem; Jack Cade’s rebellion is hilarious but so stupid （and I never heard of it before）。 It’s overall quite a sad play but as its connects the two other 4 stars & 4/10 hearts。 The adventure continues。 So， to begin， I don’t like Margaret or Suffolk at all。 I did love the Duke of Gloucester; he was an amazing man！ His wife was awful and deserved her fate， but poor Humphrey！ I was really disgusted by how badly all the royals and nobles acted， except for Gloucester and Henry。 York is still a huge problem; Jack Cade’s rebellion is hilarious but so stupid （and I never heard of it before）。 It’s overall quite a sad play but as its connects the two other plays it can’t be skipped， and it’s got some great parts， besides being quite fascinating。 Content: Margaret & Suffolk are lovers; Gloucester is murdered; his wife practices necromancy; language。 。。。more

Matthew Gurteen ，

Another surprise five-star read for me。 Up until recently， I have struggled with Shakespeare's history plays。 I don't know what it is about this tetralogy in particular， but I like it more than not。 Although this is a sequel to Henry VI Part One， it was also most likely written first， being one of Shakespeare's earliest plays。 No matter what order you read them in， however， I think they both work like they were always planned to fit together from the beginning。 This， of course， may be because th Another surprise five-star read for me。 Up until recently， I have struggled with Shakespeare's history plays。 I don't know what it is about this tetralogy in particular， but I like it more than not。 Although this is a sequel to Henry VI Part One， it was also most likely written first， being one of Shakespeare's earliest plays。 No matter what order you read them in， however， I think they both work like they were always planned to fit together from the beginning。 This， of course， may be because they are history， but there are interesting resonances between the two stories and plot threads that continue through both。For one， the continuation of Margaret's story from the end of Part One， replacing Joan of Arc/ Pucelle as the leading female role。 There is such a fantastic scope for depth in her character， particularly with her relationship with Suffolk。 Depending on how an actor/ actress chooses to perform， they can be deep lovers or loyal supporters of the King。King Henry himself is excellently used。 He is almost a tragic figure through his passivity。 Despite being the titular character， he is given fewer lines than some of the supporting characters。 This， of course， is his flaw， and it is brilliant to see how his submissiveness continues and grows from the first part when he is a boy。 He is in most of the scenes but barely says a word， again giving an actor/ actress great scope for communicating in other non-verbal ways as the rest of the cast manipulates him。Throughout the whole play， there is a great sense of tension growing。 This stress started in Part One in France， but in Part Two， it is everywhere in England， from the peasants to the nobility。 One of the aspects of the play I particularly enjoyed was Jack Cade。 I had never heard of this figure before reading this play， and learning about him was one of the joys of doing so。 I understand how some readers could be turned away by his act。 It does drag in parts and is primarily a comic interlude between the political drama of the first three acts and the war at the climax。 That does not mean it is not funny， though， and I thought it was a satirical piece of genius to parody the claims on the throne through Cade。 Although Shakespeare does not give the real Jack Cade much justice， his use of the character in this play was terrific， adding another parallel to the drama of the aristocracy。My only criticism， which is also shared with Part One， is that the large cast of characters can often be confusing to the modern reader。 Part Two has one of the most extensive casts in any Shakespeare play， and it certainly shows。 I am sure this would be different if you saw the play live， but it is difficult when reading to keep track of who the characters are concerning each other and the general Wars of the Roses story。 I can't judge the play too harshly for this， as most of Shakespeare's audience would have been more familiar with the aristocratic characters。 Modern readers， however， should be aware that with our lack of familiarity with the era comes confusion。This is just a minor criticism， however， and it did not hinder my reading too much。 It is more of a comment on how the play has aged more than anything， which is expected from any classic text。 I would recommend Henry VI Part Two to any Shakespeare fan。 This play is probably not a great introduction to the author unless you are interested in the Wars of the Roses。 If you are， however， I would highly recommend reading this for a classic response to the conflict。 Overall， I cannot wait to finish Henry's story next month。 。。。more

Dane Cobain ，

The King Henry VI-athon continues。 I was a little less engaged with this one purely because Joan of Arc was in the last one and that was my favourite thing about it。 But that didn’t end so well for her。My feelings towards this one was that it felt a bit like a bridge between the first play， which was pretty good， and the third one， which I haven’t got to yet。 There was a lot of setup。

G ，

Such fighting， backstabbing， double-crossing。 And it’s going to get bloodier。

Emma ，

But why is it three parts？

Chris Maddix ，

Henry VI Part Two opens with an introduction of Queen Margaret and a discussion of the end-of-war terms from France – Margaret is to be wife of Henry VI， he is to receive no dowry， France regains provinces Anjou and Maine。 Understandably， these terms are unacceptable to Gloucester， who is still acting as Lord Protector to the king。 King Henry， however， simply wants the war to end and is willing to accept just about anything， including this deal。 Meanwhile， Queen Margaret， a much more forceful ch Henry VI Part Two opens with an introduction of Queen Margaret and a discussion of the end-of-war terms from France – Margaret is to be wife of Henry VI， he is to receive no dowry， France regains provinces Anjou and Maine。 Understandably， these terms are unacceptable to Gloucester， who is still acting as Lord Protector to the king。 King Henry， however， simply wants the war to end and is willing to accept just about anything， including this deal。 Meanwhile， Queen Margaret， a much more forceful character than her husband， is chafing at the notion of having a Lord Protector at all， for a king who is old enough to be married。 She eventually uses the divide on this issue between the king and Gloucester to remove Gloucester。 Fortunately for Margaret， she has allies in this endeavor。 Suffolk， the proxy who procured her as wife for King Henry， remains in love with her and will carry out her wishes。 Bishop Winchester， now known as Cardinal Beaufort （he has been promoted in the church from bishop to cardinal and goes by his actual last name， Beaufort）， is traditional enemy to Gloucester and is willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate Gloucester。 Finally， the Duke of York has joined the melee。 York wants to be king and sees Gloucester as the first obstacle to be overcome。So how best to eliminate Gloucester？ Gloucester’s wife， the Duchess， concerned about the future of her husband and herself， is visited by a spirit which makes 4 forecasts – （1） York will be deposed; （2） King Henry outlives York but dies violently; （3） Suffolk dies by water; and （4） Somerset needs to avoid castles。 The case is made that， by hosting this spirit， Gloucester’s wife has participated in treasonous activity。 She is arrested and banished to the Isle of Mann。 King Henry continues to believe in Gloucester， but the king’s weakness permits Gloucester to be arrested by the Queen， Cardinal Beaufort， and Suffolk。 Gloucester is held as prisoner by the cardinal， and eventually murdered by a man hired by the cardinal。 As we have seen in many cases throughout Shakespeare， religious figures are not gentle characters。 They plot， they scheme， and they kill。Meanwhile， York plots to take over the kingdom。 He persuades a thug named Jack Cade to instigate a rebellion in Ireland。 York is then given an army and told to go to Ireland to quell the rebellion。 For York， this situation is nearly ideal - Cade is working for him， inciting a rebellion， and Cade will never reveal that York is behind it。 Also， York has been handed troops， rendering him much more powerful。Returning to the Gloucester situation， Gloucester has been killed， and his death is contrary to King Henry’s wishes。 Although the king seems to lack the strength to respond forcibly to the news of the death of his Lord Protector， a valiant earl/soldier named Warwick does not。 He accuses Suffolk of murder。 The king takes an uncharacteristically rigid stance and says that Suffolk must either accept banishment or be executed。 The queen has been attracted to Suffolk since their time in France; she persuades Suffolk to flee， but he is murdered at sea （remember the spirit forecast that Suffolk would die by water？） and Cardinal Beaufort dies as well。Cade’s rebellion， meanwhile， reaches London。 There， he is met by Clifford and Buckingham， who offer pardons to all of Cade’s men who surrender。 Cade， who has no faith in the courage of his followers， flees and is eventually murdered。 York returns from Ireland to England with his army。 Upon learning of the death of Cade， York， exhibiting a deftness in political matters， claims that he is returning with troops to arrest Somerset， his old War of the Roses foe， for treason。 Hearing that this is York’s purpose， the king has Somerset thrown into the Tower， but the queen releases him。 Somerset， in turn， attempts to arrest York for treason。 A battle at St。 Alban’s ensues。 York kills the king’s staunchest warrior， Clifford， and Richard， York’s son， kills Somerset。 Persuaded by the queen， King Henry flees to London， pursued by York， his sons， and Warwick， and Henry VI Part Two ends。So， in sum， what has happened in Henry VI Part Two？ The 100 Years War has ended with a treaty quite favorable to France， agreed upon by King Henry VI。 Margaret arrives in England， becomes the queen， and leads a group which kills gentle Gloucester and banishes Gloucester’s wife。 York persuades Jack Cade to start a rebellion in Ireland and ironically is handed an army to stop the same rebellion。 York returns to England and commences a more open rebellion against Henry VI， experiencing initial success。 。。。more

Melanie ，

Interesting

Jake ，

Not as enjoyable as the first one， lot of swordplay which I imagine made it sort of an action piece of its time but that makes it less exciting on the page。

Nicole ，

Plot points fast and heavy in this one。

Greg ，

QUEEN: "Are you the butcher， Suffolk？ Where's your knife？"SUFFOLK: "I wear no knife to slaughter sleeping men。。。" Well， that response is sorta true， but it doesn't answer the Queen's question。 And it reminds me much of the way some politicians talk/lie。。。but I'm not naming names。 The madness for power here is vividly displayed and for that reason I liked Part 2 better than Part 1。 （Although I don't think I'd like to watch the play as the stage floor had to be slick with red liquid。） QUEEN: "Are you the butcher， Suffolk？ Where's your knife？"SUFFOLK: "I wear no knife to slaughter sleeping men。。。" Well， that response is sorta true， but it doesn't answer the Queen's question。 And it reminds me much of the way some politicians talk/lie。。。but I'm not naming names。 The madness for power here is vividly displayed and for that reason I liked Part 2 better than Part 1。 （Although I don't think I'd like to watch the play as the stage floor had to be slick with red liquid。） 。。。more

Michael Giovinco ，

A lot of action and juicy revenge will keep you on your toes through the whole play。

Leslie ，

Listened to LibriVox full cast audiobook & read in Kindle omnibus "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare"Not quite as compelling to me as Part 1 but still much less difficult than I expect of Shakespeare。 And now I know the context of the famous line "The first thing we do， let's kill all the lawyers。"！ Listened to LibriVox full cast audiobook & read in Kindle omnibus "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare"Not quite as compelling to me as Part 1 but still much less difficult than I expect of Shakespeare。 And now I know the context of the famous line "The first thing we do， let's kill all the lawyers。"！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Henry VI, Part Two

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Henry VI, Part Two&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Henry VI, Part Two&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0