Henry VI Part 2

In Henry VI Part 2, ambition destroys ambitious people and those around them. As the play begins, various ambitious aristocrats are jockeying for power in the court of England’s King Henry VI. The Duke of Suffolk, Cardinal Beaufort, and Henry’s new wife Queen Margaret all want to get rid of the Duke of Gloucester (Henry’s uncle and Lord Protector) because they envy Gloucester’s influence over Henry and perceive Gloucester as an…

In Henry VI Part 2, English nobles derive their self-worth from their social position, specifically their proximity by birth to the throne. Moreover, they define themselves in contrast with commoners, whom they tend to scorn. Nobles’ obsession with their position and scorn for common people can make them vulnerable if they fail to recognize poor commoners’ potential power as well as their resentment of aristocrats. This dynamic is clear both in the Duke of…

In Henry VI Part 2, English patriotism is a double-edged sword for England’s king. On the one hand, nobles and commoners alike use patriotic language to criticize actions taken by the current king, Henry VI. Yet, on the other hand, the king’s supporters also use patriotic language to quell outright rebellion against the monarchy. Near the play’s beginning, Henry agrees to surrender Maine and Anjou, French territories taken by his father Henry…

Henry VI Part 2 represents magic as real but, ironically, useless. Early in the play, a witch and several conjurers summon a spirit from the underworld and ask it to tell them the fates of King Henry VI, the Duke of Suffolk, and the Duke of Somerset. In each case, the spirit gives technically accurate but ambiguous and misleading answers. For example, it says of Suffolk, “By water shall he die and…