The play we know as King Henry VI Part II was originally known as The First Part of the Contention betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster. It was the first half of a two-part play on the popular theme of the 'Wars of the Roses'. It was this two-part play that established Shakespeare's reputation as a major playwright in the 1590s.

Shakespeare also wrote a play on the major event before the Wars of the Roses: the expulsion of the English from France by Joan of Arc. This play, which may have been written before or after the two-part play, was grouped together by later editors with the two-parter to form a trilogy - Henry VI parts 1, 2, and 3.

This play begins with the marriage of King Henry VI of England to the young Margaret of Anjou. Margaret is the protégée (and possibly lover) of William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk , who aims to influence the king through her. The major obstacle to this pair is the regent of the crown, Duke Humphrey (Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester), who is immensely popular with the common people. Queen Margaret vies with his wife, Eleanor, for precedence at court. Eleanor is lured by an agent of Suffolk into dabbling in necromancy, and then apprehended, to the embarrassment of Gloucester. Nevertheless, the demon she has summoned delivers some accurate prophecies concerning the fates of several characters in the play. Gloucester, who is busy exposing the imposture of an old beggar and his wife, is then accused of treason and imprisoned, and afterwards assassinated by agents of Suffolk and the Queen. Meanwhile, as this struggle plays itself out, Richard, Duke of York, who has a tenuous claim to the throne, schemes to make himself king.

The Earl of Suffolk is banished for his role in Gloucester's death and killed by Walter the pirate ("by Wa'ter shall he die" proclaimed the demon), leaving Margaret without her mainstay. Margaret is soon portrayed holding Suffolk's gory noggin in her lap and weeping, just before the King is informed that Gloucester has been strangled in the next room. Meanwhile, Richard of York has gotten himself appointed commander of an army to suppress a revolt in Ireland. York enlists a former officer Jack Cade to lead a rebellion that threatens the whole kingdom, in order that he may bring his army from Ireland into England and seize the throne.

As Cade's rebels are routed, York, who has brought his army over on the pretext of protecting the King from Somerset, declares open war on the king, supported by his sons, Edward (the future King Edward IV of England) and Richard (the future King Richard III of England). (Shakespeare is building up to making Richard III one of his greatest villains, with little concern for historical veracity -- Richard, at this date, would have been a small child, and thus easily beaten in combat.)

The English nobility now take sides, and the Battle of St. Albans is fought. The Duke of Somerset is killed by the future Richard III. Young Lord Clifford, whose father has been killed by the Duke of York, vows revenge on the Yorkists, and allies himself with King Henry's other supporters. The play ends there, to be continued with Henry VI, part 3.

Cast

• King Henry VI
• Duke of Gloucester, his uncle (Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester)
• Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, great-uncle to the King (Henry Cardinal Beaufort)
• Duke of York (Richard, Duke of York)
• Edward, his son (future Edward IV)
• Richard, also son to the Duke of York (future Richard III)
• Duke of Somerset (Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset)
• Duke of Suffolk (William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk)
• Duke of Buckingham (Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham)
• Lord Clifford (Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron Clifford )
• Young Clifford, his son (John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford )
• Earl of Salisbury (Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury)
• Earl of Warwick (Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick)
• Lord Scales
• Lord Say
• Sir Humphrey Stafford (Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Stafford)
• William Stafford, his brother
• Sir John Stanley
• Vaux
• Matthew Goffe
• Alexander Iden, a Kentish Gentleman
• Lieutenant, Shipmates, Master's Mate, and Walter Whitmore
• Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk
• John Hume and John Southwell, priests
• Roger Bolingbrook, a conjurer
• Thomas Horner, an armorer
• Peter Thump, his apprentice
• Clerk of Chartam
• Mayor of Saint Albans
• Simcox, an impostor
• Jack Cade, a rebel
• George Bevis, John Holland, Dick the butcher, Smith the Weaver, Michael, etc., followers of Jack Cade
• two murderers

• Margaret, Queen to King Henry (Margaret of Anjou)
• Duchess of Gloucester (Eleanor Cobham )
• Margery Jordan, a witch
• Wife to Simcox

• Spirit

• Lords, Ladies, attendants, heralds, soldiers, etc.

External link

• Henry VI, part 2 - searchable, indexed e-text
• The second Part of Henry the Sixt - HTML version of this title.
• Henry the Sixth Part 2 - plain vanilla text from Project Gutenberg