Gloucester: The Lord Protector Under Siege
First appears: Act 1, Scene 1
Gloucester is the Lord Protector, in charge of England while the young Henry VI grows up. He is the play's main English political figure, a man trying to hold the country together while various factions pull against him.
His feud with the Bishop of Winchester (later Cardinal Beaufort) is the play's domestic political crisis. Their men draw swords in the streets of London. The disorder at home mirrors the disorder in France.
Shakespeare portrays him sympathetically here. His fall will come in Part II.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“I am come to survey the Tower this day: Since Henry's death, I fear, there is conveyance. Where be these warders, that they wait not here? Open the gates; 'tis Gloucester that calls.”
Duke of Gloucester — Act 1, Scene 3
“Presumptuous priest! this place commands my patience, Or thou shouldst find thou hast dishonour'd me.”
Duke of Gloucester — Act 3, Scene 1
Themes
Other Characters in Henry VI, Part I
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