Henry VI: A Holy Man in an Unholy World
First appears: Act 1, Scene 1
Henry is a genuinely good man by any personal standard. He is kind, devout, and without personal cruelty. He is also completely unsuited to ruling a court full of ambitious, violent people.
He cannot protect Gloucester from his enemies even though he knows Gloucester is innocent. He cannot resist Margaret and Suffolk even though he can see what they are doing. He banishes Suffolk rather than having him executed, which satisfies no-one.
The tragedy of Henry VI is not that he is wicked but that his virtues are the wrong virtues for the time he lives in.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“Ay, Margaret; my heart is drown'd with grief, Whose flood begins to flow within mine eyes, My body round engirt with misery, For what's more miserable than discontent?”
King Henry VI — Act 3, Scene 1
“Was ever king that joy'd an earthly throne, And could command no more content than I?”
King Henry VI — Act 4, Scene 9
Themes
Other Characters in Henry VI, Part II
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