Suffolk: Power Won Through a Woman
First appears: Act 1, Scene 1
Suffolk runs English politics in Part II through his relationship with Margaret. He is the moving force behind Gloucester's downfall. He arranges the murder rather than risk a trial that might exonerate him.
His banishment in Act 3 comes as a genuine shock to him. He has been so confident of his position that exposure seems impossible. The Commons demand his death or exile; Henry, who usually defers to everyone, chooses exile.
His death at sea (captured by pirates and beheaded) is treated with a kind of rough justice by the play. He arranged a murder; he dies by rough execution at the hands of men who recognise his name and take their own account.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep; And in his simple show he harbours treason.”
Duke of Suffolk — Act 3, Scene 1
Themes
Other Characters in Henry VI, Part II
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