Henry VI Part 2 Analysis

Henry VI, Part 2 is set during the English Wars of the Roses. This play dramatizes the York vs. Lancaster (Henry's side) debate that begins in Henry VI, Part 1, after Henry Bolingbroke (a Lancaster...

Most literary critics refer to Henry VI, Part 2 as a history play. In fact, it's the third installment in a series of Shakespearean history plays now known as the "first tetralogy," which...

We'll tell it to you straight: there's not a whole lot of humor in this one. The tone is pretty somber all the way through, and that makes sense, given what goes down in this play: Henry's nobles a...

Henry VI, Part 2, like Shakespeare's other plays, is written in a combination of verse (poetry) and prose (how we talk every day). Usually, upper class characters like Henry, Warwick, or York speak...

If you saw the title Henry VI, Part 2 and thought, "Hey, this looks like the second part of a series of plays about Henry VI," then we've got some serious news for you: you're totally right.There's...

York may have won the battle, but he hasn't won the war. The play ends with a whole bunch of stuff left up in the air: York and his sons ride back to London to chase down Henry to take the crown on...

If you're reading Henry VI Part 2, then you've probably already read Henry VI, Part 1,so Shakespeare's Elizabethan language might be getting a little easier to manage by now. Also, the play offers...

Not everyone's excited about Henry's marriage to Margaret. For one thing, it comes at a hefty price: England has to give up some lands in France. This starts some grumbling in the palace between th...

Henry marries Margaret and loses lands in France, but the real problems are happening at home. The nobles are bickering with one another over 1) whether Gloucester should be Protector; 2) who sho...

Henry marries Margaret and is forced to give up some French lands for her. A bunch of the nobles complain about this and blame each other for causing the problem. Still, the real problem (according...

People might not be as familiar with this play today, but back in Shakespeare's day, the Henry VI plays were super popular (source).Have you ever heard someone about someone who "grovels," is "jade...

There's not much steam coming from the pages of Henry VI, Part 2. As far as Shakespeare goes, the play is pretty tame—sure, there are the standard euphemisms that Shakespeare is known for, like w...

Henry VI, Part 1: the claim to the throne is discussed in 1.1 in the previous play (1.1)Henry VI, Part 1: taxation in 5.5.93 is commented on when Henry strikes the deal with France (1.1.133)Henry V...