Henry VI Part 2

Henry VI Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare believed written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas Henry VI Part 1 deals primarily with the loss of England’s French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses and Henry VI Part 3 deals with the horrors of this conflict, Henry VI Part 2 focuses on the King’s inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, the death of his trusted adviser Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the rise of the Duke of York, and the inevitability of armed conflict. As such the play culminates with the opening battle of the War, the First Battle of St. Albans.

    Although the Henry VI trilogy may not have been written in chronological order, the three plays are often grouped together with The Life and Death of King Richard III to form a tetralogy covering the entire Wars of the Roses saga, from the death of Henry V in 1422 to the rise to power of Henry VII in 1485. It was the success of this sequence of plays firmly establishing Shakespeare’s reputation as a playwright.

    Henry VI Part 2 has the largest cast of all Shakespeare’s plays and is seen by many critics as the best of the Henry VI trilogy.