Henry VI Part 1

The three books that cover the life Henry VI are each masterpieces in their own right. They are each important parts of the multi-facted life of Henry VI. Wonderful history lesson.

A lot of people knock this play because Shakespeare presents Joan of Arc as a villain. Well, the truth of the matter is that she was in fact burned as a witch. She was to be cannonized and become a saint, BUT NOT UNTIL 1920! (OVER 300 YEARS AFTER WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE DIED!) In a sense, it is flat out laughable to criticize the play based on the fact that a saint is made to be a villain. Well, to the play itself. King Henry V (who conquered France) lies dead. His son Henry VI is but a child, and for now it is King Henry V's surviving brothers Glouceter and Bedford who are in charge. Joan of Arc comes into play and tells Charles of France that with her help, France can still come out on top. This is followed by the comical dispute between Glouceter and his uncle (who is Bishop of Winchester). Throughout the story, Winchester is somewhat of a comical villain. He does no real damage, and his disputes with the virtuous Glouceter offer some badly needed comical moments. We then meet the heroic, but just a little too brave Talbot. He is England's champion here, and he finds he can not defeat Joan. Towards the end of Act 2, there is a dramatic and well drawn scene that foreshadows the War of the Roses. We also meet Richard Plantagenet (the eventual Duke of York). Act 2 concludes with him offering what comfort he can to his imprisoned and dying uncle. In Part 2, York will be more of a villain, but in Part 1, he seems to serve the king with loyalty. In 3.1, we finally meet the young King Henry VI. He makes Richard Duke of York. (Side note. Richard's father was executed for treason against King Henry V.) Soon afterwards, Bedford despite his failing health manages to support the English as they defeat Joan of Arc in one battle. (Very unlike his back stabbing move in "2 Henry IV," he displays courage, honor, and dignity here.) And we are permitted sympathy as he dies with grace and dignity. But Joan of Arc is far from finished. She wins over Burgundy to France's side and makes it clear that the game is not over. Well, onto Act 4. King Henry VI is crowned. While many people fail to see any strength In King Henry VI, he does show some strong points here. His actions against Fastolf and Burgundy show that he does not tolerate treason or neglect of duty. He is often rebuked for having rivals Somerset and York work together, but more than once, people have launched enemies against a foreign foe. And a reasonable person would have at least considered it. Well, sadly this is one case where it did not work, and civil dissension between York and Somerset turns the tide in France's favor, and even worse causes the death of Talbot and his son. (The death of Talbot and his son is one of Shakespeare's greatest scenes of tragic beauty.) One more thing I should point out is that, internal complications are one of the best things you can use to prevent a war scenario from becoming trite and boring. Good job Shakespeare! The death of Talbot breaks England's spirit, a

"Henry V" and "Richard III" seem to be the most popular history plays of Shakespeare. But I myself lean towards this one. The play starts with the wedding of King Henry VI and Queen Margaret. At this point in the war between France and England, France has gained the upper hand, but England does still control Calais, Anou, Maine, Normandy, and some areas around Bordeaux. Well, the virtuous Gloucester (and the only remaining son of King Henry IV) is shocked that Anjou and Maine have to be returned to france as well. This angers York, and he thinks this is just reason to act on his claim to the crown. (In history, York was VERY LOYAL to Henry VI, and it was SEVERAL things including some threats from Margaret that made him take up arms.) Moving on, we later see that Glouceter's wife has her eyes on the crown. Meanwhile, Margaret is growing weary of King Henry VI, and her affair with Suffolk becomes more prevalent. Act 1 ends with the dramatic scene of Pagan Prophecies and Lady Glouceter's arrest. Act 2 begins with the comical scene of the false miracle. Though the comedy breaks when Gloucester learns of his wife's treason. York gathers his alies Salisbury and Warwick and plans his moves to seize the crown. In one of his stronger moments, King Henry VI orders the execution of those who plotted against him. Though he is smart and treats Lady Glouceter more gently. (Public Penance) Later, we learn that England has lost all of its land in France. (Thoughin history they still held Calais, and would continue to do so even in the later reigns of King Henry VIII and his son Edward VI.) Moving on, York, Somerset, the Cardinal, Suffolk, and Queen Margaret all accuse Gloucester of treason. He defends himself with dignity, but is arrested. King Henry VI is often rebuked for his weakness here, but he does recover to banish the vile Suffolk. Perhaps one of the greatest scenes is 3.3 when the Cardinal dies in the midst of insanity (quite possiblyover the guilt of Gloucester). Yet King Henry VI forgives him: "Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all." Act 4 is dominated mostly by the rebel Jack Cade. He has launched an uprising against the king, and is quite theatrical and offers some comical moments. He gets far, but is eventually defeated by Buckingham and Clifford. Cade escapes, but is soon killed by Iden. Onto the final act. York returns from Ireland in arms, but Buckingham convinces him that King Henry has consented to his demands and imprisoned Somerset. This proves not to be, and York and his sons Edward and Richard take up arms, and the war begins. York does gain the advantage here, but things aren't over. King Henry VI and Margaret escape. And Young Clifford finds his father killed by the Yorks. (And now Clifford wants revenge.) This passage on revenge combines hatred, beauty, and sorrow well. Overall, this is arguably the strongest of the history plays.

This was one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. (possibly his third) Yet, there is nothing to indicate he was only starting out. Right away he grabs our attention with the funeral of King Henry V. Henry V's brothers Bedford and Gloucester help us to see the virtues and strengths of the deceased king. The Bishop of Winchester is well drawn as a comical villain who plots and plans, but never succeeds in doing any real damage. (Not until the next play anyway.) Talbot is memorable as the selfless hero of the play. York is memorable as the hero who defeats Joan of Arc. King Henry VI himself is interesting. First we see him as a helpless infant. By the third act, we see that he has both strengths and weaknesses. He makes the mistake of dividing the command between the rivals Somerset and York. But also, we see that he does not tolerate treason or neglect of duty. There are also many memorable scenes. The garden scene that foreshadows the War of the Roses is well drawn. The scene where York comforts his dying uncle is tragic beauty. Bedford's death in 3.2 has almost a divine tone. The death of Talbot and his son is very lamentable. York's sudden rise to power is captivating. Perhaps Shakespeare's greatest achievement in this play is that he simultaneously shows us England's war with France and the dissension with England itself.

This is not quite as good as 1 or 2, but it is still excellent! Shakespeare grabs us with the dispute between Henry VI and York. While it seems to end peacefully it does not, and the war goes on! York's death in 1.4 is another landmark in Shakespeare's writing. The scene (2.5) where Henry finds true terror is horror, sorrow, and yet beauty and yet another moving part of the play. (The son that hath killed his father and the father that hath killed his son.) The war pauses in disaster for Henry and some comic relief is offered. But the horror starts all over again when Edward IV and Warwick have a falling out. The war starts over again, and the King of France gets involved! The scene where King Henry VI is reinstated is a scene of beauty and hope. While all of this is happening, Shakespeare carefully prepares the monstrously satanic character of Richard III. From here, the play just gets more and more bloody. A final moment of horror is offered when the eventual Richard III proudly compares himself to the one who betrayed Christ. In part 4 "Richard III," the real terror begins!