Henry VI, Part II

The middle play of the trilogy charts England’s slide into chaos as the pious but ineffectual Henry VI loses control of his kingdom. His new queen, Margaret of Anjou, schemes with ambitious lords to destroy the honest Duke of Gloucester, while the Duke of York quietly presses his own claim to the throne. A populist uprising led by the rebel Jack Cade throws the country into further disorder, exposing how fragile order really is. By the play’s end the houses of York and Lancaster have taken up arms, and the Wars of the Roses begin in earnest. Shakespeare turns political intrigue into gripping theater. Read the whole play free in this PDF and EPUB edition.