Previous
Act 5, Scene 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Henry VI Part 1, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Individualism vs. Nationalism
Gender and Politics
Courage vs. Cowardice
Religion, Power, and Manipulation
Impulse and History
Summary
Analysis
Having wasted no time in telling Henry of Margaret’s beauty, Suffolk now convinces the king that he should take Margaret (and not the Earl of Armagnac’s daughter) as his bride. Gloucester, in his role as Lord Protector, is initially hesitant to approve of this match. But Suffolk continues to push, emphasizing that Henry should not be trapped into a loveless marriage—and that Margaret’s beauty will ensure his endless devotion. Eager to meet this famous Margaret, Henry orders her to be brought to him immediately, then exits.
Despite the fact that the play bears his name, Henry VI has spent most of the show in the background, only emerging to plead with his courtiers to stop their feuding. It is therefore telling that Henry takes his most decisive action once sexual desire is involved, rushing to marry Margaret with a force he has never shown in his government work. This immaturity and impulsiveness will then become some of the king’s key character traits in the subsequent Henry VI plays.
Themes
After Henry leaves, Gloucester predicts that Henry VI will eventually come to regret his decision. Then Gloucester departs, leaving Suffolk alone onstage. Suffolk is proud that he has arranged for Margaret to be queen; with her beauty, he thinks that Margaret will “rule the king.” But more than that, Suffolk feels that Margaret will give him immense political control—now, Suffolk rejoices, “I will rule both her, the King, and the realm.”
First, Suffolk’s aside here gesture to how much fleeting moments—Suffolk’s chance meeting with Margaret, or Henry’s desire for a beautiful bride—can leave lasting historical legacies. But more than that, Suffolk’s final aside points to the fact that this is merely the first play in a sequence of four plays (Henry VI Part 2; Henry VI, Part 3; and Richard III). In other words, even as this play is a rich story in and of itself, it is also a prologue of sorts, ending on a cliffhanger to entice its audience with the things to come.
Themes
