Previous
Act 4, Scene 8
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Henry VI Part 2, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Ambition
Nobles vs. Commoners
Religion and Politics
Patriotism
Magic
Summary
Analysis
As trumpets play, King Henry, Queen Margaret, and Somerset walk onto a terrace. Henry laments how little he enjoys being king. Having been crowned as a baby, he wants to be a subject even more than his subjects want to be king. Then Buckingham and Old Clifford enter. Old Clifford tells Henry that Cade has run away and his rebels have surrendered to the king’s judgment. Henry thanks God and pardons the rebels, promising always to be generous, and the rebels yell “God save the king!” and disperse.
Henry’s lament reveals that even the apparently most powerful and privileged characters in the play are unhappy because they want things they don’t have. In Henry’s case, his secret ambition is to not be king, an ambition he can’t satisfy due to his birth and the dangers inherent in a king abdicating the throne. Meanwhile, his gratitude to God and mercy toward the rebels emphasize that his religiosity sometimes contributes to his being a good king, even if not a good politician.
Active
Themes
A messenger enters and announces that York has returned from Ireland with many Irish soldiers, declaring his intention to save King Henry from the “traitor” Somerset. Henry bemoans that York has started to threaten his government as soon as Cade’s threat is gone. He orders Buckingham to go question York and tells Somerset to stay in place until York dismisses the soldiers. Before Buckingham leaves, Henry reminds him to be polite—York reacts badly to brusqueness.
Active
Themes
