About the Play:

This second part of the history of Henry VI begins where Henry VI Part One ends. The Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster are in full swing, whilst intrigue at court becomes even more intense. Henry's wife, Margaret of Anjou takes centre stage with her lover Suffolk, conspiring against Henry's uncle, Gloucester, claiming that his wife is in league with a coven of witches. The Duke of York also plots against the ineffectual Henry, encouraging a people's revolt led by the memorable figure of Jack Cade, and then taking to the field himself. At the Battle of St. Albans, York's son Richard, the future King Richard III, kills Gloucester, leaving the Yorkist faction in the ascendancy.

Editor Ronald Knowles celebrates King Henry VI Part 2 as one of the most exciting and dynamic plays of the English renaissance theater, with its exploration of power politics and social revolution and its focus on the relationship between divine justice and sin. An extensive discussion of performance history traces the play's progress on stage from abridgement and adaptation to full historical epic. A survey of criticism discusses the wide range of responses provoked by the play's handling of its historical theme, and concludes by focusing on the element of burlesque in the attempted social revolution portrayed. A facsimile of the First Quarto printed by Thomas Creed in 1594 appears as an appendix. Also included are notes about textual variants in the early quartos, a selection of lines that are thought to refer to other plays, a doubling chart, a list of the play's sources, and a genealogy chart.

Offering a wealth of helpful and incisive commentary, The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the premier scholarly edition to which academics, students and actors most frequently refer.

About the Editor:

Ronald Knowles is a Senior Lecturer in English literature at the University of Reading, UK. He is author and editor of books on Shakespeare, including King Henry VI Part II, The Arden Shakespeare.