The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1]
Interestingly, Henry VI, Part 2 has the largest cast of all Shakespeare's plays, and is seen by many critics as the best of the Henry VI trilogy, though sadly the play receives little attention elsewhere.
Shakespeare's main source text for this play is available via this link.
John Shakespeare – the writer’s father, a glove maker, who later became Mayor of Stratford
CONTENTS
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
ACT I
SCENE I. London. The palace
SCENE II. The Duke of Gloucester's House.
SCENE III. London. The palace.
SCENE IV. Gloucester's Garden
ACT II
SCENE I. Saint Alban's.
SCENE II. London. The Duke of York's Garden.
SCENE III. A Hall of Justice.
SCENE IV. A Street.
ACT III.
SCENE I. The Abbey at Bury St. Edmund's.
SCENE II. Bury St. Edmund's. A Room of State.
SCENE III. A Bedchamber.
ACT IV.
SCENE I. The Coast of Kent.
SCENE II. Blackheath.
SCENE III. Another part of Blackheath.
SCENE IV. London. The Palace.
SCENE V. London. The Tower.
SCENE VI. London. Cannon Street.
SCENE VII. London. Smithfield.
SCENE VIII. Southwark.
SCENE IX. Kenilworth Castle.
SCENE X. Kent. Iden's Garden.
ACT V.
SCENE I. Fields between Dartford and Blackheath.
SCENE II. Saint Alban's.
SCENE III. Fields near Saint Alban's.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
KING HENRY THE SIXTH.
HUMPHREY, Duke of Gloucester, his uncle.
CARDINAL BEAUFORT, Bishop of Winchester,
great-uncle to the King.
RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of York.
EDWARD and RICHARD, his sons.
DUKE OF SOMERSET.
DUKE OF SUFFOLK.
DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM.
LORD CLIFFORD.
YOUNG CLIFFORD, his son.
EARL OF SALISBURY.
EARL OF WARWICK.
LORD SCALES.
LORD SAY.
SIR HUMPHREY STAFFORD, and WILLIAM
STAFFORD, his brother.
SIR JOHN STANLEY.
VAUX.
MATTHEW GOFFE.
A Sea-Captain, Master, and Master's-Mate, and WALTER
WHITMORE.
Two Gentlemen, prisoners with Suffolk.
JOHN HUME and JOHN SOUTHWELL, priests.
ROGER BOLINGBROKE, a conjurer.
THOMAS HORNER, an armourer. PETER, his man.
Clerk of Chatham. Mayor of Saint Albans.
SIMPCOX, an impostor.
ALEXANDER IDEN, a Kentish gentleman.
JACK CADE, a rebel.
GEORGE BEVIS, JOHN HOLLAND, DICK the butcher,
SMITH the weaver, MICHAEL, etc., followers of Cade.
Two Murderers.
MARGARET, Queen to King Henry.
ELEANOR, Duchess of Gloucester.
MARGARET JOURDAIN, a witch.
Wife to Simpcox.
Lords, Ladies, and Attendants, Petitioners, Aldermen, a Herald, a Beadle, Sheriff, and Officers, Citizens, Prentices, Falconers, Guards, Soldiers, Messengers, &c.
A Spirit.
SCENE: England.
ACT I
SCENE I. London. The palace
[Flourish of trumpets: then hautboys. Enter the KING, GLOUCESTER, SALISBURY, WARWICK, and CARDINAL BEAUFORT, on the one side; the QUEEN, SUFFOLK, YORK, SOMERSET, and BUCKINGHAM, on the other.]
SUFFOLK.
As by your high imperial Majesty
I had in charge at my depart for France,
As procurator to your excellence,
To marry Princess Margaret for your grace,
So, in the famous ancient city Tours,
In presence of the Kings of France and Sicil,
The Dukes of Orleans, Calaber, Bretagne, and Alencon,
Seven earls, twelve barons, and twenty reverend bishops,
I have perform'd my task and was espous'd,
And humbly now upon my bended knee,
In sight of England and her lordly peers,
Deliver up my title in the queen
To your most gracious hands, that are the substance
Of that great shadow I did represent:
The happiest gift that ever marquess gave,
The fairest queen that ever king receiv'd.
KING.
Suffolk, arise.—Welcome, Queen Margaret.
I can express no kinder sign of love
Than this kind kiss.—O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!
For thou hast given me in this beauteous face
A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
If sympathy of love unite our thoughts.
QUEEN.
Great King of England and my gracious lord,
The mutual conference that my mind hath had,
By day, by night, waking and in my dreams,
In courtly company or at my beads,
With you, mine alder-liefest sovereign,
Makes me the bolder to salute my king
With ruder terms, such as my wit affords
And over-joy of heart doth minister.