n’s Reviews > Henry VI, Part 2 > Status Update

would a 2.5 year old richard be able to slay on the battlefield a 50 year old duke of somerset… it is for you to decide

three lines of being gay real quick before the one forty year old slays the other… this is how you know it’s shakespeare

“if not in heaven, you’ll surely sup in hell.”

2.5 year old richard dropping the BARS, man…

and the insanest part of all is seeing an either yet unborn or potentially three year old baby richard be aged up to an adult and also already called “misshapen”… laying it on thick, i fearrrrrrr

i CANNOT believe that william spent so much time on subplot after subplot and then put the turbulence of FIVE years, parliament decisions, york’s strife with somerset, the naming of york as protector of the real, his naming as heir apparent, ALL of that… into ONE scene before we do st albans 1455. this is INSANE.

again, in reality, the cade rebellion arose out of years of corruption, abuse of power and maladministration through the crown and the kings advisors with the explicit intention of forcing a reform of administration, not making cade king. the involvement of york in the subplot makes it seem like the rebellions cause was unjust or based on deceit, it is strangely anti-populace

it’s interesting bc it shows that this is indeed very early work for shakespeare and he is not yet able (as he will be later) to do masterfully weave the personal and the political. the same can be said of

2) the cade subplot; in the work cade is portrayed to be selfish, though throughout “for the people” still with the air of a soon-be king

two things

1) find the choice to make henry vi be the one sending suffolk into exile interesting bc it is positioning henry as a grief-stricken nephew and the entire plot very personal while in reality it was parliament who imprisoned suffolk for maladministration and the king was the one who spoke in favour of him and asked for exile over death to be his punishment

1450 sure was a crazy year

III.2 is MESMERISING…