Henry VI, Part 2

The king is weak. The queen is ruthless. The nobles are starving the people. And a rebel named Jack Cade is marching on London.

Shakespeare's second history play is a terrifying portrait of a kingdom collapsing, a story of ambition, betrayal, and the moment the common people finally say "enough."

Henry VI, now a young man, is married to the brilliant and brutal Margaret of Anjou. She rules while he prays. The Duke of Gloucester, the king's protector, tries to hold the kingdom together—but his enemies conspire to destroy him. The Duke of Suffolk, the queen's lover, sells out English interests in France. The Duke of York watches from Ireland, waiting for his moment. And in Kent, a commoner named Jack Cade leads a rebellion of the poor, burning London and beheading anyone who can read. The play ends with York raising an army and marching on the king. Civil war is inevitable.

This is Shakespeare at his most angry and democratic: a play about the corruption of the powerful, the suffering of the poor, and the terrifying chaos that follows when the rule of law breaks down. Henry VI, Part 2 contains the famous scene in which the rebel Jack Cade orders a clerk to be hanged because he can read.

• Written around 1590–1591, the second play in Shakespeare's first tetralogy

• The earliest Shakespeare play to contain a scene of popular rebellion (Cade's uprising), based on the Peasants' Revolt of 1381

• Features the first appearance of Richard of Gloucester (the future Richard III), who will become the star of the tetralogy

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

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• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears—or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that when the people starve, the throne will not protect you.

About the Author

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he moved to London and became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men). Henry VI, Part 2 was written around 1590–1591, early in Shakespeare's career. The play was first published in 1594 as The First Part of the Contention betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster (an alternate title). The version in the First Folio (1623) is significantly longer and includes scenes not found in the quarto. The play's portrayal of Jack Cade's rebellion is based on the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, but Shakespeare also drew on accounts of contemporary unrest in the 1590s. The scene in which Cade orders the hanging of a clerk for being able to read has chilling echoes of later anti-intellectual movements. Shakespeare's other major works include Richard III, Henry V, Hamlet, and The Tempest. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 and is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.