Sovereignty and Commonwealth in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2

Henry VI, Part 2, portrays the descent of England into civil war. Many factors contribute to this but the main narrative falls into two parts. The first depicts the downfall of the Duke of Gloucester, the Protector of the realm, and a principled guardian of the ‘commonwealth’. The second part of the play is concerned largely with revolt. This article focuses on play's political concerns. Henry VI, Part 2 presents not simply a raw struggle for power between competing forces but an equally compelling dispute over the meaning of sovereignty, that is, between different ways of conceptualizing its powers. In this respect, it serves as an excellent introduction to the ‘history play’ as a genre.