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The play opens with Margaret’s arrival from France, which she has left in order to marry Henry and become queen of England. The marriage arrangement between Henry and Margaret was brokered by the duke of Suffolk at the end of Henry VI, Part 1, and the terms were quite unfavorable. Not only did the king not receive a dowry, but he was also obliged to relinquish control of a large section of Normandy. The loss of land in France has frustrated many at court, and especially York, who views the English territory in France as rightfully belonging to him. Yet Margaret also poses greater danger in and of herself. Irritated by the king’s religiosity, which she views as the source of his weakness, she asserts herself openly at court. Not unlike the masculine Joan la Pucelle in Part 1, Margaret doesn’t hesitate to engage in affairs traditionally associated with men. For instance, she takes the lead in persecuting Gloucester, repeatedly questioning his role at court and eventually accusing him with treacherous ambition. She also betrays the king by having an affair with Suffolk. Though his banishment and death briefly slow her down, by the play’s end she is back to asserting command over her husband.
