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Beheadings
Henry VI, Part 2 is a play that features many instances of capital punishment. Reflecting the rank-conscious procedures of its time, different modes of execution are tied to different social classes. Whereas commoners are executed by hanging and occultists are consigned to flames, members of the nobility conventionally die by having their heads severed from their bodies. Such is the literal definition of “capital punishment,” capital being derived from the Latin word for “head.” There are numerous beheadings in the play. Suffolk is beheaded by pirates, who make punning jokes on his surname, Pole, suggesting the pikes often used to display the heads of defeated enemies. His head is later delivered to Margaret, who carries it around court. In act 4, both Lord Saye and his son-in-law are beheaded by Jack Cade’s army. In a grotesque scene that makes real the earlier pun about Suffolk’s head on a pole, the men’s heads are brought out on pikes and, like puppets, made to “kiss.” Finally, Jack Cade is beheaded by Alexander Iden, who then delivers the traitor’s head to the king. All these beheadings suggest the increasing ignobility of the ruling class. They also ominously reflect Henry’s weakness, which effectively makes England into a headless state.
Animal Similes and Metaphors
Animal similes and metaphors are ubiquitous throughout Henry VI, Part 2. In large part, characters use them proverbially, to describe the behavior of others. The sheer number of examples is too great to account for in a small space, but in general there are three types of animal references. The first type is used to describe the dangerous figures who engage in covert schemes to gain power. These treacherous figures are often likened to snakes, worms, and basilisks. The second type of animal reference in the play points to another form of danger—that is, the danger of people who plot directly against their enemies. These figures are often associated with wolves and other predators. The third major type of animal reference in the play concerns those, like Gloucester, who are victims of others’ cruelty. These unfortunate figures are likened to oxen, calves, lambs, sheep, and other innocent creatures that are proverbially led to slaughter. In addition to these general types, it’s also notable that Neville family crest, worn by both Salisbury and Warwick, is that of a bear. In act 5, scene 1, this image encourages York to portray himself symbolically as a bear who will defend his territory.
Prophecies and Omens
Prophecies and omens play an important role in the action of Henry VI, Part 2. The first instance of such foreshadowing comes when Gloucester describes a dream in which his staff of power is broken in two, and the heads of Suffolk and Somerset are mounted on each half. Gloucester will indeed lose his staff, and his subsequent murder leads ineluctably to the deaths of both Suffolk and Somerset. For her part, the Duchess’s dreams reflect her ambition for power, which she pursues by hiring occultists to raise a spirit to prophesy the future. This spirit gives three pronouncements. Two of these are fulfilled in this play. Suffolk, who is predicted to die “by water” (1.4.33), dies at sea by the hand of a man named Walter (sounds like water). Somerset, meanwhile, is told to “shun castles” (1.4.35), and he is later killed by an alehouse whose sign has a castle on it. The third prophecy concerns the duke of York and the king: “The duke yet lives that Henry shall depose, / But him outline, and die a violent death” (1.4.30–31). The language here is ambiguous, making it unclear which man will survive the other. The resolution of this prophecy must wait for Henry VI, Part 3.
