Henry VIII
(William Shakespeare)
King Henry VIII
- King of England
- Married to Katharine in the beginning, then to Anne Bullen
Though King Henry’s name is the title of the play, King Henry is coincidentally not a main character throughout the play. He is a main character in the sense that all of the actions took place because of Henry’s existence, but he did not actually play a major role in the character or scene development throughout the play. We learn at the beginning of the play that the king is easily persuaded. We see this when Wolsey effortlessly turns him against the Duke of Buckingham.
We then see Wolsey convince the king that his marriage to Katharine is not legal. It isn’t until the king accidentally receives the letter Wolsey wrote (which was meant to be sent to the Pope) that he realizes Wolsey’s impure intentions. Henry’s presence in the play becomes more prominent when rumors start spreading about Cranmer, causing him to have to go to trial. Henry gives Cranmer his ring with the intention to save him and listens to the trial from behind a curtain. The play ends with Henry becoming a new father to a baby girl, Elizabeth (who will later become Queen Elizabeth).
Duke of Buckingham
- Enemy of Wolsey
- Accused of treason against the King and is executed
Annoyed by Wolsey’s influence over the king, he quickly harbors resentment toward him. Wolsey has him arrested for treason. He is accused to have been plotting to gain the throne and is therefore executed.
Queen Katharine
- Elegant, distinguished, and honest woman
- Wife of Henry VIII (married to his brother first)
- Divorced from Henry VIII
Queen Katharine accuses Wolsey of plotting for her failure as he convinces the king to divorce her. Because of this, she would not accept the divorce. Shocked by the accusations made against her, she goes into detail of her 20-year marriage to the king and her loyalty during those 20 years. She is then punished for not providing the king with a male heir. She eventually forgives Wolsey and envisions her own death.
Cardinal Wolsey
- Maneuvers his way to becoming the King’s most trusted adviser
- Expelled from Court and eventually loses King’s trust
- Dies before going to trial
Maneuvering his way to becoming the King Henry’s most trusted adviser and having quite a powerful influence over him, Cardinal Wolsey convinces Henry that his marriage to Katharine is illegal. Henry and Katharine end up splitting because of this. Wolsey’s intention is to have the Henry marry the daughter of the King of France because of a truce he entered into with France. But that plan did not go the way he wanted it to. Wolsey introduced Henry to Anne Bullen, and Henry becomes interested in her and ends up wanting to marry her.
Wolsey writes a letter that was supposed to be sent to the pope, requesting he delay the marriage. However, Henry got a hold of this letter and, appalled by Wolsey’s disloyal actions, fires him and forces him to leave. Wolsey eventually realizes his wrongdoings and dies before he is even able to attend trial.
Anne Bullen
- Introduced to King Henry by Wolsey
- Henry falls in love with her and marries her
- She gives birth to Elizabeth (future Queen Elizabeth)
Anne and Henry are introduced by Wolsey at a dinner party, and Henry becomes interested in her. Henry and Anne eventually marry, and she gives birth to Elizabeth.
Cromwell
- Wolsey’s friend/servant
Cromwell is fiercely loyal to Wolsey and is totally devastated to learn of his death. Despite the terms that Wolsey and the King ended on, Wolsey tells Cromwell to go and serve the King. Wolsey also tells him to live in a humble nature and not repeat the mistakes that he made. Cromwell listens. Cromwell ends up defending Cranmer when he is being attacked by Gardiner.
Gardiner
- Bishop of Winchester
- Attempts to ruin Cranmer
Gardiner starts out as Wolsey’s secretary, until Wolsey assigns him to Henry. Gardiner eventually becomes a member of the council. He has a strong hatred for Cranmer and plots to bring him down. After attacking Cranmer, the King forces Gardiner to accept Cranmer as a friend and he complies.
Cranmer
- Archbishop of Canterbury
- Becomes Henry’s closest adviser
Cranmer spends the beginning of the play traveling to various colleges inquiring about the legality of the King’s divorce. During his travels is when Gardiner spreads the rumors about him and planned on bringing him down. Upon learning about this, Henry gives Cranmer his ring to use for protection during trial. It is to be presented in the even that his prosecutors to not accept his position in the argument. Cranmer is an upright, honest character and has done no wrong, and he ends up forgiving Gardiner. At the end, Cranmer baptizes Elizabeth.
Buckingham’s Surveyor
Buckingham’s surveyor holds a grudge against Buckingham because he fired him (he managed Buckingham’s lands). Wolsey brings in the surveyor to the trial to speak against Buckingham.
Earl of Surrey
- Son-in-law to Duke of Buckingham
- Sent to Ireland before the Duke is executed
- Returns to witness Wolsey’s downfall
Norfolk
- Lord of the court
- Plots against Wolsey
- Get promoted after Wolsey’s fall
At first, Norfolk did not take Buckingham’s aversion to Wolsey seriously. In fact, he told Buckingham to keep his mouth shut about it. However, Norfolk ended up plotting against Wolsey. After Wolsey’s fall, Norfolk gets a promotion. He also is part of Cranmer’s trial and intends to take him down, as well.
Cardinal Campeius
Cardinal Campeius is the one who had to analyze Henry’s divorce to Katharine and determine whether or not it is legal. He actually came from Rome with the divorce papers, because he knew that Henry was planning on doing it. He, along with Wolsey, try to convince Katharine to go ahead with the divorce. They try to convince her that Henry still loves her and has every intention of watching after her. She, of course, does not buy it. It is not quite clear whether or not Carinal Campeius agrees or disagrees with the divorce.
Suffolk, Lord Chamberlain, Lovell, & Lord Chancellor
- Members of the Council that tries Cranmer
- Active in many of the court scenes