Listen. I went into King Henry VI, Part 2 expecting another round of Shakespearean “court intrigue” (read: men yelling in rhyming couplets about honor while forgetting to communicate like adults). But what I got instead was… high-quality man drama. And honestly? It was delightful.
If you like your history plays served with a healthy dose of petty squabbles, insecure nobles, and scheming so obvious you can see it from the cheap seats, boy do I have a play for you.
Plot? Sure. But Mostly Vibes.
Technically, yes, there is a plot. There’s the weak, soft-boiled king, Henry VI, whose main political strategy is to stand there looking like a Tumblr sad boy while his nobles tear the realm to shreds. There’s Queen Margaret, who is basically “girlbossing too close to the sun.” There’s the factional chaos of York vs. Somerset vs. Gloucester vs. Anyone Who Was Within a Ten-Foot Radius.
But really? The joy of this play is the pure, unfiltered male emotional dysfunction.
It’s like watching a group project combust in real time because all the dudes assumed someone else was handling the Google Doc. Except in this case the Google Doc is the English monarchy.
The Man Drama™ Hits Hard
What I didn’t expect was how much better the play is when you realize it’s basically Real Housewives: Plantagenet Edition.
- York plotting a rebellion but doing it with the subtlety of a toddler hiding behind a curtain with their feet sticking out.
- Suffolk being horny and terrible at politics, a combination that Shakespeare loved a little too much.
- Henry wringing his hands in the corner like, “guys can we just have PEACE??” while literally no one else in the show is capable of that emotion.
And of course:
Gloucester, the one competent man in England, being treated like the designated driver dragged along for the chaos.
Sneaky… But Like, Terrible At It
The scheming is supposed to be Machiavellian. It is not. It is the political equivalent of whispering in a library but at full volume.
Everyone is sneaking around with so little finesse that even the audience in Shakespeare’s day was probably like, “ah yes, the nobles are plotting again, bless their hearts.”
It’s fun. It’s messy. It’s very men will literally start a war instead of going to therapy.
Shoutout to Queen Margaret
We must pause to appreciate Margaret, who is carrying this play like Atlas carries the sky. Everyone else is playing slap-fight politics and she is out here auditioning for Macbeth Season 2.
Her scenes with Suffolk have the full chaotic energy of “I know he’s bad for me, but have you SEEN him??” which, unfortunately, is timeless.
Final Verdict
King Henry VI, Part 2 is wildly underrated. It shouldn’t slap, but it kind of does. The combination of chaotic nobles, poorly executed political “intrigue,” and nonstop man drama creates a level of entertainment I was not prepared for.
If you’ve ever wanted to watch grown men implode from ego, insecurity, and a complete inability to keep a secret, this is your play.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆
Four stars for the drama, minus one because Henry VI really needs to get it together.
