Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part Two--Summary and Discussion

[@3rdman99]

I must say it's confusing every time he says Henry the Fourth, while it's obviously the Sixth. Otherwise a great summary with just the right amount of details, which makes it a bit baffling that he keeps making that mistake. He should've just put a prompt saying that it was a mistake.

[@aaronjones6503]

Back again, and I was not ready for you to break out into four Celine Dion lol. I absolutely love your channel.😂😂 you legit had me in stitches

[@Nancenotes]

Thank you!

[@Laughwithmecrywithme]

So great! Thank you! I love the “personality” you give all the events and people as you talk! Much grace for the Henry IV slip. It was good for me to test my basic knowledge of the kings. I have an idea…You could just say it’s a “teaching trick”. Actually you are a great teacher. Thanks again for the free content. Much appreciated. ❤

[@robertgainer1395]

Having just consulted the Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation, I can confirm that the 16th Century pronunciation of Warwick (where I work by the way) and Suffolk are Wo-rek and Suff-ek respectively. Today, we pronounce them as Warrick and Suffuk, but in both cases with a silent second W in Warwick and without the L in Suffolk. Thank you for this excellent synopsis. I’m off to see Henry VI Part 3 tonight with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, so wanted to remind myself of the first two plays in the trilogy and this was really useful.

[@Nancenotes]

You’re kind in your gentle correction of my miserable pronunciation. I’ve been working to correct it since and regret not spending more time learning it before these videos. Enjoy the show this evening!

[@olavohmps]

I am Reading Shakespeare in writing order and I am SO thankful for that decision because if it weren’t for that, maybe I wouldn’t have read this very cool play! I think this is the best out of the 3 parts of Henry VI. Also, I loved this content! Please keep up the good work! Greetings from Brazil! 🙃

[@Nancenotes]

Thank you! It's always fun to find a wonderful piece that you'd normally overlook. Enjoy your read-through!

[@albertonpinkerton3087]

Who among us hasn't, more than once, mixed up Henry VI with Henry IV?

[@Nancenotes]

Thanks for being gracious with my Freudian slips!

[@albertonpinkerton3087]

I once said the Easter Uprising in Dublin took place in 1616. Three times I said it.@@Nancenotes

[@LynnFavin]

THANK YOU SO MUCH - you seriously helped me perform Margaret without falling on my face

[@jamescalverley8694]

H Tim, thanks a helpful and funny summary. For a 70th b'day treat for my mum The family is going to see this play at the RSC in Stratford-upon-avon this afternoon. We've all watched this (some, multiple times), to make sure the play makes sense. It's been a lifesaver. Keep it up.

[@Nancenotes]

Happy birthday to your Mum and many happy returns! Sounds like a blast!

[@Gaz12360]

Very helpful. Cheers.

[@tomservo75]

I think there is one other lord who has England's best in mind (at least at first), and that is Salisbury. A minor character but in that first scene he seems genuinely suspicious of the motives of people like Somerset and Winchester and vows to support Humphrey (at least at first). In the BBC 1983 production of this play, there's that later scene where York "reveals himself" to Warwick and Salisbury, lays out his claim, etc. And Salisbury, rather reluctantly, agrees. There's a great moment at the end of that scene where the look on Salisbury's face is like, "OMG what did I just agree to?" He's completely torn. He wants the country to be run well, realizes Henry's not doing that and York has the stronger claim. On the other hand, he likes Gloucester and realizes that he has just agreed to treason. Ultimately he fights for York but a good, conflicted character.

[@hjjkkkghjk9348]

thank you, your work is sooo greattttttt

[@apromarcus]

I guess you were right about the confusing cast of characters. I had never realized that Bolingbroke was in this one!

[@LizzBald]

It’s actually not the same Bolingbroke! We can assume that it’s simply someone with the same last name

[@jaskirangoraya3282]

Please come up with more! ❤️❤️

[@Nancenotes]

Thanks! I hope to! Things got a little hard last year, but I hope to pick back up soon.

[@noori9575]

Really a great story teller

[@zani57]

Yes. Not sure he didn’t re-do this so he could say the title character’s name instead of Henry IV. When he reads passages from the text his diction is not clear either. He’s probably better in a classroom setting than on video.

[@thothharris]

I’m curious - why are there so few dramatizations available on film of this drama? There are a few more of Henry IV, plenty from the other Henry plays, and the only ones that seem available of Henry VI are...ugh, adaptations. Which would be fine if they were Orson Welles’ creations.

[@Nancenotes]

I don’t know. That was a disappointment to me as well. I guess the other Henry cycle gets so much traction that there’s less time for this one. I mean, I love Falstaff, but Margaret is really fun, too.

[@margaretgaskin4928]

@@Nancenotes This was a very good cycle of all the plays about 30 years ago. Well worth dipping into. kzbin.info/aero/PL1ajIEjsTGMnRkRGufSdEaqmOTC0im590 Loving your synopsis though!

[@Nancenotes]

Thank you!

[@ShakespearewithSarah]

Bahaha this was hilarious. Pirates! Tête à tête! Maaaaarrrrrrgggreeeeet!

[@Nancenotes]

Thanks! Tête-à-tête was my favorite joke! I wish the video had fewer mistakes-I accidentally said Henry IV a couple of times, sigh. I do love this play.

[@zachhiggins1668]

The Cade Rebellion scene was such a revelation for me. I try to think how Shakespeare must have been writing for general audiences, all classes. So like a major filmmaker today, say Spielberg, he would have had to know how to portray political elements with tact. Pander a little to populists, keep a moral compass for liberals, don't push too hard against status quo for, well, the ability to keep playwrighting/filmmaking... (and, as usual, too bad for everyone further left and further down!) So in that framework it's fascinating to sense Shakespeare lightly parodying the apparent naivete, hypocrisy, and ignorance of lower class/workers rights of his day. I wonder how Marx would have reacted to that portion of the play.

[@mrbannon0]

You keep on mentioning Henry the Fourth, not Henry the Sixth. Did I miss something?

[@Nancenotes]

Either I am misspeaking (Freudian slip!) or I’m talking about HVI’s grandfather. I’ll have to rewatch & check.

[@mrbannon0]

@@Nancenotes I think it was a slip. Don't think you were referring to the grandfather. It happens three times, I believe. I'm not trying to nit-pick, but there are so many characters in this work; if I missed a reference to Henry IV, I wouldn't be surprised.

[@Nancenotes]

I just looked. It’s just misspeaking. Sorry about that.

[@mrbannon0]

@@Nancenotes No worries. Good to know I'm not insane :).

[@Nancenotes]

Thanks for your patience! I was in too much of a hurry recording this one, but I’ll try to up my carefulness in the future.

[@nicoleroth3127]

There will never be a time, where I won't start laughing at the scene where Richard kills Somerset. Why? Because I happen to know how old Richard was, when Somerset was killed. - He was two and a half years old! And now combine fact with fiction and picture a wee toddler killing a seasoned knight. I mean, okay, toddlers can be a right handful, but they are usually pretty harmless critters unless they find out that crayons also work on walls. But even then, just pick them up and put them in their playpen. So yeah, someone really needs to keep an eye on little Richard, since he obviously now discovered, that daggers also work on English noblemen... 😂

[@bikecontroller3268]

I see my point has been made before. Nonetheless ( I ALWAYS wanted to use that word ) it's a great little summary saved me hours trying to read this Mish mash of history. The only bit I really wanted was " FIRST let's kill all the lawyers "!

[@Nancenotes]

Thanks for watching and for your patience with my Freudian slips!

[@bikecontroller3268]

Hey TIM why do you keep saying HENRY IV ? This is all about HENRY VI ! Guess you just got too excited by the war stories?

[@Nancenotes]

Yes, it’s embarrassing! But I don’t have time to do it over. Argh!

[@thothharris]

Tim, near the start, you make the mistake of calling King Henry VI King Henry IV. I had to rewind and check to see if I missed something or not. The part is where you mention how Henry VI is a good and religious person, but not as just as one would wish.

[@Nancenotes]

Tragically yes, and more than once, I think. Don’t have time to redo it though. :/ (Curse you, Freudian slips!)

[@donnarichardson7214]

24:40 Out-and-out the worst moment of caterwauling on KZbin.

[@Nancenotes]

Just call me Celine.

[@avantgardenovelist]

this play is too episodic and full of trivialities, while 3 and 1 are such an improvement I don't believe S wrote 2.

[@owlofminerva2564]

Anyone who wears a bow tie should not be taken seriously, because they are taking themselves too seriously. There really is no need.

[@Nancenotes]

What a strange insult. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone who wears bow ties for anything other than fun. Maybe you’re surrounded by stiffly egocentric bow tie wearers, and if so, that’s a bummer. Anyway, have a nice day!

[@deanobucket123]

This is how us Englanders pronounce Suffolk: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5bOqKdmf6yskNUsi=PANoMZDyvGAnyfIS Having just read the play for the first time, found this a really good summary as a recap. Thanks.

[@irishmuso7129]

War-wick? It's pronounced Wor-rick:)

[@vampricarab]

too much singing! but thank you for a really good video aside from that.

[@katiekonbear]

You keep saying "Henry IV" when you must mean "Henry VI". Confusing.

[@Nancenotes]

Freudian slips. I’m very sorry.