Henry VI Part 2 Act 2 - "How irksome is this music to my heart!"

Henry VI Part 2 Act 2 - "How irksome is this music to my heart!"

If, as some suggest, this play is the first to be based on contemporary English history (of Shakespeare’s time), then it is even more bold how it shows the political intrigue and subtle swings of power. I doubt that we would be so brave as to show the ins and outs of Australian politics or Obama’s office in the U.S. and certainly the present day Russian and British cabinets have not been dramatized with such a subtle political palette. Gloucester in this act may be a popular among the people but he still calls a spade a spade and a charlatan a charlatan as he he sees through a commoner’s, Simpcox's, scheme. Meanwhile, moving at the pace of ‘Homeland’, York's explains  his claims to the throne based on Richard II being dispossessed. In Shakespeare's time, there was a belief that the ongoing French wars and the English civil wars all stemmed from the murder of the rightful king, Richard II. Perhaps Act 2 of this play is almost challenging Elizabeth I’s right to the thrown or critically showing what happens when you let the wolves feast uncontrolled. Certainly, at this point, an audience wants Henry VI to take some control and show some leadership. He also seems to discard the very people who could protect him. I can think of a long list of politicians who have followed this path. Shakespeare certainly knows how to capture the pace and characters of a political drama.