Henry VI, Part II · Chapter
Scene II explained
Jack Cade's rebellion gains momentum as he rallies the commons with promises of reform, claims noble lineage, and clashes with Sir Humphrey Stafford.
What happens
Jack Cade's rebellion gains momentum as he rallies the commons with promises of reform, claims noble lineage, and clashes with Sir Humphrey Stafford. The rebels capture a literate clerk and prepare for battle, advocating for the execution of Lord Say and the abolition of lawyers.
Themes in this chapter
Class Conflict and Rebellion
Cade's rebellion explicitly targets nobles, lawyers, and literate officials, advocating for a commonwealth where laborers hold power and gentlemen are eliminated.
Kingship and Leadership
Cade claims rightful heirship to the crown through Mortimer and Plantagenet, and promises to be a protector over King Henry VI, challenging legitimate authority.
Justice and Injustice
The rebels perceive the legal system as corrupt, with Cade condemning parchment and lawyers as tools of oppression, while promising a reformation that abolishes such injustices.
Characters to notice
- Jack Cade
Leads the rebellion, claiming descent from Mortimer and Plantagenet, and vows to reform England by killing lawyers and abolishing literacy.
- Dick the Butcher
A rebel follower who mocks Cade's claims and proposes killing all lawyers as the first act of rebellion.
- Smith the Weaver
A rebel who brings the Clerk of Chatham to Cade, highlighting the clerk's literacy as a crime.
- Sir Humphrey Stafford
Leads the king's forces against Cade, denouncing the rebels as 'filth and scum of Kent' and demanding their surrender.
- George Bevis
A rebel supporter who discusses the need for swords and the decline of England under gentlemen.
- John Holland
A rebel supporter who laments that 'it was never merry world in England since gentlemen came up.'
- Michael
A rebel who warns Cade of the approaching king's forces led by Sir Humphrey Stafford.
Key passages
“The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.”
The initial action we should take is to eliminate every lawyer.
Dick the Butcher's iconic line encapsulates the rebels' anti-intellectual and anti-legal sentiment.
“There shall be in England seven halfpenny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hooped pot shall have ten hoops; and I will make it felony to drink small beer.”
In England, bread will become extremely cheap, beer pots will hold more, and drinking weak beer will be a crime.
Cade's absurd promises reflect the rebels' desire for economic reform and abundance.
“Is not this a lamentable thing, that of the skin of an innocent lamb should be made parchment? that parchment, being scribbled o'er, should undo a man?”
Isn't it tragic that sheepskin becomes parchment, and writing on it can ruin a person's life?
Cade criticizes the legal system's power to bind individuals through written documents.