Scene II explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Power and Ambition

  Wolsey's ambition is central to the chapter, as he schemes against Anne Bullen and Cranmer, and his downfall is triggered by his accumulation of wealth and power.

• Fall of the Mighty

  Wolsey's dramatic fall from grace is depicted through accusations of treason and his final advice to Cromwell, highlighting the transient nature of power.

• Loyalty and Betrayal

  Wolsey's loyalty to the king is questioned, and he feels betrayed by his own ambition; his advice to Cromwell emphasizes loyalty to God and country.

Characters to notice

• Cardinal Wolsey

  Schemes against Anne Bullen and Cranmer; confronted by the King about his wealth; accused of treason by Surrey; falls from power and advises Cromwell.

• King Henry VIII

  Confronts Wolsey about his accumulated wealth and inventory; reads a schedule revealing Wolsey's possessions.

• Cromwell

  Wolsey's servant; receives final advice from Wolsey to forsake ambition and serve the king and God.

• Duke of Norfolk

  Observes Wolsey's strange behavior; participates in accusing Wolsey of ambition.

• Earl Surrey

  Accuses Wolsey of treason and ambition; lists articles of Wolsey's misdeeds; seeks justice for Buckingham.

• Duke of Suffolk

  Accuses Wolsey of acting without the king's knowledge in foreign affairs.

• Lord Chamberlain

  Advises Surrey not to press a falling man too far; shows pity for Wolsey.

• Anne Bullen

  Mentioned by Wolsey as a threat; he refuses to support her marriage to the king.

Key passages

• “Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies.”

  If I had devoted as much effort to serving God as I did to serving the king, I would not now be abandoned and vulnerable to my enemies.

  Wolsey reflects on his misplaced priorities, lamenting his excessive devotion to the king over God.

• “Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition: By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then, The image of his Maker, hope to win by it?”

  Cromwell, I command you to reject ambition, because even angels fell from heaven due to that sin; how can humans, made in God's image, expect to succeed through it?

  Wolsey warns Cromwell against ambition, using the fall of the angels as a cautionary example.

• “Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, Thy God's, and truth's; then if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, Thou fall'st a blessed martyr!”

  Let all your goals be for your country, God, and truth; if you then fall, you will fall as a blessed martyr.

  Wolsey advises Cromwell to pursue noble and selfless aims, ensuring a virtuous legacy even in failure.