Cardinal Wolsey Speech Analysis

The Downfall of Cardinal Wolsey
In Cardinal Wolsey’s free-verse speech from Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Wolsey, a recently dismissed advisor of the king, expresses his frustration and despair toward his ended political career—the pain that will linger for the rest of his life. Through the use of various literary elements, Shakespeare captures Wolsey’s bitterness of losing his career and the agony of falling from all the successes. Over the first fifteen lines of the speech, Wolsey reacts to the sudden loss of his career in a remorseful tone. He begins his speech with a farewell: “Farewell? a long farewell to all my greatness!” Wolsey questions whether or not “farewell” fits his current situation, his “greatness” that he has built painstakingly; he never thinks that his valuable and secure position as a king’s advisor could, one day, leave him like sand leaking through his hands. According to Wolsey, his loss is an inevitable phase of “the state of man.” Through metaphor, he compares his career with a plant that only lasts for three days. On the first day, his hopes and ambitions just germinate, revealing “tender leaves of hopes.” Wolsey, at this stage, believes that success is imminent: it is within his reach. On the second day, his career blossoms with power and potentials: “[it] bears his blushing honors thick upon him.” This stage represents the climax of his career, where he possesses honors and respect as the king’s advisor. Lastly, the third day arrives with horror, “a frost” that immediately kills the

Through Wolsey’s monologue, Shakespeare warns the reader not to succumb to his or her pride by carelessly climbing the ladder of greed higher and higher. Once one is at the top, the pain of falling down, as Wolsey exemplifies, can make one “never to hope