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Similarities Between King Henry Viii And Cardinal Wolsey

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In the opening scene of the first act of Shakespeare's King Henry VIII, the Duke of Norfolk and the Duke of Buckingham discuss the political state of England, introducing King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey as major characters that will be at the forefront of the developing plot. Buckingham speaks of Wolsey very negatively in a passage after Wolsey passes by, insulting him and declaring that he will bring Wolsey's treachery to the king. In this passage Shakespeare depicts Wolsey as scheming and power-hungry to tell the narrative of evil counselors corrupting good monarchs and promote the concept that the king should be more independent as a way of flattering King James I while criticizing his counselor Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury. The …show more content…

"Yea" was inserted into the line to both follow iambic pentameter and also to affirm and emphasize the duality of impact between his position of power and dishonest mind. This line suggests that Wolsey is a substandard counselor who corrupts the good that King Henry VIII would …show more content…

Shakespeare's comparison of Wolsey to a fox also alludes to Cecil, as his nickname was "The Fox" as well. By using Cecil's nickname to describe Wolsey, Shakespeare shifted the play to the context of his time, drawing a line between the two counselors. Wolsey was disliked by the people and enacted taxes that the public disliked; Cecil was ill-regarded among the common people and blamed for many taxes and fees enacted to balance James I's excessive spending. Shakespeare did not outright insult Cecil in King Henry VIII, but used word choice to indicate that Cecil wasn't completely honest and that he is to blame for James I's bad decisions. While that wasn't completely true, it was hinted at to flatter James I and his

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