Character Summary

William De La Pole, Duke of Suffolk: facilitates King Henry VI’s marriage to Margaret (who the Duke loves and vice versa) and is banished for being suspected of plotting the murder of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, which in fact he had

Margaret: Queen to King Henry VI and the Duke of Suffolk's clandestine lover

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester: uncle to the King and England’s Lord Protector who is murdered by a plot cooked up by the Queen, the Cardinal, and Suffolk

King Henry the Sixth: the boy king of England and France who marries Margaret

Cardinal Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester: great-uncle to the King and Gloucester’s adversary

Earl of Salisbury: Warwick’s father who is in league with York vis-a-vis the King

Earl of Warwick: Salibury's son who is in league with York vis-a-vis the King

Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York: determined to reclaim the King’s crown from the House of Lancaster

Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham: in league with Winchester to defy Gloucester

Duke of Somerset: York's adversary who dies by Richard's (York son's) sword

Eleanor: the Duchess of Gloucester who has secret plans to usurp the throne on her husband’s behalf only to be undermined by Suffolk and the Cardinal

John Hum: a priest working on behalf of Suffolk and the Cardinal to undermine the Duchess of Gloucester

Petitioner 1: complains against the Cardinal who is said to have confiscated the petitioner’s property

Petitioner 2: complains against the Duke of Suffolk for enclosing an area of land for government use

Peter: an assistant armorer who accuses his supervisor Horner of claiming that the Duke of York is the rightful king of England

Thomas Horner: an armorer who is granted a duel to defend his honor vis-à-vis Peter

Bolingbroke: a conjuror

Spirit: a spirit conjured by Bolingbroke and Margery Jourdain to predict the fates of the English peers

Margery Jourdain: a witch and wife to Simpcox

Townsman: a fellow who heralds the arrival of Simpcox and of his supposed miracle

Simpcox: an imposter

Wife: wife to Simpcox who has the annoying habit of perpetually interceding on her husband’s behalf

Mayor: also Clerk of Chatham who accompanies Simpcox and who is eventually killed by Jack Cade and his mob because he can write

Beadle: the man who whips Simpcox

Neighbors: people who wish Thomas Horner well in his duel of honor vis-à-vis Peter

Prentices: armorer understudies who wish Peter well in his duel of honor vis-à-vis Horner

Servant: one of Gloucester’s servants who has a mind to make the Duchess of Gloucester a fugitive from the law

Herald: a King’s herald who summons Gloucester to be present at parliament

Sheriff: the officer in charge of conveying the Duchess of Gloucester through the streets of London and to pass her off to Sir John Stanley

Sir John Stanley: the officer who will take the Duchess of York to her place of custody and keep her there

Murderers: Gloucester’s murderers commissioned by the Duke of Suffolk

Commons: the people who clamor for the Duke of Suffolk’s and Cardinal Beaufort’s deaths or banishments subsequent to the Duke of Gloucester’s death

Vaux: a courier

Lieutenant: captain of a small sailing vessel who condemns the Duke of Suffolk to death

Master: one of the Lieutenant’s men

Master’s Mate: another of the Lieutenant’s men

Gentlemen: men attending the Duke of Suffolk who tries to make his way to France incognito

Walter Whitmore: the Duke of Suffolk’s executioner

George Bevis: a commoner and a follower of Cade

John Holland: a commoner and a follower of Cade

Jack Cade: a scoundrel who is commissioned by the Duke of York to lead an uprising in England

Dick: a butcher and a follower of Cade

Smith: a weaver and a follower of Cade

Michael: yet another follower of Cade

Sir Humphrey Stafford: a knight who tries to persuade Cade and his followers to desist rebelling

William Stafford: Sir Humphrey Stafford’s brother who joins him in trying to speak sense to the Cade led mob

Lord Say: an English peer who is singled out by Jack Cade and his mob as one who is deserving of death

Lord Scales: an English peer who defends the Tower from Jack Cade and his followers

Citizens: London commoners who fight on the side of the King against Jack Cade and the rebels

Lord Clifford: a peer of England who persuades Cade’s followers to desist rebelling

Alexander Iden: a Kentish gentleman who slays Jack Cade

Edward: one of the Duke of York’s sons

Richard: the hunchback son of the Duke of York

Young Clifford: Lord Clifford’s son