In Act I, Scene ii of Henry VIII, Queen Katherine appears before King Henry VIII and the court to deliver a petition on behalf of the common people of England. She informs the King that his subjects are suffering greatly under a heavy tax that has been imposed upon them, one that Cardinal Wolsey is largely responsible for enforcing. The people, she explains, are being required to pay one sixth of their substance, and many have been driven to poverty, resentment, and even open resistance as a result. Henry, appearing genuinely troubled by this news, questions how such a tax came to be enacted without his full understanding of its consequences. Wolsey, present in the scene, deflects blame and attempts to manage the situation politically, but Katherine’s appeal carries weight with the King, and Henry ultimately agrees to pardon those who have resisted the tax and to have the commission revoked.

The scene then shifts to a matter of treason, as the Duke of Norfolk and others bring forth accusations against the Duke of Buckingham. A surveyor who formerly served Buckingham is called to testify against him, presenting evidence that Buckingham allegedly spoke treasonous words against the King, including suggestions that he had designs on the throne should Henry die without an heir. Katherine voices some skepticism about the surveyor’s reliability and motives, noting that he had been dismissed from Buckingham’s service under contentious circumstances. However, Henry listens carefully to the surveyor’s detailed account of Buckingham’s alleged statements and intentions, and by the close of the scene the King is sufficiently convinced of the danger posed by Buckingham, setting the stage for the Duke’s arrest and eventual downfall.

Henry VIII: Plot Summary

The play opens in the court of King Henry VIII of England, where the powerful Cardinal Wolsey has orchestrated the downfall of the Duke of Buckingham, who is arrested for treason based on the testimony of his own surveyor. Despite pleas for mercy, Buckingham is condemned and executed. Meanwhile, King Henry meets Anne Bullen (Anne Boleyn) at a masque hosted by Cardinal Wolsey and becomes captivated by her. Henry also begins to express doubts about the validity of his marriage to Queen Katherine of Aragon, claiming his conscience troubles him over the legality of the union, as Katherine was previously married to his brother Prince Arthur.

Cardinal Wolsey works to manage the political situation, but his influence begins to unravel when Henry discovers that Wolsey has been secretly corresponding with the Pope to delay the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Katherine, and that Wolsey has been accumulating enormous personal wealth. Henry strips Wolsey of his offices and powers. Wolsey, broken by his fall from grace, dies before he can be brought to formal ruin. Queen Katherine, meanwhile, is put on trial regarding the annulment of her marriage. She passionately defends herself before the court but is ultimately cast aside. She later receives a vision of blessed spirits before dying, having been given the reduced title of Princess Dowager.

With Katherine removed, Henry marries Anne Bullen, and she is crowned Queen in a grand coronation celebrated by the common people. Archbishop Cranmer, a Protestant reformer and ally of the King, comes under threat from a council of nobles who attempt to bring charges against him. Henry, however, intervenes to protect Cranmer. The play concludes with the christening of Henry and Anne’s newborn daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, where Cranmer delivers a joyful prophecy foretelling the greatness of Elizabeth’s reign and the prosperity that will follow under her successor, King James I.