Original: Can you not see? or will ye not observe
Modern: Can’t you see? Or are you choosing not to notice

Original: The strangeness of his alter’d countenance?
Modern: How strangely his face and manner have changed?

Original: With what a majesty he bears himself,
Modern: Look at how regally he carries himself,

Original: How insolent of late he is become,
Modern: How rude and disrespectful he’s become lately,

Original: How proud, how peremptory, and unlike himself?
Modern: How arrogant, how demanding, and so different from who he used to be?

Original: We know the time since he was mild and affable,
Modern: We remember when he was gentle and friendly,

Original: And if we did but glance a far-off look,
Modern: And if we just looked at him from a distance,

Original: Immediately he was upon his knee,
Modern: He would immediately drop to his knees,

Original: That all the court admired him for submission:
Modern: So that everyone at court praised him for being so respectful:

Original: But meet him now, and, be it in the morn,
Modern: But encounter him now, even in the morning,

Original: When every one will give the time of day,
Modern: When everyone exchanges polite greetings,

Original: He knits his brow and shows an angry eye,
Modern: He furrows his brow and glares angrily,

Original: And passeth by with stiff unbowed knee,
Modern: And walks past with his head held high, refusing to bow,

Original: Disdaining duty that to us belongs.
Modern: Scorning the respect that he owes to us.

Original: Small curs are not regarded when they grin;
Modern: Nobody worries about small dogs when they snarl;

Original: But great men tremble when the lion roars;
Modern: But powerful men shake with fear when a lion roars;

Original: And Humphrey is no little man in England.
Modern: And Humphrey is no small player in England.

Original: First note that he is near you in descent,
Modern: First, notice that he’s close to you in the royal bloodline,

Original: And should you fall, he as the next will mount.
Modern: And if something happens to you, he would be next in line to take power.

Original: Me seemeth then it is no policy,
Modern: It seems to me then that it’s not wise,

Original: Respecting what a rancorous mind he bears
Modern: Considering what a bitter and hateful attitude he has

Original: And his advantage following your decease,
Modern: And how he would benefit from your death,

Original: That he should come about your royal person
Modern: To let him get close to you as king

Original: Or be admitted to your highness’ council.
Modern: Or to allow him into your royal council.

Original: By flattery hath he won the commons’ hearts,
Modern: Through sweet talk he has won over the common people’s hearts,

Original: And when he please to make commotion,
Modern: And whenever he decides to stir up trouble,

Original: ‘Tis to be fear’d they all will follow him.
Modern: We should fear that they will all follow him.

Original: Now ‘tis the spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted;
Modern: Right now it’s spring, and weeds don’t have deep roots yet;

Original: Suffer them now, and they’ll o’ergrow the garden
Modern: Allow them to grow now, and they’ll take over the entire garden

Original: And choke the herbs for want of husbandry.
Modern: And kill the good plants because no one tended to them properly.

Original: The reverent care I bear unto my lord
Modern: The respectful concern I have for my lord

Original: Made me collect these dangers in the duke.
Modern: Has made me gather evidence of these threats from the duke.

Original: If it be fond, call it a woman’s fear;
Modern: If this seems foolish, call it a woman’s worry;

Original: Which fear if better reasons can supplant,
Modern: And if better arguments can replace this fear,

Original: I will subscribe and say I wrong’d the duke.
Modern: I will agree and admit that I was wrong about the duke.

Original: My Lord of Suffolk, Buckingham, and York,
Modern: My Lords Suffolk, Buckingham, and York,

Original: Reprove my allegation, if you can;
Modern: Prove my accusations wrong, if you can;

Original: Or else conclude my words effectual.
Modern: Or else accept that my words are true and powerful.

In Act III, Scene 1 of Henry VI, Part 2, the scene opens in the Parliament House where King Henry VI presides over a formal session. The Duke of Gloucester arrives and is immediately confronted by his enemies, led by Cardinal Beaufort, the Duke of Suffolk, and the Duke of Buckingham, who present articles of impeachment against him. They accuse Gloucester of various treasonous acts, including accepting bribes, protecting criminals, and appointing unworthy officials to positions of power. Despite Gloucester’s attempts to defend himself against each charge, declaring his loyalty to the crown and his innocence, the assembled nobles remain hostile toward him.

King Henry VI, though reluctant to believe the accusations against his uncle and protector, is pressured by the other nobles to act. Gloucester surrenders his staff of office as Lord Protector and is placed under arrest. After Gloucester is led away, the remaining nobles discuss their next moves, with Suffolk and Cardinal Beaufort expressing satisfaction at Gloucester’s downfall. The King expresses his sorrow at losing his protector, but the other nobles continue to justify their actions by emphasizing the supposed threat Gloucester posed to the realm. The scene concludes with the nobles making plans for governing the kingdom in Gloucester’s absence, effectively consolidating their power against the now-deposed protector.

Henry VI, Part II opens with King Henry VI’s marriage to Margaret of Anjou, which was arranged as part of a peace treaty with France. The marriage proves politically disastrous, as Henry has agreed to surrender Maine and Anjou to France and provide no dowry, angering the English nobles. The Duke of Gloucester, Henry’s uncle and Lord Protector, opposes the marriage terms, while Cardinal Beaufort and the Duke of Suffolk, who arranged the marriage, work to undermine Gloucester’s influence. Queen Margaret quickly emerges as an ambitious figure who resents Gloucester’s power and begins plotting against him alongside Suffolk and other nobles.

The central conflict develops around the destruction of Gloucester, known as “Good Duke Humphrey.” Through a series of machinations involving his wife Eleanor’s involvement with conjurers and fortune-tellers, Gloucester is stripped of his position as Lord Protector. Eleanor is banished after being convicted of witchcraft, leaving Gloucester vulnerable. Margaret, Suffolk, Cardinal Beaufort, and others conspire to have Gloucester arrested on charges of treason. Before he can defend himself in trial, Gloucester is murdered in his bed, likely on Suffolk’s orders, shocking King Henry and the common people who loved Gloucester.

The aftermath of Gloucester’s murder destabilizes the realm further. Suffolk is banished by Henry after popular outcry against him, but he is captured and killed by pirates during his exile. Cardinal Beaufort dies tormented by guilt over Gloucester’s death. Meanwhile, Jack Cade leads a popular rebellion in Kent, claiming to be John Mortimer and demanding justice for the common people. Cade’s forces march on London, causing chaos and executing several nobles and officials before the rebellion is eventually suppressed. The play concludes with the return of Richard, Duke of York, from Ireland with an army, ostensibly to remove the remaining “traitors” around the king but actually to press his own claim to the throne, setting the stage for the Wars of the Roses that will dominate the final play in the trilogy.