Character Analysis
William, Duke of Suffolk (a.k.a. William de la Pole) is a noble on Henry's side with an agenda of his own. He might wear Henry's colors, but he's really just out for himself, and part of the problem is that he wants the king's girl.
It's drama time.
Power Couple
Back in Henry VI, Part 1,Suffolk wooed Margaret for Henry… and for himself. The pair started up a relationship on the side, and they seem to be a good match for one another. They are the ultimate power couple (and we don't mean that in a particularly positive way): while Suffolk is a courageous, skillful warrior, Margaret is charming, attractive, and completely devoted to her husband's career.
Back in Henry VI, Part 1, Suffolk wooed Margaret for Henry… and for himself. The pair started up a relationship on the side, and they seem to be a good match for one another. They are the ultimate power couple (and we don't mean that in a particularly positive way): while Suffolk is a courageous, skillful warrior, Margaret is charming, attractive, and completely devoted to her husband's career.
Murderously devoted.
In a weird way, Margaret and Suffolk seem to work the best together when they're taking someone else down. (It's like House of Cards gone medieval.) It doesn't matter who's married to whom at this point: these two are in the game to get—and keep—power. They'll do whatever it takes to keep Henry on the throne.
Margaret and Suffolk band together to eliminate Gloucester in order to consolidate their own power, and it's not just because Gloucester's sitting pretty with that Protector of England title. Margaret and Suffolk are also sick of his self-righteous, know-it-all attitude: Gloucester was against Henry marrying Margaret, and he's predicted Henry's inevitable doom as a result of this one decision.
Suffolk and Margaret can't have that kind of talk around Henry, so with the help of Cardinal Beaufort, they plot to murder Gloucester. That way, they'll be rid of Gloucester as Protector and Gloucester as Henry's guard dog.
We learn that Suffolk will go to any length to protect Margaret. It doesn't matter that she's married; these two want power above all else, and they're totally willing to just have an affair as long as they've got power in their hands. Suffolk seems to love Margaret, and he has a hard time letting go once he's banished. He might be robust and cold-blooded, but he has a soft side when it comes to the queen.
Prophecy at Sea
Suffolk is shipped off to sea, and when on board, he remembers the prophecy that the witches told Eleanor: that he would die by water. Uh-oh.
Well, the guy can't do much about it, and it turns out that he totally gets beheaded at sea. We'd like to point out that he never loses his tough streak. Even when he's staring down his killer, he holds strong and won't admit defeat. Suffolk is one determined guy.
In the end, though, he's killed for murdering Gloucester. We just have one question: does Suffolk's death bring about justice for Gloucester? How come Margaret isn't also killed because of their crime? (Okay, so that was two questions.)
Well (spoiler alert!), Margaret doesn't have a particularly great fate, either—just head on over to Richard III if you don't believe us—so we start to get the sense that even though these two think they're above the law, their punishment does finally come to them. Maybe that means there's some kind of higher justice going on here, or maybe it's just true that if you play with fire long enough, you're gonna get burned.
Either way, these two seem surprised when things don't go according to their plans, and that just goes to show that in this crazy political world, you can't ever have total control—even if you're the smartest, most cunning, and most ruthless characters in sight.
Timeline