The play opens with the Dukes of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Buckingham discussing the failed peace treaty between England’s Henry VIII and the King of France. The nobles think that the expensive and ostentatious meeting was arranged by Cardinal Wolsey to increase his own power. Buckingham in particular hates the common-born, cunning cardinal and plans to denounce him to King Henry; but, before he can do so, Wolsey arrives and arrests Buckingham for high treason.
While the king, advised by Wolsey, holds court, Queen Katherine convinces her husband to remove a tax imposed by Wolsey. The queen prevails and King Henry orders a retraction–which Wolsey engineers to give himself credit and therefore endear himself to the people. The taxation dealt with, the king, queen, and Wolsey hear a witness testify against Buckingham, accusing him of treason. King Henry orders the duke brought to trial. Buckingham is found guilty, due to Wolsey’s plotting, and goes to his execution.
To demonstrate his wealth and the king’s favor, Wolsey throws one of his raucous masquerade parties. Here, Henry is immediately smitten with Lady Anne Bullen, one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting and the daughter of a minor lord.
Rumors that King Henry seeks an annulment of his marriage to Queen Katherine from the Pope run rampant around the court. The annulment is championed by Wolsey who feeds on Henry’s fear that his marriage to Katherine is against the will of heaven (because she was married to his late brother) and has therefore cursed him to have no sons. King Henry makes arrangements with the Pope for the annulment proceedings to begin; and, in the meantime, the Lord Chamberlain tells Anne that the king has made her the marchioness of Pembroke with a large annual income. The Lord Chamberlain hints that other honors may follow.
Cardinal Wolsey wants the royal marriage annulled so that he can arrange for King Henry to marry the Princess of France instead, cementing the cardinal in an international position of power. However, the Pope and particularly the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, are against the annulment. At the trial, Queen Katherine appeals directly to her husband and accuses Wolsey of turning Henry against her and refuses to submit to the court’s will; she will appeal to a higher authority, the Pope. Privately, Wolsey tries to intimidate Katherine into acquiescing the annulment, but she still refuses.
As England joins the Protestant Reformation, and Cardinal Wolsey continues to fail to secure the annulment, his favor continues to decline. He accidentally reveals his own duplicity and greed to the king by leaving private letters among state documents. The Great Seal entrusted to Wolsey by the king is stripped from him by Norfolk, Suffolk, and Surrey. After scholar and humanist Thomas Cranmer obtains the annulment, King Henry dismisses Cardinal Wolsey. Cranmer is appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England is established.
With the marriage to Katherine dissolved, the king secretly marries Anne Bullen, hopeful that their union will produce a son. In a grand procession, Anne is crowned the first Lutheran Queen of England. Meanwhile, Katherine, now bearing the title “princess dowager,” lies ill. After learning of Wolsey’s arrest and death, she has a dream which seems to foretell her own passing. In her final breaths, Katherine prays that Henry will be good to their daughter, Mary.
The action of the play now jumps forward in time: Queen Anne is in childbirth, while Cranmer’s religious enemies at court are making numerous accusations against him and have him brought to trial on charges of heresy. King Henry still supports Cranmer and gives him a ring as a sign of royal favor which Cranmer is to show the court if his other defenses fail. As Cranmer leaves for the Privy Council meeting, Henry learns that Anne has given birth—but to a girl.
The council accuses Cranmer as King Henry secretly watches. Cranmer, seeing that he is being framed, displays the king’s ring, and the king enters to defend his archbishop. The charges against Cranmer are dismissed, and the king requests him to be godfather at the christening of the new princess. The play ends as the child––the future Queen Elizabeth––is christened, and Cranmer predicts a long and happy reign for her and a glorious future for England.
