Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Henry VIII

Although Henry spends a lot of time under the influence (we're talking about Wolsey—not that kind of influence), he's our man guy for this play. Not only did Shakespeare give us a big wink, wink, nudge, nudge with the title, but we get to see Henry evolve over the course of the play.

He starts out as a trusting, almost naive ruler who will listen to anything Wolsey says, but as the play progresses, Henry develops a backbone and eventually takes Wolsey down faster than you can say "burned." And he doesn't stop there: he gives the council an earful when they try to lock away his right-hand man, Cranmer. This transformation from bland figurehead to dominant ruler gives us confidence that we're following the right guy throughout the play.