# Duke of Somerset — Henry VI, Part I character guide

> Duke of Somerset in Henry VI, Part I by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Somerset Good Master Vernon, Vernon, Somerset York, York

**First appearance:** 0012-act-ii-scene-iv

## Snapshot

A court noble whose quiet aside against the newly made Duke of York marks him as a rival in the power struggle brewing around the young king.

## Who they are

Somerset belongs to the cluster of lords jockeying for influence in Henry's minority, and his muttered 'Perish, base prince' when Richard Plantagenet is restored to his blood reveals a hostility he will not voice openly. He stands opposite York in the factional divide that the funeral scene and the French losses have already begun to expose. His grudge matters because it turns court ceremony into a stage for the feuds that will define the coming wars.

## In the story

### [Scene IV: The Temple Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iv)

Opposes Plantagenet, plucks a red rose, and insults Plantagenet by calling him a yeoman due to his father's treason.

### [Scene IV: The Temple Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iv)

Supports Plantagenet by plucking a white rose and suggests that the side with fewer roses should yield.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Openly hostile to York, he mutters 'Perish, base prince, ignoble Duke of York!' during the ceremony.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv)

Present at court; his servant Basset later challenges Vernon.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i)

Engages in a bitter dispute with York, reflected in the rose quarrel between their servants.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

Somerset is blamed by York for delaying the supply of horsemen, leading to Talbot's peril.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iv)

Blames York for the expedition and refuses to send aid out of spite, only relenting when it is too late.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/characters/somerset
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_i_se/characters