# Earl of Suffolk — Henry VI, Part I character guide

> Earl of Suffolk in Henry VI, Part I by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Suffolk Fair Margaret, Suffolk, Suffolk Lady, My noble Lord of Suffolk, William de la Pole, Pole, William Pole

**First appearance:** 0028-act-v-scene-i

## Snapshot

The silver-tongued earl who sells King Henry on a French bride he has never seen, wrapping self-interest in the language of romance.

## Who they are

Suffolk moves through the English court as a diplomat and kingmaker, and it is his honeyed description of Margaret's beauty that inflames Henry's heart and sidelines the Armagnac match Gloucester favors. He argues that a king should marry for love, not for dower, yet his rhetoric conveniently serves his own designs on the new queen. His persuasion sets the marriage plot in motion and plants the seeds of factional resentment that will shadow Henry's reign.

## In the story

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

Takes Somerset's side by plucking a red rose and later threatens Plantagenet directly.

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

Present among the assembled peers in Paris.

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

Captures Margaret and negotiates her marriage to King Henry, while struggling with his own desire for her.

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

Persuades King Henry to marry Margaret of Anjou, overriding Gloucester's objections, and privately resolves to rule the king and realm through her.

## Links

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