# Jack Cade — Henry VI, Part II character guide

> Jack Cade in Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Cade, Brother Jack Cade, Soldier Jack Cade, John Cade, John Mortimer, Cade Marry, Cade surprised, Cade O monstrous, Cade Tut, Cade Valiant, Cade Here, Cade Iden, Messenger Jack Cade, that monstrous rebel Cade

**First appearance:** 0017-act-iv-scene-ii

## Snapshot

A clothier-turned-rebel who claims Mortimer blood and leads a Kentish mob against the gentlemen of England with a butcher at his elbow.

## Who they are

Cade is the voice of the leather-apron crowd, promising seven halfpenny loaves for a penny and a commonwealth turned inside out. His pretensions to noble descent are punctured at every turn by Dick the Butcher's asides, which expose the bricklayer father and the whipping at the market cross. He matters because his rebellion shows how thoroughly the quarrels of lords have loosened the bonds of order, letting a braggart with a stolen name raise an army.

## Relationships

### [Dick the Butcher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/dick_the_butcher)

_friendship_

Dick is a loyal follower and enforcer for Cade, supporting his rebellion with brutal enthusiasm.

### [King Henry VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/king_henry_vi)

_rivalry_

Cade leads a popular rebellion against King Henry, seeking to overthrow his rule.

### [Smith the Weaver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/smith_the_weaver)

_friendship_

Smith is a fellow rebel and follower of Cade, participating in the uprising.

### [Sir Humphrey Stafford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/sir_humphrey_stafford)

_rivalry_

Stafford is a loyalist commander sent to confront and fight Cade's rebel army.

### [Smith the Weaver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/smith_the_weaver)

_friendship_

Smith is a fellow rebel and follower of Cade, participating in the uprising.

### [Dick the Butcher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/dick_the_butcher)

_friendship_

Dick is a loyal follower and enforcer for Cade, supporting his rebellion with brutal enthusiasm.

### [King Henry VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/king_henry_vi)

_rivalry_

Cade leads a popular rebellion against King Henry, seeking to overthrow his rule.

### [Dick the Butcher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/dick_the_butcher)

_friendship_

Dick is a loyal follower and enforcer for Cade, supporting his rebellion with brutal enthusiasm.

### [Sir Humphrey Stafford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/sir_humphrey_stafford)

_rivalry_

Stafford is a loyalist commander sent to confront and fight Cade's rebel army.

### [Smith the Weaver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/smith_the_weaver)

_friendship_

Smith is a fellow rebel and follower of Cade, participating in the uprising.

## In the story

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii)

Leads the rebellion, claiming descent from Mortimer and Plantagenet, and vows to reform England by killing lawyers and abolishing literacy.

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

Leads the rebels, celebrates victory, and plans to march on London.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vi)

Proclaims himself Lord Mortimer, sits on London-stone, and orders executions and arson.

### [Scene VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vii)

Leads the rebellion, orders the destruction of legal records and the execution of Lord Say, declaring himself the voice of the new order.

### [Scene VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-viii)

Leads the rebellion but is abandoned by his followers when the king's pardon is offered.

### [Scene IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ix)

Reported to have fled; his rebellion is effectively over.

### [Scene X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-x)

Starving and desperate, Cade climbs into Iden's garden to find food, fights Iden, and is slain, blaming famine for his defeat.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters/jack_cade
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/henry_vi_part_ii_se/characters