Character Analysis
This pair of scam artists is only around for one scene, but boy, is that scene an eye-opener. After Simpcox pretends to be miraculously healed from blindness, Gloucester is skeptical. He sets up a ruse to get the guy to come clean about what's really going on.
Now, Simpcox himself isn't all that important: he's around mostly to shed some light on our main dudes. Before he even sees anything, Henry immediately praises God for the miracle. Gloucester, on the other hand, doesn't buy it for one second. It looks like Henry's willing to believe anybody—especially if he thinks God is somehow involved—and that's exactly why he needs someone like party-pooping Gloucester around.
Simpcox and his wife are quickly discovered and punished, but the wife's parting words stick with us. She tells Gloucester: "Alas, sir, we did it for pure need" (2.1.170). Sigh. While the nobles are squabbling over who gets just a little more power, the common folk are out there busting their butts, and for what? Simpcox helps us think about the poverty some of the people are facing while all this fighting between the nobles is going on.
By the way, it looks like no matter what people like Margaret and Suffolk say, Henry still does need Gloucester around to give him advice. Turns out all this squabbling about the protectorship is more complicated than it seems.