Henry VIII Act 4, Scene 1 Summary

Read the full text of Henry VIII Act 4 Scene 1 with a side-by-side translation HERE.


  • Out on the streets, the two gents meet again. This time, they're waiting to see Anne pass by. It's her coronation day (the day she gets crowned), and they can't wait to see their new queen.
  • This is way better than the last time they met (when Buckingham was tried), and they're glad to meet on a happier occasion.
  • Guy #1 reminds the other guy that Anne isn't the only one with a new title today. Suffolk is becoming High Steward, and Norfolk is becoming Earl Marshall. At this point, Guy #2 brings up the fact that Katherine has become Princess Dowager. What's become of her, anyway?
  • Guy # 1 reports that since the divorce, she's been taken off to Kimbolton, and she's sick.
  • Trumpets sound, and choristers sing. There's a flourish as Anne makes her way, and the gents are impressed: she looks like an angel.
  • After the gents figure out who each noble is, a third gent joins them. He's just seen the ceremony and wants to tell them all about it.
  • Everyone crowded around the abbey to watch, and Anne was totally hot. Guy #3 says he's never seen so much joy before. Cranmer performed the ceremony, and the choir sang.
  • Then Guy #3 comments that Gardiner was there, and there's no love lost between him and Cranmer.
  • Oh, well: Cranmer's got Cromwell by his side, and that guy is super loyal. Nothing will come of Cranmer's feud with Gardiner, then. The guy's sure of it.