Wolf Hall

by

Hilary Mantel

Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard Character Analysis

Norfolk is one of the members of Henry’s council and uncle to Anne Boleyn. He hates Wolsey for wielding influence over the king and is happy to raid his house and get rid of him. He admires Thomas Cromwell’s loyalty to Wolsey and paves the way for Cromwell’s entry into the king’s council. Norfolk is a violent man who threatens “to tear [Wolsey] with his teeth” if he won’t move up north after he is dismissed as Lord Chancellor. Despite Norfolk’s bluster, Cromwell realizes that Norfolk is in fact nervous to be in King Henry’s presence, which highlights for Cromwell that the king can be a dangerous man when displeased. Since Anne Boleyn is his niece, Norfolk is supportive of her rise in power since it would also guarantee his place in court.

Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard Quotes in Wolf Hall

The Wolf Hall quotes below are all either spoken by Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard or refer to Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Power, Ambition, and Deception Theme Icon
).
Part 2: Chapter 1 Quotes

This is an indecent spectacle: the man who has ruled England, reduced. They have brought out […] the scarlet silk in which he braves the summer heat of London, the crimson brocades that keep his blood warm when snow falls on Westminster and whisks in sleety eddies over the Thames. […] There have been days when, swaggering out, he would say, “Right, Master Cromwell, price me by the yard!”

[…] So day by day, at his request and to amuse him, he would put a value on his master. Now the king has sent an army of clerks to do it. But he would like to take away their pens by force and write across their inventories: Thomas Wolsey is a man beyond price.

Related Characters: Cardinal Wolsey (speaker), Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII, Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard, Duke of Suffolk/Charles Brandon
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 46
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Chapter 1 Quotes

“Cromwell, I am content you are a burgess in the Parliament.”

He bows his head. “My lord.”

“I spoke to the king for you and he is also content. You will take his instructions in the Commons. And mine.”

“Will they be the same, my lord?”

The duke scowls. […] “Damn it all, Cromwell, why are you such a…person? It isn’t as if you could afford to be.”

He waits, smiling. He knows what the duke means. He is a person, he is a presence. He knows how to edge blackly into a room so that you don’t see him; but perhaps those days are over.

Related Characters: Thomas Cromwell (speaker), Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard (speaker), King Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey
Related Symbols: Animals
Page Number: 150-151
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Chapter 2 Quotes

“A thousand pounds?” Henry whispers.

It is on the tip of his tongue to say, that will be a start on the ten thousand which, to the best of my knowledge and belief, you have owed the Cardinal of York for a decade now.

He doesn’t say it, of course. At such moments, Henry expects you to fall to your knees—duke, earl, commoner, light and heavy, old and young. He does it; scar tissue pulls; few of us, by our forties, are not carrying injuries.

The king signals, you can get up. He adds, his tone curious, “The Duke of Norfolk shows you many marks of friendship and favor.”

The hand on the shoulder, he means: the minute and unexpected vibration of ducal palm against plebeian muscle and bone. “The duke is careful to preserve all distinctions of rank.” Henry seems relieved.

Related Characters: Thomas Cromwell (speaker), King Henry VIII (speaker), Cardinal Wolsey , Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard
Page Number: 195
Explanation and Analysis:
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Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard Quotes in Wolf Hall

The Wolf Hall quotes below are all either spoken by Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard or refer to Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Power, Ambition, and Deception Theme Icon
).
Part 2: Chapter 1 Quotes

This is an indecent spectacle: the man who has ruled England, reduced. They have brought out […] the scarlet silk in which he braves the summer heat of London, the crimson brocades that keep his blood warm when snow falls on Westminster and whisks in sleety eddies over the Thames. […] There have been days when, swaggering out, he would say, “Right, Master Cromwell, price me by the yard!”

[…] So day by day, at his request and to amuse him, he would put a value on his master. Now the king has sent an army of clerks to do it. But he would like to take away their pens by force and write across their inventories: Thomas Wolsey is a man beyond price.

Related Characters: Cardinal Wolsey (speaker), Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII, Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard, Duke of Suffolk/Charles Brandon
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 46
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Chapter 1 Quotes

“Cromwell, I am content you are a burgess in the Parliament.”

He bows his head. “My lord.”

“I spoke to the king for you and he is also content. You will take his instructions in the Commons. And mine.”

“Will they be the same, my lord?”

The duke scowls. […] “Damn it all, Cromwell, why are you such a…person? It isn’t as if you could afford to be.”

He waits, smiling. He knows what the duke means. He is a person, he is a presence. He knows how to edge blackly into a room so that you don’t see him; but perhaps those days are over.

Related Characters: Thomas Cromwell (speaker), Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard (speaker), King Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey
Related Symbols: Animals
Page Number: 150-151
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3: Chapter 2 Quotes

“A thousand pounds?” Henry whispers.

It is on the tip of his tongue to say, that will be a start on the ten thousand which, to the best of my knowledge and belief, you have owed the Cardinal of York for a decade now.

He doesn’t say it, of course. At such moments, Henry expects you to fall to your knees—duke, earl, commoner, light and heavy, old and young. He does it; scar tissue pulls; few of us, by our forties, are not carrying injuries.

The king signals, you can get up. He adds, his tone curious, “The Duke of Norfolk shows you many marks of friendship and favor.”

The hand on the shoulder, he means: the minute and unexpected vibration of ducal palm against plebeian muscle and bone. “The duke is careful to preserve all distinctions of rank.” Henry seems relieved.

Related Characters: Thomas Cromwell (speaker), King Henry VIII (speaker), Cardinal Wolsey , Duke of Norfolk/Thomas Howard
Page Number: 195
Explanation and Analysis: