In this short scene, the audience is introduced to a number of characters, including the Duke of Gloucester, the Prince of Wales, the Earl of Northumberland, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Gloucester is the fifth prince in the line of succession to the throne, and he and the Duchess are engaged to be married. The Duchess, however, refuses to marry Gloucester because he is not a member of the royal family. The Duke, on the other hand, wants to marry the Duchess because his mother, the Queen's daughter, has ordered him to marry her.