S01.E06: Masters Of Phantoms

[jjj]

In the book, Thomas Cromwell talked Gregory into attending the execution -- I forget the reasoning exactly, but something like it would show his strength in public if he could get through that. 

 

I completely believed the women stepping in to wrap Anne's remains, but thought it unrealistic to see them heading for the stairs with the box (it was a box, not a coffin, in the book), as they would never get down the stairs, between the size of the box and their many long garments.  But that is a small nitpick.   

[Dirtybubble]

That was his son Gregory.  I don't think it was regret, I would imagine TC would think it was something that had to be done.  Sympathy?  Maybe.  Sympathetic and regretful aren't two adjectives that come to mind when I think of Cromwell.  I think the main feeling was that his son was being exposed to such savagery from the actual execution and from callous remarks being made by Francis Bryan.

 

Yeah that actually makes more sense, thanks.

 

 

[IndianPaintbrush]

I'd bet my right arm Anne Boleyn was never guilty of any of those crimes, and Cromwell knew it.  If she was guilty of anything, it's being a little too flirtatious and uncensored with her tongue.  Oh, and not giving the King a son of course.  I'd like to think Anne was watching over her daughter and smiling as Elizabeth became one of the greatest monarchs in British history.

 

From a modern-day perspective it would have been hard not to stand there on the executioner's block and scream "F*ck you all and this whole sham of a trial!"  But I understand people were very worried about the state of their soul in the afterlife back then.  :)

[sugarbaker design]

If she was guilty of anything, it's being a little too flirtatious and uncensored with her tongue.  Oh, and not giving the King a son of course.

 

 

She also campaigned to have Katharine and Mary executed every day after Elizabeth was born.  I realize this was to protect her and her daughter, but it was a bit more than being "uncensored with her tongue".  After her defeat of Wolsey, Anne committed the worst crime - hubris.  She thought she could plot against the master, and she couldn't, she was out of her depth.

[LuciaMia]

 

they were supposed to be drawn, hanged, and quartered-- simply having their heads cut off

No, as gentlemen, they would have the option of the block.  Drawn and quartered would have been the fate of a commoner like Mark Smeaton, but he was allowed to be beheaded due to the King's 'mercy.'

Edited May 12, 2015 by LuciaMia

[kieyra]

I'd bet my right arm Anne Boleyn was never guilty of any of those crimes, and Cromwell knew it.  If she was guilty of anything, it's being a little too flirtatious and uncensored with her tongue.  Oh, and not giving the King a son of course.  I'd like to think Anne was watching over her daughter and smiling as Elizabeth became one of the greatest monarchs in British history.

 

From a modern-day perspective it would have been hard not to stand there on the executioner's block and scream "F*ck you all and this whole sham of a trial!"  But I understand people were very worried about the state of their soul in the afterlife back then.  :)

 

They were also worried about retribution to their families. It was understood that you did not talk smack when you were on the block, and Anne had her daughter's future to worry about.

 

(Also, I think she really was hoping for a surprise reprieve right up to the end.)

[Happy Belly]

I am still trying, after 2 full days, to get the image of Anne Boleyn on the scaffold out of my mind. Ms. Foy gave one hell of a performance in that scene. I was terrified watching that scene unfold and this is coming from someone who has been a Tudorphile for over 40 years. My favorite Anne will always be Dame Dorothy Tutin from the PBS series in the early 70's. i trembled along with Ms. Foy and i tried to imagine what my demeanor would have been up there and I have decided I would not be brave and resolute. No siree...I would have been Margaret Pole and hope my feet would be as fleet as Usain Bolt. Kudos Ms. Foy for your portrayal of Anne's last moments. Utterly terrifying. Oh, and wasn't Anne buried in an arrow box and not a coffin?

[jjj]

She was taken away in an arrow box, but it's not clear if she was buried in that.  Apparently many details had been planned in advance, but not how to remove her body.  She was executed in a different place than the five men two days earlier -- in a courtyard within the Tower grounds, which was less public than their execution on the Green outside the buildings. 

[Dirtybubble]

I am still trying, after 2 full days, to get the image of Anne Boleyn on the scaffold out of my mind.

 

Girl you and me both!  You know it's a good show when it keeps you up a night.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this season (?) if it can be called that.  And I hope it comes back when the 3rd book comes out!

[Anothermi]

I can't see any moving images on the PBS site from where I am in Canada (licensing agreements prevent it). But luckily, Youtube does just as well, Just go there and search "Wolf Hall deleted scenes"... there are a handful of them.  By far the best is a scene that was cut from tonight's episode showing Mary Boleyn's departure from court. I think it was cut out for the original British broadcast, not by PBS.

 

Thanks for pointing that out. They were easy to find. At first I thought they were without sound, but they are just a lot quieter than most vids. 

 

One of the things that struck me about the deleted scenes (perhaps "didn't make final cut" would be a more accurate description) was that they all seemed to convey a lighter, more personal, even more humorous tone tone than much of what we ended up with.  One of them gave background on why Wolsey gave Cromwell the ring. In the show it was a gift Cromwell was told not to open in Wolsey's presence. When Cromwell did open it in a later episode after Wolsey died, it was hard to remember where it came from. It would have been nice to know it was supposed to be a gesture of Wolsey protecting Cromwell in a symbolic way. 

 

I can see why they weren't used though. They would have been great if the series were longer because they gave a fuller look at the life of many of the characters (Mary Boleyn and Lady Rochford, as well as Henry meeting Cromwell's family when he came to visit near the end of Cromwell's illness) but had no impact on the story line per se. 

 

Still, I would have loved to have seen more scenes like those. They would have fleshed out the characters for me - not to mention lifted the tone a wee bit. But I'm not a film maker and know less than nothing about the complexities of assembling and editing a film, so I'm glad that I got a glimpse of what ended on the cutting room floor. 

[nara]

She also campaigned to have Katharine and Mary executed every day after Elizabeth was born.  I realize this was to protect her and her daughter, but it was a bit more than being "uncensored with her tongue".  After her defeat of Wolsey, Anne committed the worst crime - hubris.  She thought she could plot against the master, and she couldn't, she was out of her depth.

I agree.  Anne was guilty of many things, especially cruelty and arrogance.  I get that while Wolsey, More, and Catherine were around she was in a very precarious position, but I wonder if keeping quiet and letting the king deal with these folks in his own way would have served her better.  Henry ended up blaming her for the loss of key friends (esp. More), which I believe helped turn him against her.  However, it still annoys me that she was executed on trumped up charges, rather than being held accountable for her actual faults.

[duVerre]

 

In the book, he was locked in a room with various feathered costumes, and told there were phantoms in there

 

IIRC, the costume in question was the angel's peacock-feather wings, worn by Cromwell's daughter at the Christmas feast--something very innocent, now very sinister. I wish the series had found a way to remind us that the wings were there. 

 

If my memory is wrong about this, I guess a re-read of BUTB is in order.

[kieyra]

It was the angel wings, and also a big Christmas star ornament, which I think pins Mark to the wall in the books?

[SoSueMe]

Enjoyed the series, but Cromwell was not well cast. Too elegant.  Still waiting to see Henry8 portrayed as he really was at that part of his life-bald and turning to fat.

 

 

I feel like most Henrys have been portrayed as fat. Don't think I've seen a balding one though.

I saw a posting on another forum (maybe the PBS site?) that mentioned that Henry was never the same after the jousting accident. Speculation that there was some frontal lobe damage that changed his personality drastically. Also physical injuries that made him become more sedentary, hence the weight gain. I'm just passing it on second hand, I'm  certainly no authority. It is food for thought though.

 

And yeah, I could not stand Anne Boleyn, but my heart broke for her. Kudos to Claire Foy.

 

ETA I was just reading the episode 5 thread and multiple posters made the same points I mentioned. Sorry. :)  

Edited May 12, 2015 by SoSueMe

[duVerre]

 

ETA I was just reading the episode 5 thread and multiple posters made the same points I mentioned. Sorry. :)

 

Hey, if it's worth saying once, it bears repeating!

[susannot]

And yeah, I could not stand Anne Boleyn, but my heart broke for her. Kudos to Claire Foy.She

 

She was incredible.  For most of the episode, you want her to be beheaded.  Yet, as she was standing shaking in terror, a young woman on the scaffold, I burst into tears and ran, no fled, from the room.  Such is the power of acting. The whole series was a master class in acting.  These Brit actors--amazing.

[ulkis]

Even though Anne grates at times, I definitely don't want her beheaded any of those times either. Now, sent to a convent, maybe.

 

I am sympathetic to all four women - Katherine, Mary, Anne, and Elizabeth. I need to find a fanfic that just has all four of them just kicking Henry over and over. I would find that quite satisfying. :) 

Edited May 13, 2015 by ulkis

[nara]

Been meaning to ask, why is this called Wolf Hall, given the relatively lesser importance of the Seymour family?

[susannot]

The title comes from the name of the Seymour family seat at Wolf Hall or Wulfhall in Wiltshire; the title's allusion to the old Latin saying Homo homini lupus ("Man is wolf to man") serves as a constant reminder of the dangerously opportunistic nature of the world through which Cromwell navigates.[6] Little of the action occurs at Wolf Hall.

 

From Wolf Hall wiki.

[jjj]

What Henry finds at Wolf Hall solves the problem he was trying to fix -- a male heir via the Seymour family.  He arrives there on the last pages of the book "Wolf Hall," and although he does not know he found destiny there, we do. 

[WhiteStumbler]

I didn't dislike Anne at all in the series. She did some shitty things, and could be brittle, but I always found her at least entertaining. I thought that TC had some affection for her as well, at least early on.

The performance by the actor was amazing in the waning moments of her characters life.

I didn't get "victory!" or "triumph!" from TC in the last scene. He stood looking a bit shell shocked and... *allowed* himself to be hugged by a bearish H8. "Look at those claws"

ETA: A single beheading? Tamest episode of Game of Thrones ever.

Psyched for next week! Wait, what...?

Over?!?

Nnnnnnnnnooooooooooo!!!!!!

Edited May 13, 2015 by WhiteStumbler

[sugarbaker design]

It was the angel wings, and also a big Christmas star ornament, which I think pins Mark to the wall in the books?

 

In the book it was called the Christmas room, we readers knew it was angel wings and xmas decorations, but poor unstable Mark Smeaton didn't know what hit him.

[LuciaMia]

 

I definitely don't want her beheaded any of those times either. Now, sent to a convent, maybe.

Can you imagine her actually staying there?  Well, maybe to protect her daughter, Elizabeth

[ulkis]

But me wanting her to get sent there is different than whether I think she would actually stay there, heh. Would she have stayed? I have no clue. She probably would not have wanted to.

[SFoster21]

Can you imagine her actually staying there? Well, maybe to protect her daughter, Elizabeth

Anne couldn't agree to annulling the marriage because Elizabeth would have been barred from the succession. She died for her child's future.

[jjj]

Not a good plan, as the marriage was declared invalid after the execution and Elizabeth therefore determined to be illegitimate and so not in line for succession (Second Succession Act).  Henry restored both Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession before he died (Third Succession Act), but never restored their legitimacy.  And then their brother Edward (Jane Seymour's son) did everything he could to keep them from succeeding him. 

 

By the way -- contradicting these acts of succession was a crime of high treason, and guess what that penalty was for that?  Effective way of silencing critics.

[ulkis]

Anne couldn't agree to annulling the marriage because Elizabeth would have been barred from the succession. She died for her child's future.

 

Not a good plan, as the marriage was declared invalid after the execution and Elizabeth therefore determined to be illegitimate and so not in line for succession (Second Succession Act).

 

Yeah, I don't think Anne refusing an annulment/being offered an annulment ever happened anywhere except in Anne of the Thousand Days. 

 

Would it even have made a difference if she had refused an annulment if offered? Genuine question. As head of the church, wouldn't Henry just be able to give himself one?

[doodlebug]

Would it even have made a difference if she had refused an annulment if offered? Genuine question. As head of the church, wouldn't Henry just be able to give himself one?

Well. Catherine of Aragón never agreed to an annulment and Henry declared their marriage invalid; so there is no reason he couldn't have done the same and forced Anne into exile under house arrest which is essentially what he did to Catherine. 

 

As for whether she was ever offered the option of an annulment; it was less than 2 weeks from her arrest to her trial and she was put to death just 4 days after the verdict.  The whole thing played out from May 2-19, 1536.  So, if she did have options, she wasn't given much time to mull them over.  As for forewarning, she knew that Henry wasn't pleased with her and that he was eyeing Jane Seymour, but it doesn't seem likely that she ever expected to be charged with treason and face the death penalty.  After all, it's doubtful she was guilty of adultery, so why would she expect to be charged with it?  As far as she knew, the worst that would happen is Henry would put her aside, force her out of the court and she'd live as Catherine did.  Henry had never, ever considered killing Catherine, even with much urging from Anne to get her out of the way.  Alas, she didn't realize he might take all her hinting about getting rid of Catherine and decide to get rid of her permanently instead.

 

Remember that Catherine of Aragón died in January 1536,a mere 4 months before Anne's arrest.  As long as Catherine was alive, Henry would've had at least one former wife hanging around, so why not two?  It was once Catherine died that Henry realized that, as long as Anne was alive, he would not be free of her influence and probably feared her meddling with him in order to keep Elizabeth in line for the throne.  Catherine had a lot of supporters both in Britain and amongst her family back in Spain and there was concern about her participating in plotting against Henry to escape and foment a Spanish invasion to put Mary on the throne in his place.  Although Anne wasn't beloved like Catherine and didn't have powerful foreign royals in her family tree, I think Henry, after worrying about Catherine striking back at him, decided he didn't want Anne around to possibly do the same.   As a widower, nobody could claim he shouldn't remarry, either.

Edited May 13, 2015 by doodlebug

[kieyra]

Not a good plan, as the marriage was declared invalid after the execution and Elizabeth therefore determined to be illegitimate and so not in line for succession (Second Succession Act).  Henry restored both Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession before he died (Third Succession Act), but never restored their legitimacy.  And then their brother Edward (Jane Seymour's son) did everything he could to keep them from succeeding him. 

 

By the way -- contradicting these acts of succession was a crime of high treason, and guess what that penalty was for that?  Effective way of silencing critics.

Meanwhile, the fact that he had their marriage declared invalid meant that Anne couldn't have committed adultery against him in the first place ... since they weren't married. The crazy never ends.

[pasdetrois]

It's a shame this series was so brief. Such rich source materials and so many story lines and characters. I'd like to have seen much more.

[Dirtybubble]

 

Maybe there were no grounds (no matter how flimsy) to convict Catherine of treason or anything else for that matter.  She seemed to be well liked amongst everyone so perhaps there were no loose lips spreading rumors about her the way it was with Anne.  Also I would guess Anne seemed to be much more ambitious than Catherine so perhaps the threat was greater with A.B. for trouble.  You take Anne's ambition plus her flirtacious nature and well thats all Henry needed.  2+2=5 in his mind I guess.

 

I guess this is a spoiler but I read somewhere that before that atrocious Lady Jane (Anne's sister in law) was executed for the Catherine Howard debacle she did admit that she lied about Anne having an affair with her brother. And everyone else for that matter

Edited May 14, 2015 by Dirtybubble

[Gretchen8]

Henry couldn't touch Catherine of Aragon because she was too powerfully connected in Europe.  It would have caused a war, as his "divorce" nearly did anyway.  Anne had no such protection.  But in addition, I've read that Henry wanted  to ensure that any heir Jane Seymour might conceive would be recognized as legitimate, not just under his new English religion but to France and the Holy Roman Emperor as well.  His enthusiasm for bucking convention had cooled and he was now going for a marriage less controversial than the one to Anne Boleyn.  The only way marriage #3 would be acceptable to Catholics was if Henry was a widower.  Catherine conveniently passed away.  Leaving Anne alive in a convent would look too much like "divorce."  Therefore Anne had to die.

[jjj]

Seriously, and I wonder this too often, after a certain point, how could anyone think things would turn out well by being close to the King in that court?  Maybe Thomas More didn't see execution coming, maybe the men executed before Anne couldn't imagine they would be beheaded for things they never did, and maybe Anne found it inconceivable that the man who had pursued her for so many years (and created himself head of a new Church in order to marry her, etc.) would order her execution.  But after that?  What were they thinking?  "What could possibly go wrong?" 

 

And yes, nothing much that Lady Rochford said could really be taken as fact.  Before or after her breakdown. 

[susannot]

Miles to go is correct. Me too bad.

[frenchtoast]

Heads up folks, I moved some posts to the new History topic created. It's a fascinating time period, and I hope there are some excellent discussions. 

[LuciaMia]

I've seen plenty of historical dramas where the condemned gives a coin to the executioner. But here we see Anne passing out some coins to some of the spectators. Wonder if that was a common thing?

[LiveenLetLive]

I know that we only see Anne from Cromwell's perspective, but damn she was bitchy and lacked even an iota of charm. It is hard to say what Henry or the other men infatuated with her saw in the woman. I was watching episode 5 again, was it ever made clear who killed the dog? or started Anne's bedroom curtains on fire? One thing I think made clear in this telling is what a complete sociopath Henry was, not even a tear was shed over the wife of 24 years when she died, and some historical records suggest that they had a period of marital happiness.

[ulkis]

One thing I think made clear in this telling is what a complete sociopath Henry was, not even a tear was shed over the wife of 24 years when she died, and some historical records suggest that they had a period of marital happiness.

 

 

I guess he could have had a pang or two in private. Who knows.

Edited May 17, 2015 by ulkis

[meep.meep]

I know that we only see Anne from Cromwell's perspective, but damn she was bitchy and lacked even an iota of charm. It is hard to say what Henry or the other men infatuated with her saw in the woman. I was watching episode 5 again, was it ever made clear who killed the dog? or started Anne's bedroom curtains on fire? One thing I think made clear in this telling is what a complete sociopath Henry was, not even a tear was shed over the wife of 24 years when she died, and some historical records suggest that they had a period of marital happiness.

I thought we were to conclude from this episode that Lady Rochford had something to do with the dog's death. It was what made Anne slap her.

[Blakeston]

I thought they did a good job depicting Lady Rochford as someone would make those allegations (ie, the kind of person she was in real life). But Mark Smeaton bragging about having sex with Anne in front of Cromwell, on the other hand...I found that downright bizarre.

Unless I misunderstood what happened there, he wanted to prove his manhood, and so he thought it would be a good idea to brag to the king's chief minister that he screwed the queen. (And then, after they messed with his mind by locking him in a room with "the phantom," he signed a confession.)

I get him signing the confession, but how mind-blowingly stupid would someone have to brag to Cromwell about cuckolding Henry VIII? It's not as if he'd been depicted as a moron with no concept of consequences.

In real life Cromwell almost certainly set up an innocent young man to be physically tortured and executed based only on a mildly flirtatious comment to the queen. But I guess that would make Cromwell too unsympathetic, so they made the innocent man out to be such a fool that he basically asked for it.

Edited May 26, 2015 by Blakeston

[ulkis]

I thought they did a good job depicting Lady Rochford as someone would make those allegations (ie, the kind of person she was in real life). But Mark Smeaton bragging about having sex with Anne in front of Cromwell, on the other hand...I found that downright bizarre.

 

Yeah, that was weird.

 

In real life Cromwell almost certainly set up an innocent young man to be physically tortured and executed based only on a mildly flirtatious comment to the queen. But I guess that would make Cromwell too unsympathetic, so they made the innocent man out to be such a fool that he basically asked for it.

 

One of the other men though later on did bring up that that Cromwell had no need to go after Smeaton (unlike the other 4 men who mocked Wolsey), so at least they made it a point to specifically bring up that Cromwell didn't have to bring Smeaton into it. 

[Anothermi]

Cromwell's attitude to Mark Smeaton has been strange from the beginning. Does anyone remember if Smeaton used to play for Wolsey and jumped ship before the Cardinal's downfall? IIRC Cromwell clearly knew him when he first went to visit Anne and encountered Mark there. At that time I thought he was not unkind, but perhaps a bit ... hmm... condescending doesn't quite fit what I thought I was seeing. He was dismissive of Smeaton in a not unfriendly way.  As the show progressed it seems he became more and more dismissive of Smeaton and more nasty. Perhaps the books clarified his attitude toward Smeaton. 

 

I'd guess that he judged him to be firmly in Anne's camp and not to be trusted (from Cromwell's POV). I think he also thought Smeaton to be stupid, or undeserving of the position he held in Court, however lowly. The show did indicate he seemed to have some pangs of conscience for trapping Smeaton along with the others. He had a real bone to pick with them whereas Smeaton was just kind of a gnat. Annoying but not dangerous. 

[miles2go]

Does anyone remember if Smeaton used to play for Wolsey and jumped ship before the Cardinal's downfall? 

 

 I believe so, although my memory is a little fuzzy on that point.

[Snakelite]

I seem to remember that in the books more was made about Smeaton being aware that there was talk of him being a sodomite and that was why he bragged about a relationship with Anne. Thomas could reconcile the other men's deaths because they were guilty in his eyes of mocking Wolsey, but he had remorse about Seaton to the point of wondering if he should have taken him under his wing and into his home like Wrisley and other young men.

I loved this series but it could have been at least two episodes longer. And the lighting was absolutely superb.

[Anothermi]

Thanks for that, Snakelite. Although I thought they did show Cromwell had some remorse about Mark Smeaton, I feel that it wasn't clear what he thought of him. 

 

Judging from the few "deleted" scenes that I saw (they were mentioned in one of the threads here) I have to agree that a lot more could have been done with the story that would have clarified some otherwise fuzzy relationships. It could have been a lot more complex than what we got (which was pretty complex on it's own). I agree that at least 2 more episodes were needed. 

Edited May 27, 2015 by Anothermi

[Milburn Stone]

I don't think the show could have been improved upon.

 

But I have a question. I read Wolf Hall, although not the sequel. My question's pretty fundamental. Why was the first book (and hence the show) called Wolf Hall? I realize it's the home of the Seymours, but it seemed to me the Seymours were pretty incidental to the story in the first book. And even with the plot of the second book included in the show, the Seymours are not central to the goings-on. (I expect they will be central in the story from this point forward.) Mantel is such a good writer that I know there's a good reason the first book is called Wolf Hall. And I bet some of you understood that reason. 

[algebra]

Was Anne guilty, or was she? Clearly it did not matter...the King wanted her gone and Cromwell had to deliver. This was the most frightening portrayal of Anne's fall that I have seen. The actress was just superb...the wide-eyed fear growing exponentially, while she struggled to maintain some dignity. And Rylance...he looked deeply saddened and finally deeply frightened as well. Most terrible of all was his slow walk to a grinning, delighted Henry, who smothered him in an embrace.

This was great television, and Rylance in his stillness, was commanding.

[algebra]

Was Anne guilty, or was she? Clearly it did not matter...the King wanted her gone and Cromwell had to deliver. This was the most frightening portrayal of Anne's fall that I have seen. The actress was just superb...the wide-eyed fear growing exponentially, while she struggled to maintain some dignity. And Rylance...he looked deeply saddened and finally deeply frightened as well. Most terrible of all was his slow walk to a grinning, delighted Henry, who smothered him in an embrace.

This was great television, and Rylance in his stillness, was commanding.

Was Anne guilty, or was she? Clearly it did not matter...the King wanted her gone and Cromwell had to deliver. This was the most frightening portrayal of Anne's fall that I have seen. The actress was just superb...the wide-eyed fear growing exponentially, while she struggled to maintain some dignity. And Rylance...he looked deeply saddened and finally deeply frightened as well. Most terrible of all was his slow walk to a grinning, delighted Henry, who smothered him in an embrace.

This was great television, and Rylance in his stillness, was commanding.

[algebra]

Over the years I have read what I could about the trial of Anne Boleyn and came to two conclusions: Anne was innocent, and the five men who were accused with her were gay.

They only needed one lover to get Anne. Why were five innocent men sacrificed for the cause? Why was Lady Rochford willing to see her husband killed? What were the men doing that prompted other people to bear false witness against them?

My theory is that the five were gay, they would meet in Anne's apartments, Lady Rochford was disgusted by what was going on and thought they should all die. In those days nobody would weep for a bunch of gay guys falsely accused and executed for something they didn't do

[Pippin]

WGBH just finished reshowing the series and this time I PVR'd it so I can enjoy it again and again and again...

What I found most intriguing was the overall portrayal of Cromwell, in both the books and the series.  In other fictional depictions, he's a greasy scuzzball, repulsive in both personality and body.  Perhaps a lot of this comes from his obvious intriguing against Anne, but I think Holbein's portrait adds to that image.  (Holbein's art is magnificent and his portraits and pencil sketches of the characters are amazing.) In Cromwell's case, the portrait makes him look like someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, let alone cross.  Mantle and Rylance add nuance and dimension to his character, so much so that now I want to seek out some biographies.

There are many theories about the fall of the Boleyn; besides Henry's need for an heir, the other reasons are mired in mystery.  One theory I like is that Cromwell saw Henry's evident desire to get rid of his wife as a way to "clear house"; all of the men executed with her (except for Smeaton) were in the Boleyn camp and were urging Henry towards policies that Cromwell felt were wrong (in terms of foreign relations). 

As for Henry himself, it may be he was more obsessed than in love with Anne and once he had her, his obsession ended and he found that the price he had paid to possess this woman was far too high, and he blamed Anne, not himself, for the results and so came to hate her.  (Henry was always adept at finding someone else to blame for the results of his actions.)  It's also been suggested that Anne's failure to successfully carry another child to term after Elizabeth was due to the Rh factor. Had she been able to carry a son to term, it is highly unlikely Henry would have dethroned her.  They may have ended up living separate lives in different palaces, so Henry could pursue his amorous pursuits, but IMO, she would have remained queen. 

Actually, all of Henry's wives were victims of biology.  Antonia Fraser's excellent Six Wives brings that up in more detail.  (I think it's currently out of print, but you can get it at the library.)