Since the end of the 18th century there had been a massive revival of interest in the works of Shakespeare, and many artists exhibited paintings that illustrated scenes from his plays. Here Leslie depicts Act III, Scene 1 from Henry VIII. The picture shows Henry's first wife, Katherine of Aragon (Shakespeare's 'Queen Katharine'), in a melancholy mood because of the King's growing estrangement. When the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1842, a quotation from the play, as well as the title of the picture, was given in the catalogue.