King Hedley II

August Wilson’s King Hedley II premiered in 1999 and opened on Broadway in 2001. It is the ninth installment in Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle (also known as the Century Cycle), a series of 10 plays that examine the experiences of Black Americans during the 20th century. It was nominated for multiple awards including a Tony and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson won two Pulitzer Prizes for other Pittsburgh Cycle plays, Fences in 1987 and The Piano Lesson in 1990.

King Hedley II is set during the 1980s and chronicles the economic decline of Pittsburgh’s Hill District during that era. Like many of the other plays in the cycle, it examines the continuing impact of generational trauma on Black American communities, but also focuses on how familial and community bonds become a source of strength for Black Americans. It engages with themes related to violence and the lack of opportunities in Black communities, the unattainability of the American dream for many, and the way that fractured relationships shape and reshape Black families.

This guide refers to the 1999 edition of the play published by the Theatre Communications Group.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of racism. The source text also contains racist language and racist slurs.

Plot Summary

The play begins shortly after its protagonist, King Hedley II, is released from a seven-year prison sentence for murder. King’s wife, Tonya, is newly pregnant, and his mother, Ruby, wants to sell her house and move into a retirement facility. King struggles to re-enter society and is having difficulty making ends meet. He and his childhood friend Mister would like to open a video store, but they need money to do so, and jobs are scarce. Because King cannot find legal work, the two are selling stolen refrigerators for a contact of King’s from the penitentiary. Ruby is well aware of the illegality of this endeavor and vocally objects to King’s choice of work, but King brushes her off. King tries not to think about where the appliances come from and does not ask questions of his supplier. Tonya, too, objects to the refrigerator scheme, and both she and Ruby worry that it will land King back in prison.

King and Mister meet to discuss the specifics of their plans, and Mister warns King that the cousin of the man whom King murdered is in town and wants revenge. King does not perceive this man as a true threat and vows to find him first. While King and Mister are talking in the yard, Tonya comes out and tells King that Ruby’s on-again-off-again boyfriend Elmore is in town again. Elmore wants to rekindle his romance with Ruby and to speak to King about his time in prison. King is in no hurry to talk to Elmore, and Ruby is unconvinced that her old flame has truly turned over a new leaf.

In the days that follow, King and Mister further hash out their plans to open a video store, and they realize that selling refrigerators will not earn them enough money to finance the business. They decide to rob a local jewelry store in hopes of turning a better profit. Mister has just been dumped, and King postulates that Mister didn’t treat his ex, Deanna, well enough. King, too, has a troubled love life. Tonya, who has already raised one child, wants to obtain an abortion because she is sure that King is going to end up back in prison, and she does not think that she can stand the heartache of raising yet another child in a world so devoid of hope for Black youth.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Elmore catch up. It has been years since the two have been in contact, and although Elmore claims he is eager to settle down with Ruby, Ruby has her doubts about him. Through their conversation, it is revealed that Leroy, a man whom Elmore killed, is actually King’s father. Ruby has lied to King all these years that Hedley is his father. Although Ruby was terribly upset when Elmore killed Leroy, the murder did not alter the way that Ruby felt about Elmore, and she remains drawn to him.

The robbery takes place offstage, and it does not entirely go according to plan. King and Mister do not obtain as much money as they hoped, and King steals a ring in spite of Mister’s warnings not to do so, because it is through fencing stolen jewelry that most thieves get caught. King tells Mister that he plans to give Tonya the ring and does not think that the authorities will catch them. Tonya arrives, and King tries to give her some money. She rightfully guesses that the money is stolen, and she will not accept it. She is upset and reiterates that she does not want to have a baby with a man so obviously headed back to prison. Shaken, King heads to the grave of his ex-girlfriend Neesi, which he visits when he needs to do some quiet thinking. There he discovers the grave of Pernell, the man whom he murdered, and is stunned to learn that Pernell was a father. He has never stopped to consider Pernell as a whole person, and he realizes that both he and Pernell’s son were left fatherless by community violence. He talks to Tonya about his revelation and asks her to keep her baby so that he can have the chance to be someone’s father. Tonya tells King that she does not believe he will remain on a straight and narrow path.

Elmore and Ruby reveal their intention to marry. King, however, has learned that Leroy was his father and is angry at Elmore for killing him. Although he intends to exact revenge, he finds himself incapable of violence and challenges Elmore to a dice game instead. Tensions are high as the game unfolds, and the men end up drawing their guns, but not firing. Ruby gets her own gun from the house to defend King, but she accidentally shoots him. He is fatally wounded, and the play ends with Ruby singing over his lifeless body.