Warwick (3 Henry VI)

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Henry VI, Part 3

Summary

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, "the Kingmaker," is the most powerful political force in Part 3, crowning Edward IV and then — enraged when Edward secretly marries Elizabeth Woodville — defecting to the Lancastrian side and restoring Henry VI to the throne. He is the great mover of the Wars of the Roses, whose pride ultimately destroys him; he dies at the Battle of Barnet calling on those who love him to flee.

Notable Quotations

"I was the chief that rais'd him to the crown, / And I'll be chief to bring him down again: / I made him king, and could unking him." *(3.3)*

"Why, then I do but dream on sovereignty; / Like one that stands upon a promontory, / And spies a far-off shore where he would tread, / Wishing his foot were equal with his eye." *(3.2)*

"Lo now my glory smear'd in dust and blood! / My parks, my walks, my manors that I had, / Even now forsake me; and of all my lands / Is nothing left me but my body's length." *(5.2)*

Cross-references