Henry VI, Part 3

The third part of the Henry VI trilogy dramatizes the worst years of the Wars of the Roses: the deaths of York and his sons, the brutal pendulum of victories and defeats, the murder of Prince Edward, and the emergence of the future Richard III as a cold-blooded villain.

At a Glance

Dramatis Personæ

Character Description
KING HENRY THE SIXTH Lancaster; increasingly passive
QUEEN MARGARET Fierce Lancastrian general; humiliates and kills York
PRINCE EDWARD Prince of Wales; Henry's son; killed at Tewkesbury
DUKE OF SOMERSET Lancastrian
DUKE OF EXETER Lancastrian
EARL OF OXFORD Lancastrian
EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND Lancastrian
EARL OF WESTMORELAND Lancastrian
LORD CLIFFORD Lancastrian; kills York's young son Rutland; killed at Towton
RICHARD PLANTAGENET, Duke of YORK Claimant; captured and killed at Wakefield
EDWARD, Earl of March York's eldest son; becomes King Edward IV
GEORGE, Duke of Clarence York's second son; unstable; will betray his brothers
RICHARD, Duke of Gloucester York's third son; hunchback; scheming; proto-Richard III
EDMUND, Earl of RUTLAND York's youngest son; killed by Clifford
DUKE OF NORFOLK Yorkist
MARQUESS OF MONTAGUE Warwick's brother
EARL OF WARWICK "The Kingmaker"; switches sides
EARL OF PEMBROKE Yorkist
LORD HASTINGS Yorkist
LORD STAFFORD Yorkist
SIR JOHN and SIR HUGH MORTIMER York's uncles
LADY GREY Later Queen Elizabeth to Edward IV
EARL RIVERS Lady Grey's brother
HENRY, Earl of RICHMOND A boy; future Henry VII
SIR WILLIAM STANLEY Yorkist
KING LEWIS XI King of France
BONA Sister to the French Queen
A SON THAT HAS KILLED HIS FATHER Symbolic figure
A FATHER THAT HAS KILLED HIS SON Symbolic figure

Plot Summary

Act I: York seizes the throne room; Henry agrees to let York succeed him, disinheriting Prince Edward. Margaret, furious, raises an army. At the Battle of Wakefield, York is captured, humiliated (a paper crown), and killed. Lord Clifford murders the young Rutland.

Act II: Edward and Richard learn of their father's death and vow revenge. Three suns appear in the sky — an omen for the Yorkists. At the Battle of Towton, the bloodiest battle of the Wars, the Yorkists prevail; Clifford is killed. Edward is crowned King Edward IV; Henry flees to Scotland.

Act III: Edward falls in love with Lady Grey and marries her, alienating Warwick (who was negotiating a French match) and Clarence. Richard soliloquizes about his ambition and willingness to do anything for the crown ("I can add colours to the chameleon..."). Henry is captured in England.

Act IV: Warwick defects to the Lancastrians; Clarence joins him. Warwick restores Henry VI briefly. Edward escapes captivity and rallies Yorkist forces.

Act V: Edward defeats and kills Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. Margaret is defeated at Tewkesbury; Prince Edward is killed (stabbed by Edward, Clarence, and Richard). Richard goes to the Tower and murders Henry VI. Edward IV is secure on the throne. But the audience has seen Richard's cold ambition — the prologue to Richard III.

Key Themes

Notable Quotations

"I can add colours to the chameleon, / Change shapes with Proteus for advantages, / And set the murderous Machiavel to school." *(Richard, III.ii)*

LibriVox Recording

Henry VI, Part 3 audiobook on LibriVox — Free public domain recording.

Cross-references