Overview
Synopsis
Henry VI Part 3 picks up right on the tail end of Henry VI Part 2, where the Duke of York, his sons, and his followers have shown up at parliament to steal King Henry VI’s crown. As an act of compromise and in a bout of fear, King Henry agrees to give up the crown if York will let him finish his reign. York agrees, and all seems peaceful for a moment...until Queen Margaret and her son, Prince Edward, come to guilt Henry for disinheriting his son, the rightful heir to the throne. Between Queen Margaret, who is hell bent on keeping power for her and her son, and York’s sons Edward and Richard, the “peace” is short lived and soon the fighting resumes. The crown gets bounced from one “king” to the next, with many fatalities in between, and eventually lies in the hands of Edward, back in the laps of the York’s. However, Edward’s younger brother Richard of Gloucester has other plans for the crown...Richard III is plotting his succession.
Show Information
- Book
- William Shakespeare
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 5
- First Produced
- 1591
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical
- Time & Place
- England
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- male-heavy cast, university theatre, community theatre, professional theatre, ensemble cast, male-forward, College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, High School, Large Cast, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult, Child, Early Teen, Elderly Characters
Context
Henry VI Part 3 is the third in Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy. The conflict known as the War of the Roses that was set up in the first two parts comes to a head in Part 3 where we see constant fighting and the passing of the crown back and forth between the Lancaster’s (King Henry VI) and the Yorks. Henry VI Part 3 has more battle scenes than any of Shakespeare’s other plays, and also holds the longest soliloquy--Richard Gloucester (soon to be Richard III) in Act Two, Scene 2.
The Henry
to read the context for Henry VI Part 3 and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One, Scene 1-London. Parliament.
York, Edward, Richard, Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and their soldiers enter Parliament looking for King Henry VI who fled the battlefield at the end of Henry VI Part 2. Richard shows them Somerset’s head, which he cut off after slaying Somerset in the battle. They all congratulate Richard for his accomplishments and Richard dreams of swinging King Henry’s head around in the same way. Warwick agrees that the King should die and vows to help York until he
to read the plot for Henry VI Part 3 and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Featured |
Male |
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Quote Analysis
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Guide Written By:
