Henry VI, Part 3 - Characters

Characters

Of the King's Party

  • King Henry VI – King of England
  • Queen Margaret – Queen to Henry VI
  • Edward, Prince of Wales – their son
  • Lord Clifford – military commander
  • Duke of Exeter
  • Duke of Somerset (a conflation of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, his younger brother)
  • Earl of Northumberland
  • Earl of Westmorland
  • Earl of Oxford
  • Henry, Earl of Richmond (non-speaking role)
  • Somerville – messenger

Of the Duke of York's Party

  • Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York – asserts he should be King
  • Edward Plantagenet, Earl of March – later King Edward IV; York's eldest son
  • George Plantagenet – later Duke of Clarence; York's son
  • Richard Plantagenet – later Duke of Gloucester; York's son
  • Edmund Plantagenet, Earl of Rutland – York's youngest son
  • Rutland's tutor
  • Earl of Warwick
  • Duke of Norfolk
  • Montague (two different 'versions' of the character appear in the play, each one representing a different historical figure. The Act 1 persona is that of the Earl of Salisbury, Warwick's father, and a major character in 2 Henry VI. From Act 2 onwards, the character represents Salisbury's son and Warwick's younger brother John Neville, Marquis of Montague)
  • Earl of Pembroke (non-speaking role)
  • Lord Stafford (non-speaking role)
  • Lord Hastings
  • Sir William Stanley
  • Sir John Mortimer – York's uncle
  • Sir Hugh Mortimer – York's uncle (non-speaking role)
  • Sir John Montgomery
  • Lady Grey – later Queen Elizabeth to Edward IV
  • Lord Rivers – her brother
  • Prince Edward – Elizabeth and Edward IV's son (non-speaking role)

The French

  • King Louis XI of France
  • Lady Bona of Savoy – Louis' sister-in-law
  • Lord Bourbon – Admiral of France (non-speaking role)

Others

  • Mayor of York
  • Two Alderman of York (non-speaking roles)
  • Mayor of Coventry (non-speaking role)
  • Lieutenant of the Tower (a conflation of John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester and John Sutton, 6th Baron Dudley)
  • Son that kills his father
  • Father that kills his son
  • Nurse (non-speaking role)
  • Nobleman
  • Two gamekeepers
  • Three Watchmen
  • Huntsman
  • Soldiers, messengers, drummers, attendants, etc.

Read more about this topic:  Henry VI, Part 3

Famous quotes containing the word characters:

    “We are like travellers using the cinders of a volcano to roast their eggs. Whilst we see that it always stands ready to clothe what we would say, we cannot avoid the question whether the characters are not significant of themselves.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “Animals are stylized characters in a kind of old saga—stylized because even the most acute of them have little leeway as they play out their parts.”
    —Edward Hoagland (b. 1932)

    “The first glance at History convinces us that the actions of men proceed from their needs, their passions, their characters and talents; and impresses us with the belief that such needs, passions and interests are the sole spring of actions.”
    —Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)