Characters

The cast of Henry VI, Part 3

The people who make Henry VI, Part 3 move — what they want, who they love, who they hate, and how each one fits the story. Tap any name to read more.

Brother: Edward IV; Brother: Richard, Duke of Gloucester; Father: Yorks

George, Duke of Clarence

Ambitious York brother; wavering between loyalty and self-interest

Father: Richard, Duke of York; Brother: Richard (Duke of Gloucester); Brother: George (Duke of Clarence)s

Edward

Eldest son of York; becomes King Edward IV; ambitious and impulsive prince · 16 (approx. at play's start)

English nobilitys

Duke of Exeter

Loyal counselor to King Henry VI; voice of mercy and conscience amid civil war

Westmoreland

Lancaster loyalist and fierce warrior

York sons (with Edward and Richard)s

George, Duke of Clarence

Ambitious York brother; wavering loyalist torn between family and self-interest

father; brother; brothers

Richard, Duke of Gloucester

The crooked, brilliant plotter who emerges as the play's darkest force

father; brother (Duke of Gloucester); brother (Duke of Clarence)s

Edward IV

The ambitious young king who claims the throne and fights to hold it against Warwick's betrayal · young man

Margaret of Anjou (wife); Prince Edward (son)s

King Henry VI

Pious but broken king, witness to the collapse of order · Around thirty

Sister is Lady Bona; father was a previous French kings

King Lewis XI

King of France; arbiter of dynastic claims and alliance-broker

widow with three children; marries King Edward IVs

Lady Grey

Widow petitioner who becomes queen through wit and negotiation · adult

Brother to Warwick; uncle to Edward, George, and Richards

Montague

Loyal York commander and warrior; brother to Warwick

Nobility of Englands

Earl of Oxford

Steadfast Lancaster loyalist and military commander

Son of King Henry VI and Queen Margaret of Anjous

Prince Edward of Wales

Young heir to Henry VI; idealistic defender of his mother's cause and his father's throne · Young boy (described as precocious)

husband: Sir Richard Grey (deceased); {"relation":"children","count":3}; brother: Rivers

Queen Elizabeth (Lady Grey)

Widow and new queen; advocate for her children's security amid civil war · young widow

Daughter of King Reignier of Anjou; wife of King Henry VI; mother of Prince Edwards

Queen Margaret of Anjou

Warrior-queen and avenger; the play's most active and dangerous force · Mid-thirties

father: Duke of York; brother: Edward (later Edward IV); brother: George (Duke of Clarence)s

Richard, Duke of Gloucester

Ambitious youngest son of York; proto-Machiavellian schemer · youngest son

father; brother; brother; brothers

Earl Rutland

Innocent victim of civil war; York's youngest son · seventeen (described as a child for dramatic effect)

House of Somersets

Somerset

Lancaster loyalist and military commander

Brother to Montagues

The Earl of Warwick

The Kingmaker—ambitious power broker who raises and deposes kings, undone by his own overreach · Middle-aged

Father of Edward (later Edward IV), George (Duke of Clarence), and Richard (Duke of Gloucester)s

Richard, Duke of York

Ambitious nobleman whose claim to the throne ignites the Wars of the Roses · Middle-aged

Other characters

Lord Clifford

Vengeful soldier; instrument of Margaret's rage and architect of York's death

Northumberland

Lancaster's angry earl; voice of vengeance against York

Post

Royal messenger bearing urgent military dispatches

Lord Hastings

Edward IV's loyal general and strategist; voice of pragmatic counsel

Second Keeper

Forest guard and reluctant witness to kingship's collapse

First Keeper

A forest gamekeeper who recognizes King Henry VI in disguise

Messenger

Military courier and bearer of urgent news
In the app

Hear every line of Henry VI, Part 3, narrated.

Synced read-along narration: every character's voice, words highlighting as they're spoken — so you never lose a line.

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