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.
Edward IV
The ambitious young king who claims the throne and fights to hold it against Warwick's betrayal · young man
The Earl of Warwick
The Kingmaker—ambitious power broker who raises and deposes kings, undone by his own overreach · Middle-aged
King Henry VI
Pious but broken king, witness to the collapse of order · Around thirty
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
The crooked, brilliant plotter who emerges as the play's darkest force
Queen Margaret of Anjou
Warrior-queen and avenger; the play's most active and dangerous force · Mid-thirties
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Ambitious youngest son of York; proto-Machiavellian schemer · youngest son
Richard, Duke of York
Ambitious nobleman whose claim to the throne ignites the Wars of the Roses · Middle-aged
Lord Clifford
Vengeful soldier; instrument of Margaret's rage and architect of York's death
Edward
Eldest son of York; becomes King Edward IV; ambitious and impulsive prince · 16 (approx. at play's start)
George, Duke of Clarence
Ambitious York brother; wavering between loyalty and self-interest
Lady Grey
Widow petitioner who becomes queen through wit and negotiation · adult
King Lewis XI
King of France; arbiter of dynastic claims and alliance-broker
Montague
Loyal York commander and warrior; brother to Warwick
Northumberland
Lancaster's angry earl; voice of vengeance against York
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)
Somerset
Lancaster loyalist and military commander
Duke of Exeter
Loyal counselor to King Henry VI; voice of mercy and conscience amid civil war
Earl of Oxford
Steadfast Lancaster loyalist and military commander
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
Earl Rutland
Innocent victim of civil war; York's youngest son · seventeen (described as a child for dramatic effect)
First Keeper
A forest gamekeeper who recognizes King Henry VI in disguise
Queen Elizabeth (Lady Grey)
Widow and new queen; advocate for her children's security amid civil war · young widow
George, Duke of Clarence
Ambitious York brother; wavering loyalist torn between family and self-interest
Messenger
Military courier and bearer of urgent news
Westmoreland
Lancaster loyalist and fierce warrior
Hear every line of Henry VI, Part 3, narrated.
