Henry VI, Part III

Henry VI, Part III

By William Shakespeare.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dramatis Personae
4. Henry VI, Part III
   1. Act I
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
   2. Act II
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
   3. Act III
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
   4. Act IV
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
      7. Scene VII
      8. Scene VIII
   5. Act V
      1. Scene I
      2. Scene II
      3. Scene III
      4. Scene IV
      5. Scene V
      6. Scene VI
      7. Scene VII
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for Massachusetts Institute of Technology and on digital scans available at the HathiTrust Digital Library.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven project that produces ebook editions of public domain literature using modern typography, technology, and editorial standards, and distributes them free of cost. You can download this and other ebooks carefully produced for true book lovers at standardebooks.org.

Dramatis Personae

• King Henry the Sixth

• Edward, Prince of Wales, his son

• Lewis XI King of France

• Duke of Somerset

• Duke of Exeter

• Earl of Oxford

• Earl of Northumberland

• Earl of Westmoreland

• Lord Clifford

• Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York

• Edward, Earl of March, afterwards King Edward IV, his son

• Edmund, Earl of Rutland, his son

• George, afterwards Duke of Clarence, his son

• Richard, afterwards Duke of Gloucester, his son

• Duke of Norfolk

• Marquess of Montague

• Earl of Warwick

• Earl of Pembroke

• Lord Hastings

• Lord Stafford

• Sir John Mortimer, uncle to the Duke of York

• Sir Hugh Mortimer, uncle to the Duke of York

• Henry, Earl of Richmond, a youth

• Lord Rivers, brother to Lady Grey

• Sir William Stanley

• Sir John Montgomery

• Sir John Somerville

• Tutor to Rutland. Mayor of York

• Lieutenant of the Tower. A nobleman

• Two Keepers. A huntsman

• A son that has killed his father

• A father that has killed his son

• Queen Margaret

• Lady Grey, afterwards Queen to Edward IV

• Bona, sister to the French Queen

• Soldiers, attendants, messengers, watchmen, etc.

Scene: England and France.

Henry VI, Part III

Act I

Scene I

London. The Parliament-house.

	Alarum. Enter the Duke of York, Edward, Richard, Norfolk, Montague, Warwick, and Soldiers.
Warwick	I wonder how the king escaped our hands.
York	While we pursued the horsemen of the north, He slyly stole away and left his men: Whereat the great Lord of Northumberland, Whose warlike ears could never brook retreat, Cheer’d up the drooping army; and himself, Lord Clifford and Lord Stafford, all abreast, Charged our main battle’s front, and breaking in Were by the swords of common soldiers slain.
Edward	Lord Stafford’s father, Duke of Buckingham, Is either slain or wounded dangerously; I cleft his beaver with a downright blow: That this is true, father, behold his blood.
Montague	And, brother, here’s the Earl of Wiltshire’s blood, Whom I encounter’d as the battles join’d.
Richard	Speak thou for me and tell them what I did. Throwing down the Duke of Somerset’s head.
York	Richard hath best deserved of all my sons. But is your grace dead, my Lord of Somerset?
Norfolk	Such hope have all the line of John of Gaunt!
Richard	Thus do I hope to shake King Henry’s head.
Warwick	And so do I. Victorious Prince of York, Before I see thee seated in that throne Which now the house of Lancaster usurps, I vow by heaven these eyes shall never close. This is the palace of the fearful king, And this the regal seat: possess it, York; For this is thine and not King Henry’s heirs’.
York	Assist me, then, sweet Warwick, and I will; For hither we have broken in by force.
Norfolk	We’ll all assist you; he that flies shall die.
York	Thanks, gentle Norfolk: stay by me, my lords; And, soldiers, stay and lodge by me this night. They go up.
Warwick	And when the king comes, offer him no violence, Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.
York	The queen this day here holds her parliament, But little thinks we shall be of her council: By words or blows here let us win our right.
Richard	Arm’d as we are, let’s stay within this house.
Warwick	The bloody parliament shall this be call’d, Unless Plantagenet, Duke of York, be king, And bashful Henry deposed, whose cowardice Hath made us by-words to our enemies.
York	Then leave me not, my lords; be resolute; I mean to take possession of my right.
Warwick	Neither the king, nor he that loves him best, The proudest he that holds up Lancaster, Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shake his bells. I’ll plant Plantagenet, root him up who dares: Resolve thee, Richard; claim the English crown.
	Flourish. Enter King Henry, Clifford, Northumberland, Westmoreland, Exeter, and the rest.
King Henry	My lords, look where the sturdy rebel sits, Even in the chair of state: belike he means, Back’d by the power of Warwick, that false peer, To aspire unto the crown and reign as king. Earl of Northumberland, he slew thy father, And thine, Lord Clifford; and you both have vow’d revenge On him, his sons, his favourites and his friends.
Northumberland	If I be not, heavens be revenged on me!
Clifford	The hope thereof makes Clifford mourn in steel.
Westmoreland	What, shall we suffer this? let’s pluck him down: My heart for anger burns; I cannot brook it.
King Henry	Be patient, gentle Earl of Westmoreland.
Clifford	Patience is for poltroons, such as he: He durst not sit there, had your father lived. My gracious lord, here in