King Henry VI, Part 3 | Page 3

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THE HISTORY OF KING HENRY THE SIXTH, THIRD PART
by William Shakespeare
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 Gloster, 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.
ACT I
SCENE I. London. The Parliament-house
[Alarum. Enter DUKE of YORK, EDWARD, RICHARD, NORFOLK,?MONTAGUE, WARWICK, and Soldiers.]
WARWICK.?I wonder how the king escap'd 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,?Charg'd 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.
[Showing his bloody sword.]
MONTAGUE.?And, brother, here 's the Earl of Wiltshire's blood,
[To York, showing his.]
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 deserv'd 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.
WARWICK.?And when the king comes, offer him no violence,?Unless he seek to thrust you out perforce.
[They retire.]
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 depos'd, whose cowardice?Hath made us bywords 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.
[Warwick leads York to the throne, who seats himself.]
[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