Shakespeare2020: King Henry VI, part iii

If you want wars, this is the play for you. It's a constant circle of Henry in charge, Henry in charge (via York), then York, then Henry (via Queen Margaret), then York (via Warwick), then Henry (via Warwick), then York (via Richard, Duke of Gloucester). To me, this is the warm-up to the splendidness that is Richard III.  (Also, the love for Richmond--eventual Henry VII--is pretty obsequious. Shakespeare is good at that. I love that man.)

To prove that I'm right about the warm-up, Shakespeare included the longest soliloquy that he ever wrote (III.ii.124–195); he gave it to Richard, Duke of Gloucester (who will be Richard III soon!). It's a gorgeous piece of writing and it begins the themes that Shakespeare will later use with R3, namely that in between the bloodthirsty ambition of Richard, there's a likeability and an honesty that resonates with audiences.

Of course, the play is called Henry VI and we do get to see that weak excuse of a monarch quite a bit. (I'm not positive, but I think he gets more lines in this play than in part ii--and of course it's more than he gets in part i.) In Act I, Henry is more than happy to throw his progeny to the wolves if he can keep power for a little longer. By Act II, when Henry sees the son who has killed his father and the father who has killed his son, Shakespeare uses Henry as less of a monarch and more to develop a connection to the audience.

Now, when it comes to women, there are a lot of interesting elements in this play.
a. Queen Margaret is rightfully pissed off, and it's invigorating. She's the whole reason that we have a play because, if it wasn't for her, Henry would roll over. She fights (and, boy, does Richard initially underestimate a woman's army! underestimating women is a move that Richard will repeat again), she plots, she plans, she inveigles, she whines, she protests, she wins, she loses, she kills, she lives, she protects.
b. Lady Grey, who becomes Edward's Queen, doesn't have much personal power in this play. But Edward wooing her is a master lesson in awkwardness and, of course, Edward thinking with his nether regions causes so many unnecessary problems. When will men learn??  :)
c. Connected to Queen Margaret: "O tiger's heart wrapt in a woman's hide!" (I.iv.137). It's one of my favorite lines and I kind of like to try to emulate that line whenever I'm trying something new or someone seems to say that I'm just not good enough or that women aren't strong.

That's a wrap on Henry VI and I'm breaking from the Shakespeare2020 line-up so that I can go straight on to Richard III! We're ready to trade in kingdoms for a horse!  :)