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In the first two parts of the Henry VI sequence, the title character played a minor role. Constantly overshadowed by his scheming courtiers and increasingly subject to his wife’s manipulation, Henry lacked the experience and authority to be an effective ruler. His response was to recede into the background, withdrawing for the purpose of philosophical contemplation and religious devotion. Meanwhile, his kingdom fell increasingly into ruin. In this play, Henry remains a passive figure, but his presence is arguably more significant than it was in the previous two parts. For one thing, Henry frequently plays the role of a prophet in Part 3. He makes his first prediction already in the opening scene, where he correctly foresees his imminent downfall: “All will revolt from me and turn to [York]” (1.1.152). Later prophecies in the play point both toward the terrible reign of Richard III as well as, briefly, toward “England’s hope” (4.7.68) in the earl of Richmond, who will eventually kill Richard III and take the throne as Henry VII, England’s first Tudor king. Thus, even as he moves toward the end of his reign and his life, Henry is the character who sees furthest into England’s future.
A key issue for Henry in this play is the degree of his culpability for what has happened to his kingdom. Henry wants to see himself as innocent, a victim even. He’s eager to deflect blame for any problems England faced during the time the former duke of Gloucester was installed as Lord Protector. He also pities himself for the lot he has been given in life. For the first time in the Henry VI plays, we hear the king reflect directly on how little he appreciates the royal inheritance left to him by his father, an observation that helps keep him from feeling too guilty about disinheriting his own son. Yet however unfortunate his position, Henry isn’t entirely free of blame. His indulgent marriage to Margaret cost the kingdom a large tract of territory, which became a hot-button political issue for nobles and commoners alike. Then there is the matter of his passivity, which in this play is evidenced by the scene where he sits on a hill, fantasizing about life as a shepherd while watching soldiers slaughter each other below. Ultimately, Henry can’t escape his own complicity. Though he attempts to flee to the Scottish countryside, he is captured and returned to the center of conflict, where he is imprisoned and eventually murdered.
