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Summary
King Louis of France enters his throne room with Lady Bonnë, Prince Edward, Margaret, and Oxford. Louis bids Margaret to sit by him and tell him her troubles. She relates that Henry has fled to Scotland while Edward has taken the throne. With her son, she begs Louis’s aid.
Then, Warwick enters. He announces his greetings from Edward and asks Louis to grant the new king the hand of Lady Bonnë. Margaret interrupts to declare that Edward is a tyrant, for tyrants always want to make allies abroad so they may safely rule at home. Henry still lives, she reminds Louis, as does his son, which makes Edward illegitimate. Warwick brings up the past, repeating the claim that Henry is a usurper, since his grandfather took the throne illegally from Richard II. Warwick and Oxford argue, and Louis asks to speak to Warwick alone.
Louis asks Warwick if Edward is legally installed as king and if he genuinely loves Lady Bonnë. Warwick assures him of Edward’s support and of his love for Lady Bonnë. Louis decides to give her to Edward, and he breaks the news to Margaret. Louis explains that Henry’s claim to the throne seems weak, since he was ousted; thus, he supports Edward.
A messenger enters with letters for Louis, Warwick, and Margaret. All the letters report that Edward has married Lady Grey. Louis is infuriated that Edward should scorn Lady Bonnë and, with her, all of France. Warwick tells Louis that Edward has dishonored him by sending him on a fool’s errand. He renounces Edward and declares a new allegiance to Henry. He asks Margaret to forgive him, and she does.
Warwick asks Louis to lend some soldiers to force Edward from the throne. He has heard that George is also likely to break with his brother, strengthening their cause. Louis agrees. They send messages to Edward. Warwick offers Margaret assurance that he supports her by offering his daughter in marriage to Prince Edward. As everyone departs, Warwick reflects on how quickly things change: he has just put Edward on the throne, and now he will remove him.
Analysis
The closing scene of act 3 is tense with dramatic irony. For her part, Margaret has come to France on behalf of her husband, whom she believes to have escaped to Scotland. As long as he’s alive and free, she assumes she still has a chance of clinging to power. However, the audience knows that Henry was captured before he managed to cross the border into Scotland. Though he’s still alive, he is currently being held prisoner in the Tower of London. Meanwhile, Warwick arrives at Louis’s court to request the hand of his sister-in-law on behalf of King Edward. Warwick takes his role as ambassador seriously, and he conducts himself accordingly, assuring the French king both of Edward’s stability and of his genuine desire for Lady Bonnë’s hand. Here again, the audience knows that neither claim is true. Richard is already plotting against his brother, which makes the stability of Edward’s support less than certain. Also worrisome is the fact that Edward has decided to marry Lady Grey, which effectively annuls the task Warwick has been sent to complete. As the audience looks on, we feel a growing sense of unease, knowing that the negotiations playing out before us are doomed from the start.
Yet we don’t have to wait long before the breakdown begins. When the messenger enters with letters for each of the three main negotiators, it’s clear that the ground is about to shift. And when it’s revealed that Edward has gone ahead with his marriage to Lady Grey, everything changes suddenly and dramatically. Perhaps most shocking is Warwick’s sudden change of heart. After all he’s done to support the Yorkist claim to the throne, it’s surprising that he would break his vow to Edward with so little reflection. Yet Warwick’s sudden change of allegiance is also understandable. For one thing, his chief loyalty was to the former duke of York, who died in act 1. He sacrificed a great deal to support York, and Edward has just trivialized that sacrifice by negating Warwick’s efforts in France. Furthermore, Warwick must protect himself against Louis’s fury. Though he is merely an ambassador, Warwick is endangered by the French king’s suspicion that he has conspired to humiliate France. Thus, Warwick’s change of sides is a matter of pride as well as personal safety.
