Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3 (Vol. 74) | John D. Cox and Eric Rasmussen (essay date 2001)
John D. Cox and Eric Rasmussen (essay date 2001)
SOURCE: Cox, John D., and Eric Rasmussen. Introduction to King Henry VI Part 3, by William Shakespeare, edited by John D. Cox and Eric Rasmussen, pp. 1-176. London: Arden Shakespeare, 2001.
[In the following excerpt, Cox and Rasmussen review the characters of Henry and Richard. They note that there is an ongoing debate among critics regarding whether King Henry is a symbol of saintliness or ineptitude; however, they find that most critics agree that Richard's character is evil.]
HENRY
Of the two characters who have been most discussed in 3 Henry VI, Henry has been regarded least consistently. To some interpreters, he has appeared to be a good man in a bad situation, capable of doing no wrong himself but destroyed by the wrongs of others. ‘This gentle, bewildered soul makes the only human remarks in [2 Henry VI]’, John Masefield observed. ‘In Shakespeare's vision...
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