Richard Plantagenet: The White Rose
First appears: Act 2, Scene 4
Richard Plantagenet begins the play as a man whose title has been stripped from him. He argues, in the Temple Garden scene, that the Yorkist claim to the throne is legitimate, and invites others to declare their allegiance by picking either a white or a red rose.
That scene is largely Shakespeare's invention, but it gives the Wars of the Roses an origin story of dangerous clarity. A political argument becomes a visual emblem; the emblem becomes a blood feud.
Henry VI restores his dukedom in Act 3. By the end of the play, Plantagenet (now Duke of York) is already calculating how far his claim might take him.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“And, by my soul, this pale and angry rose, As cognizance of my blood-drinking hate, Will I for ever and my faction wear, Until it wither with me to my grave Or flourish to the height of my degree.”
Richard Plantagenet — Act 2, Scene 4
“Since you are tongue-tied and so loath to speak, In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts.”
Richard Plantagenet — Act 2, Scene 4
Themes
Other Characters in Henry VI, Part I
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