Warwick: The Man Who Made and Broke Kings
First appears: Act 1, Scene 1
Warwick is the Earl of Warwick, known to history as 'the Kingmaker,' and in Part III he earns the name. He is the political force that puts Edward IV on the throne. Without Warwick's armies and connections, the Yorkists would not have won.
When Edward marries Lady Grey in secret rather than the French princess Warwick had arranged on his behalf, Warwick switches sides. He defects to the Lancastrians, marries his daughter to the Lancastrian Prince Edward, and goes to war against the king he made.
He dies at the Battle of Barnet in Act 5. His speech about how all his power has come to nothing is one of the play's most genuine moments of pathos.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“Why, what is pomp, rule, reign, but earth and dust? And, live we how we can, yet die we must.”
Earl of Warwick — Act 5, Scene 2
Themes
Other Characters in Henry VI, Part III
Test Your Knowledge
Think you know your Shakespeare? Put it to the test with one of our free quizzes.
See all quizzes →