York: The Father Who Started It All
First appears: Act 1, Scene 1
York dies early in Part III, captured at Wakefield and killed at the orders of Margaret. But his presence shadows the entire play. Everything the York sons do, they do in his name.
His death scene, where Margaret mocks him with a paper crown and wipes his face with a cloth dipped in his son Rutland's blood, is one of the most extreme acts of cruelty in the history plays. His response is a long speech of grief and defiance that is genuinely powerful.
His sons inherit both his claim and his character: Edward his ambition, Richard his cunning.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“She-wolf of France, but worse than wolves of France, Whose tongue more poisons than the adder's tooth!”
Duke of York — Act 1, Scene 4
“Richard, enough; I will be king, or die.”
Duke of York — Act 1, Scene 2
Themes
Other Characters in Henry VI, Part III
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