William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part 3
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
York's house and the house of Lancaster tear England apart in a cycle of battles and revenge that raises the future Richard III.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (113 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (100 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
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- Genre
- History
- Written
- c. 1590–1592
- Setting
- England and France
- Scenes
- 28
- Speaking roles
- 45
- Uncut running time
- ~2h 55m
What happens in Henry VI, Part 3
York claims the throne and the weak Henry VI agrees to name him as heir, disinheriting his own son. Queen Margaret refuses and raises an army. York is captured and humiliated before he is killed, and his sons Edward, George and Richard swear revenge. Edward becomes king, supported by the Earl of Warwick, until he offends Warwick by marrying Lady Grey instead of a French princess.
Warwick changes sides and drives Edward out, but Edward returns and wins the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury. Warwick dies, Henry VI is imprisoned and murdered in the Tower by Richard, and Margaret's son is killed. Richard, who has been plotting his own path to the crown, stands at the end as the most dangerous man in England.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 45 characters speak; 25 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| Warwick | | 102 |
| King Henry VI | | 72 |
| King Edward IV | | 102 |
| Queen Margaret | | 54 |
| Gloucester | | 69 |
| York | | 40 |
| Richard | | 43 |
| Clifford | | 35 |
For directors
Warwick has about 15 percent of the words, Henry VI 13, Edward IV 10 and Queen Margaret 10, so leadership is shared across several parts, with seven roles over 5 percent. Richard, later Richard III, is not among the top three but is crucial. The 45 speaking roles, 25 under 1 percent, allow doubling, and the battles can be staged with a small company. The uncut estimate of 175 minutes is long.
Cutting notes
- Trim the battle scenes in Act II and Act V, keeping Towton, Barnet and Tewkesbury as short as possible.
- Shorten the French embassy scene where Warwick's mission is overturned by Edward's marriage.
- Reduce the exchanges among the Yorkist brothers that restate their ambitions.
For teachers
Students study civil war and its human cost, the failure of kingship, revenge, and the growth of Richard of Gloucester as a figure of ambition. Frequently taught passages include the molehill speech of Henry VI, the humiliation and death of York, the son who kills his father and the father who kills his son, and Richard's soliloquy about the crown. The play leads directly into Richard III.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of Henry VI, Part 3?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 28 scenes and about 23,400 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this Henry VI, Part 3 script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
