Henry VI Part 3 Act 3, Scene 3 Summary

Read the full text of Henry VI Part 3 Act 3 Scene 3 with a side-by-side translation HERE.


  • Bonjour. We're at the French court, where Lewis (the French king, aka Louis) and Margaret discuss Henry's predicament. She and Prince Edward tell him the whole story and ask for his help.
  • It's looking good: Lewis seems to like Margaret, and he tries to come up with a plan to calm the storm for her.
  • Enter Warwick, who boldly asks Lewis to give him Lady Bona (Lewis's sis) for Edward. She'll be queen of England if he hands her over.
  • Warwick also tells Lady Bona that he knows of her virtue and beauty, and he sends Edward's love to her.
  • Margaret whispers to us in the audience that if Lady Bona and Edward get hitched, it will all go downhill for Henry. So we know what's at stake.
  • Margaret speaks up and tells Lewis and Lady Bona that Edward is a tyrant who is only trying to marry her to secure his alliance with France. The real king—Henry—is alive and well, and so is his son.
  • Warwick is insulted that Margaret is calling Edward a tyrant, and he says so. Henry is the usurper here, he says. There's a whole lot of mud-throwing between them, and Warwick and Oxford fight with one another, too.
  • Lewis interrupts the bickering to tell Margaret and her posse that he'll talk to Warwick for a sec. He asks Warwick if Edward is the "true king," because he doesn't want to end up on the wrong side.
  • Lewis has other questions too: Is Edward gracious? Does he really love Lady Bona?
  • Lewis doesn't want to hand Lady Bona off to a guy who's cruel and doesn't care for her.
  • When Lewis is satisfied with Warwick's answers, he asks Bona what she thinks. She says she's always liked the sound of Edward and would love to marry him.
  • It's settled, Lewis proclaims. He breaks the news to Margaret, who calls Warwick a liar and a cheat.
  • Mail call: letters arrive for everyone. While Margaret, Warwick, and Lewis are reading, Oxford notices that Margaret smiles and Warwick frowns at whatever news they just got.
  • Lewis asks them what the news is. When Lewis finds out that Edward has run off and married Lady Grey, he's ticked.
  • Warwick is shocked, too. He's embarrassed that Edward sent him all the way there to fix him up with Bona only to back out of the deal at the last minute. Not cool, man.
  • Warwick turns his back on Edward and joins up with Henry's side again. Margaret forgives him and asks for Lewis's help.
  • Bona thinks this is a great idea; after all, she's got egg on her face, too. She's just been rejected by the guy she admitted she was crushing on. It's been a busy afternoon.
  • Warwick has also heard that George might stop supporting his brother too, so it looks like it's the perfect time to be against Edward.
  • Warwick takes it even further: he wants to make sure Margaret knows that he will be totally loyal to her (even though he was just insulting her up the wazoo). So he proposes that his daughter and Margaret's son (Prince Edward) get hitched.
  • Everyone agrees: Warwick's daughter will soon be Mrs. Prince Edward. Lewis will back the new-and-improved Henry campaign to keep the crown.
  • Once everyone leaves, Warwick thinks about what just happened. He came as an ambassador for Edward, but he's going home as Edward's "mortal foe." Hmm… isn't it weird, he says, that he was Edward's number one fan on his way to the crown, and now he'll be the one to take that crown off his head?