Michael Finocchiaro's Reviews > Henry VI, Part 3

A very lively end to the Henry VI trilogy, this one sees the fortunes of Henry VI and his heir Edward IV wane as the evil star of Richard III prepares his entry in the last episode!

The high point is probably the great soliloquy of Richard III as he begins his bloody ascent.
Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile,
And cry "Content" to that which grieves my heart,
And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
And frame my face to all occasions.
Henry VI Part 3, Act 3, scene ii

This speech will be rephrased at the beginning of Richard III with the famous "Winter of our discontent" soliloquy so amazingly performed by Laurence Olivier in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5JF9...
One of my friends pointed me to a hilarious parody of this same scene with Peter Sellers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLEMn...

In any case, it is best to read this one and see how Edward IV comes to the throne because the denouement of the whole story in Richard III is so absolutely stupefying.

I found that the BBC's Hollow Crown Season 2 did an interesting job with this one although they compressed the three Henry VI plays into 2 episodes eliminating the Jack Cade rebellion. That being said, Benedict Cumberbatch was an extraordinary Richard III in this production. Any suggestions for other versions are welcome!

Fino's Reviews of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism
Comedies
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
A Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613)

Histories
Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Richard III (1593-1594)
Richard II (1595-1596)
King John (1596-1597)
Edward III (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry VIII (1612-1612)

Tragedies
Titus Andronicus (1592-1593)
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Othello (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Pericles (1608-1609)

Shakespearean Criticism
The Wheel of Fire by Wilson Knight
A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare's Roman Plays and Their Background by M W MacCallum
Shakespearean Criticism 1919-1935 compiled by Anne Ridler
Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley
Shakespeare's Sexual Comedy by Hugh M. Richmond
Shakespeare: The Comedies by R.P. Draper
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro

Collections of Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the Rape of Lucrece and Other Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
The Complete Oxford Shakespeare