This play was first published as an octavo in 1595 under the title
THE TRUE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD
DUKE OF YORK, AND THE DEATH OF
THE GOOD KING HENRY THE SIXT,
WITH THE WHOLE CONTENTION BETWEEN
THE TWO HOUSES LANCASTER
AND YORKE
This octavo was reprinted twice in 1600 (Q2) and in 1619 (Q3). The underlying copy was, in all likelihood, a reported text vastly inferior to that of the 1623 First Folio. Copy for F were the foul papers with occasional reference to Q3 (where foul papers may have been damaged).
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F gives no subdivisions of ACTS & SCENES. ACTS 2 to 4 were first established by Rowe (1709) and ACT 5 by Pope (1728). The Standard division of ACTS & SCENES — as a whole — was established by Capell (1768).
1.1: line 1 (reads “Scene begins at line 1”)
1.2: line 307
1.3: line 399
1.4: line 457
2.1: line 651
2.2: line 870
2.3: line 1056
2.4: line 1119
2.5: line 1134
2.6: line 1281
3.1: line 1396
3.2: line 1500
3.3: line 1720
4.1: line 2016
4.2: line 2186
4.3: line 2220
4.4: line 2303
4.5: line 2341
4.6: line 2378
4.7: line 2491
4.8: line 2600
5.1: line 2672
5.2: line 2799
5.3: line 2855
5.4: line 2971
5.5: line 3072
5.6: line 3170
FINIS @ line 3218
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Entrances & exits of Characters
According to their order of appearance.
• (2,80) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 80″.
• (3020 [rip 3051] 3131)
reads “enters at line 3020, dies at line 3051, corpse exits at line 3131).
• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.
YORK
(2,234) (313,398) (457 [rip 646], 650) RIP
EDWARD (later King Edward IV)
(2,234) (307,398) (651,869) (954,1054) (1062,1118) (1311,1395) (1500,1646) (2026,2185) (2237,2295) (2356,2378) (2491,2599) (2656,2671) (2690,2798) (2799,2805) (2855,2880) (2952,2970) (2971,3071) (3170,3217)
RICHARD (later Duke of York)
(2,234) (307,398) (651,869) (954,1054) (1073,1118) (1119,1133) (1311,1395) (1500,1719) (2026,2185) (2258) (2341,2378) (2491,2599) (2656,2671) (2690,2798) (2856,2880) (2952,2970) (2971,3030) (3172,3169) (3170,3217)
MONTAGUE
(2,237) (308,379) (751,869) (955,1054) (1312,1395) (2016,2185) (2380,2476) (2600,2634) (2747,2798) RIP
WARWICK
(3,235) (751,869) (954,1054) (1055,1118) (1131,1133) (1311,1395) (1773,2015) (2016,2185) (2186,2219) (2246,2302) (2379,2476) (2600,2634) (2672,2798) (2800,2854) RIP
KING HENRY
(56,306) (870,1054) (1134,1280) (1410,1499) (2379,2476) (2600,2663) (3072 [rip 3135] 3169) RIP
CLIFFORD
(56,211) (402,456) (485,650) (870,1054) (1119,1131) (1281 [rip 1323] 1395) RIP
Northumberland
(56,209) (485,650) (870,1054)
Exeter
(56,306) (1264,1280) (2636,2663)
QUEEN MARGARET
(239,295) (485,650) (870,1054) (1263,1280) (1723,2005) (2881,2970) (2971,3063)
PRINCE EDWARD
(239,295) (486,650) (871,1054) (1264,1280) (1722,2005) (2882,2970) (2985 [rip 3018] 3071) RIP
Rutland
(399 [rip 452] 456) RIP
CLARENCE (2nd son of York)
(954,1054) (1067,1118) (1312,1395) (1500,1646) (2016,2156) (2246,2302) (2379,2476) (2601,2634) (2758,2798) (2856,2880) (2953,2970) (2971,3071) (3170,3217) (3170,3217)
LADY GRAY (later Queen to Edward IV)
(1500,1646) (2026,2185) (2303,2340) (3170,3217)
King Louis
(1721,2005)
OXFORD
(1723,2005) (2186,2219) (2246,2302) (2380,2490) (2601,2634) (2737,2798) (2830,2854) (2882,2970) (2972,2979)
SOMERSET (3rd Duke)
(2016,2156) (2246,2302) (2380,2490) (2601,2634) (2830,2854) (2882,2970) RIP
Rivers
(2303,2340)
Richmond (future King Henry VII)
(2380,2490)
Hastings
(2027,2185) (2259) (2341,2378) (2491,2599) (3170,3217)
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PRINCIPAL PLOT: “The War of the Roses”
SUBPLOT #1 (1.1 to 1.4)
As the Folio’s subtitle suggests, the first subplot concerns the capture & death of YORK at the hands of the Lancaster faction.
SUBPLOT #2 (2.1 to 3.1)
Concerns the Rise of his son EDWARD to the throne.
SUBPLOT #3 (3.2 to 4.6)
Concerns the Neville’s (WARWICK and MONTAGUE) disenchantment with the newly crowned Edward IV and their reinstatement of Henry as king.
SUBPLOT #4 (4.7 to 5.2)
Concerns Edward’s rise back to the throne and the final defeat (and death) of the Nevilles.
SUBPLOT #5 (5.3 to 5.7)
Concerns the deaths of PRINCE EDWARD and of HENRY VI at the hands of Richard (in preparation for the next play).
In keeping with 1 & 2 HENRY VI:
The YORKISTS are
YORK
EDWARD
RICHARD
RUTLAND
LADY GRAY
RIVERS
HASTINGS.
The LANCASTRIANS are
KING HENRY
CLIFFORD
NORTHUMBERLAND
EXETER
QUEEN MARGARET
PRINCE EDWARD
OXFORD
SOMERSET.
Three characters, WARWICK, MONTAGUE, & CLARENCE, switch allegiances:
• WARWICK switches from York to Lancaster at 3.3 (line 1930);
• CLARENCE switches from York to Lancaster at 4.1 (line 2150), and moves back again to York at 5.1 (line 2764);
• MONTAGUE switches from York to Lancaster at 4.6 (2380).
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• Battle of Wakefield (398,479)
• Battle of Towton (1056,1311)
• Capture of Edward IV by Warwick (2246,2259)
• Battle of Barnet (2799,2854)
• Battle of Tewkesbury (2945,2970)
HENRY is DISGUISED (presumably — given his prayerbook —as a wandering cleric or monk) from TLN 1410 to TLN 1467