Act 3 of Henry VI, part 2 runs 838 lines across 3 scenes with 16 speaking characters — about 26.8% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — King Henry Vi: “I muse my Lord of Gloucester is not come:”
Closes (Scene 3) — King Henry Vi: “Close up his eyes and draw the curtain close;”
The 3 scenes of Act 3
Who speaks in Act 3
Leading voice: Queen Margaret with 23% of Act 3’s dialogue (195 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Margaret ♀ | 195 | 23.3% |
| Suffolk ♂ | 159 | 19.0% |
| King Henry Vi ♂ | 135 | 16.1% |
| York ♂ | 96 | 11.5% |
| Gloucester ♂ | 70 | 8.4% |
| Warwick ♂ | 67 | 8.0% |
| Cardinal ♂ | 46 | 5.5% |
Characters first heard in Act 3
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 3 range from Scene 3 (34 lines, the shortest) to Scene 2 (417 lines, the longest), averaging about 279 lines per scene.
Who carries the voice in Act 3
Act 3 reflects the play’s overall balance — 23% female dialogue (play average: 15%).
Act 3
Male 643 · Female 195
How Act 3 of Henry VI, part 2 compares to other histories
| Play | Act 3 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry VI, part 2 (this act) | 838 | 3 |
| Richard III | 836 | 7 |
| Henry VIII | 737 | 2 |
| Henry V | 700 | 8 |
| Henry IV, part 1 | 654 | 2 |
| King John | 635 | 4 |
| Richard II | 590 | 4 |
| Henry VI, part 3 | 581 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 1 | 492 | 4 |
| Henry IV, part 2 | 424 | 2 |
About Act 3 of Henry VI, part 2
How many lines are in Act 3 of Henry VI, part 2?
838 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 3?
Queen Margaret delivers 23% of the act’s dialogue (195 lines).