Allusion List for Henry VI Part 3 and Richard III

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Classical, Mythological, Biblical, and Historical allusions found in Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 3 and Richard III.

Helen, Menelaus, and Agamemnon

Greek epic figures referenced in Act 2. Helen’s departure for Troy sparked the Trojan War; Menelaus was her husband and Agamemnon his brother. Edward uses the story to insult Margaret and blame her for Henry’s political losses.

Phoebus and Phaëton

Greek myth figures referenced in Act 2. Phoebus is the Roman sun god, and Phaëton is his mortal son who asks to drive Phoebus' chariot and cannot control the horses, leading Zeus to kill Phaëton with a lightning bolt. Clifford faults Henry for letting the Yorkists rise, as if a ruler had surrendered the reins.

Julius Caesar

Roman history figure referenced in Acts 3 and 5. The most famous and successful Roman battle commander who helped expand Rome's reach and authority. Associated with tyranny since he accepted the title of "dictator for life" of Rome before being assassinated by Roman senators.

Proteus

A minor sea god in Greek Mythology who was able to assume different shapes at will.

Sinon

Trojan War figure who, according to Virgil, used lies to convince the Trojans to accept as a gift the wooden horse containing concealed Greek soldiers who later sacked Troy.

Machiavelli

Italian political philosopher known as a depraved advocate of political cunning and ruthlessness.

Basilisk/Cockatrice

Mythological beasts that became interchangeable by the Middle Ages. The Cockatrice was a half-bird, half-serpent. The Basilisk was a mythical reptile hatched from a cock’s egg whose venom and look or gaze was fatal.

Nestor

The oldest of the Greek kings who fought for Agamemnon in the Trojan War, famous for his skill in speech and considered a figure of wisdom and good council.

Ulysses

Cunning hero of Homer’s Odyssey (also known as Odysseus in Greek).

The Furies (also Eumenides)

The three goddesses of revenge who punished crimes that went against the natural order, such as murder, killing one’s parents, perjury, and crimes against the gods.

Nemesis

Greek goddess of retribution who kept equilibrium in the human world by punishing hubris (excessive pride), undeserved good fortune, and evil deeds.

Hydra

Multi-headed snake monster whose heads would multiply after being cut off until eventually killed by Hercules. Often invoked when describing an impossible task.

River Styx

The river that separates the living from the dead in Greek mythology.

Charon

The boatman in Greek mythology who ferries souls across the river Styx.

Fortune/Fortuna and the Wheel

The Roman goddess of luck or chance who symbolizes the uncertainty of life, portrayed by the Middle Ages as turning a wheel that controls men's fate to show men cannot control their fate.

Phoenix

Mythological bird that symbolizes rebirth. It builds its next out of the twigs of exotic spices and twigs, and when it dies, its nest catches fire and a new bird is born out of its ashes.

The Devil/Satan

In Christian tradition (Ezekiel 28, Isaiah 14), an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. In the Old Testament, he tests human goodness and faith under limits set by God, while in the New Testament he is the straightforward enemy of God.

Pontius Pilate

The Roman official in Jueda (New Testament, Matthew 27) who presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his Crucifixion. He made a public show of washing his hands in front of the crowd to place the execution blame on them.

Cain and Abel

Old Testament brothers (Genesis 4) and children of Adam and Eve. Cain murders Abel out of jealousy.

Martyrs

Early Christian church figures who accepted execution by the Romans rather than give up their faith, often tortured and killed in painful and dramatic fashion.

King Herod the Great

King of Judea (Matthew 2) who attempted to kill Jesus by ordering the Massacre of the Innocents, in which all infant boys under two in the vicinity of Bethlehem were killed.

The sun(s) of York

Dynastic emblem and wordplay referenced in Act 1 Scene 1. Refers to a meteorological event of parhelion (three suns in the sky caused by ice crystals) before the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross in 1461, later adopted by Edward IV as his emblem.

Saint George and the dragon

Christian legend and English patron saint traditionally pictured defeating a dragon, referenced in Act 5 Scene 3. Both sides invoke him at Bosworth to show that religious and national symbols can serve rival political claims.

The red and white roses

Dynastic symbols referenced in Act 5 Scene 5. Lancaster is associated with the red rose, York with the white rose. Richmond’s (Henry Tudor) promised union of the houses uses the Tudor rose (a combination of red and white petals) as his emblem to signal an end to civil conflict.