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Who Are The Main Characters In The Sunne In Splendour?

2026-03-24 00:51:01

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4 Answers

Flynn

If you enjoy reading medieval drama with plenty of family conflict then ‘The Sunne in Splendour’ is a cracking good read. The main character is of course Richard III but also a great deal is made of Edward IV, the golden boy with a dark secret. The Lady of the House is Elizabeth Woodville and she is a clever lady who has to play a long game in a world where women are mostly seen and not heard. Many minor characters are also drawn well including George Clarence, the hot mess express and Anne Neville, the hardworking and underestimated Queen. Penman brings them all to life in such a way that you can easily imagine you are watching a gritty and complex HBO series, before HBO was even thought of.

2026-03-26

Chloe

‘The Sunne in Splendour’ is one of those rare historical novels which gets inside your skin and stays there. The major characters are all brought vividly to life. Richard III is portrayed with depth to counter the traditional black hat perception of him. His brother Edward IV is charming but far from perfect as a King. He has a pure face but a far from pure heart. And then there is Elizabeth Woodville, beautiful and clever in equal measure, the perfect foil to the two powerful York brothers. Their lives and loves are played out against a backdrop of love, betrayal and tragedy, and make for an engrossing read.

Most of the supporting cast of characters are equally well done, such as George, Duke of Clarence – an extremely envious and unstable man, and his sister-in-law Anne Neville, calm and quiet in her strong will to power. Other side characters, even of relatively small importance like Hastings or even Buckingham, are well drawn to give further depth to the whole narrative of the Wars of the Roses, and in Richard’s inner struggles and warfare. Sharon Kay Penman has created a masterpiece of character-driven historical fiction.

2026-03-26

Frank

Richard III in ‘The Sunne in Splendour’ is one of my favorite characters because he is so far removed from the normal perception of the man and he is actually a very well rounded and intriguing protagonist. The character of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville are also really great in this novel, and the characters that support them such as the tragic Anne Neville and the treacherous Buckingham are also fantastic. Truly Penman brings history to life with his character development.

2026-03-26

Quentin

One of the things that struck me most about The Sunne in Splendour was how Sharon Kay Penman managed to make historical figures full round characters. So, rather than being portrayed as Shakespeare’s villainous hunchbacked king, Richard III was more a complex man who struggled between his ambition and his desires. As well as being fiercely loyal to those he cared about, he was also often tragicly misunderstanding of others. Edward IV was another larger than life character and although he had a great personality, it masked his fears and weaknesses, particularly in his relationships with his brothers. The journey of Elizabeth Woodville from commoner to Queen was also very powerful and her struggles with Richard were a real highlight of the book. There were also some very human moments with lesser known characters such as George of Clarence and even young Edward V. Overall, the book was a brilliant read and managed to make historical characters from the 15th century seem immediately recognizable and relatable in all their struggles. Reading this book felt like I had lived through the Wars of Roses with the characters.

2026-03-30

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