# Charles Villiers — Edward III character guide

> Charles Villiers in Edward III by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Villiers, Charles

**First appearance:** 0014-act-iv-scene-i

## Snapshot

A French prisoner of war who wagers his freedom on a promise, testing whether a Frenchman's faith can be trusted to return.

## Who they are

Villiers is a captive in Salisbury's custody when he is offered a chance at liberty: carry a passport request to the Duke of Normandy, his old fellow-student, and return if the mission fails. His agreement to swear by his faith and 'unfeignedly perform the same' makes him a small-scale experiment in honor, a Frenchman whose word must hold where armies have failed. Salisbury's aside — 'This once I mean to try a Frenchman's faith' — frames Villiers as a test case for whether the enemy can be trusted at all, a question that shadows the larger diplomacy of the play.

## Relationships

### [King Edward III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/characters/king_edward_iii)

_rivalry_

Charles Villiers is a French nobleman and antagonist to King Edward III, representing the opposing side in the conflict.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Duke of Normandy, eldest son of King John, questions English loyalty.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii)

Defends King John as the true-born sovereign against Audley's challenge.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i)

Salisbury's prisoner; agrees to procure a passport from the Duke of Normandy in exchange for his freedom, swearing to return if unsuccessful.

### [Scene III: Poitou. Fields near Poitiers. The French camp; tent of the Duke of Normandy.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

Charles is the Duke of Normandy, initially reluctant to grant a passport to Salisbury but persuaded by Villiers' honorable stance.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v)

Defends his princely word and the safe-conduct he granted to Salisbury, pleading for his release.

### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vi)

Urges his father to flee, reports that the French are killing each other and that morale is shattered.

### [Scene VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vii)

Captured alongside his father, King John.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/characters/charles_villiers
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/edward_iii_se/characters