We're guessing you've never been an actual contender for a crown. Sure, we've all dreamed about it, but few of us know what it really feels like to be in the running.

Henry VI, Part 3 shows us that contending for a crown isn't just about you; it's about your whole family. This play takes domestic backstabbing, treachery, and murder to a whole new level. All anyone seems to do is kill or be killed. We'll tell you right now that the body count in this baby is pretty high; young Shakespeare wasn't afraid to put some blood and guts stage center.

But underneath the endless cycle of bloody vengeance—a cycle that nearly destroys England, by the way—is a desire for a legacy that's worth something. All the characters search for this in their own way: Margaret wants her son to have the crown; Henry is intimidated by his dad's and grandpa's legacies; Edward is pleased that his heir is a son so he can pass the torch; and Richard, unsurprisingly, is after his own legacy and will push anyone out of his path who messes with it.

We all know what it's like to want to carve out a name for ourselves in something. Maybe you want to be a star athlete or a professional musician. Maybe you're one of those people who just get math or English and want to excel in it. Maybe you'd like to be remembered for making some really mean cookies, or maybe you can sketch like no one else.

Chances are that you have your own thing that is just yours. What if someone took that away from you? Wouldn't you find it hard to give up? And wouldn't you want to get back whatever was stolen? When it comes down to it, the characters in Henry VI, Part 3 are all doing the same thing.

Only they're playing with a crown.