Richard III

With 5 acts, 25 scenes, and 29,278 words in total, Richard III is Shakespeare’s second longest play ever written! So even if you haven’t started reading it, give yourself a pat on the back for taking on such a challenging text!
For those of you who have studied Macbeth in the past, you might find the plot of Richard III a tad bit familiar. (There are actually a few scholarly articles out there comparing the character of Richard III with Macbeth!)
In Richard III, we are introduced to the eponymous Richard, Duke of Gloucester and brother to King Edward IV. Richard is determined to gain the crown of England and undertakes a series of Machiavellian machinations to do so. 
 
Widows are seduced, brothers are slain, and children are slaughtered as Richard claws his way to the throne through duplicity and cunning. Eventually, Richard becomes King of England after Edward IV dies of illness and Richard kills off his nephews, Edward’s two sons. The natural order is disturbed. Richard’s reign is cut short however by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and the heir to the Lancastrian claim to the throne, who declares war on Richard. The night before his battle with Henry, Richard is haunted and tormented by the ghosts of all his victims. Richard is then killed the next day by Henry who is crowned King Henry VII of England. The natural order is restored.

That’s Richard III for you, compactly summarised.

Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s history plays, meaning that it is based on real life historical figures amongst the background of medieval English history. However, it is crucial to note that Shakespeare’s history plays are not historically accurate and are abundant with inaccuracies. Instead, they are dramaticised to create interest and appeal to the values of the audience at the time. By analysing the way which Shakespeare has depicted the characters and events within the play, we can glean insight into social attitudes of the time. For instance, the constant use of religious imagery and description within his literary works reflects the theocracy of Elizabethan England. In this sense, by studying how Shakespeare has moulded historical events to suit the preferences of his audience, we can also gain an understanding on the prejudices that pervaded society and the general public at the time.

One could almost call Richard III a work of propaganda. Why, you ask? The play was written and performed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a member of the House of Tudor and the granddaughter of King Henry VII. Historically, Henry VII was the person who succeeded Richard III as King of England after the latter’s death during the Battle of Bosworth Field. Was Shakespeare going to displease his monarch by making her grandfather and family line look bad for seizing the throne from Richard? Of course not!

Shakespeare utilises his play as a way to legitimise Queen Elizabeth’s reign by promoting the ‘Tudor Myth’ that Richard was a murderous usurper who had wrongfully taken power and that the Tudor dynasty instead were the bringers of peace and prosperity to England. During your study of Richard III, you will encounter various examples that highlight this biased agenda. For example, Richard is physically described as being a grotesque hunchback who is “deformed” and “cheated of feature by dissembling nature.” However, forensic teams have recently analysed Richard’s remains to debunk this myth. Furthermore out of the many crimes attributed to Richard within the play (such as killing his wife, murdering his brother, and slaughtering the princes), it is now generally accepted that Richard was innocent of the majority of them whilst the others cannot be proven conclusively.

As you can tell, it is necessary to take into account Shakespeare’s context and personal motives when analysing the play.