The Tragedy of King Richard III by William Shakespeare

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Historical background The real-life Richard III was born in1485. He was Edward IV’s brother and Richard, Duke of York’s third son. Upon Edward’s death in 1483 he imprisoned his nephews in the Tower of London, announced that they had died there and proclaimed himself King of England. In 1485 Richard III was killed during the Battle of Bosworth Field, at the hand of Henry Tudor (Earl of 5 Richmond) who was later to become Henry VII. In the period after his death Richard was often portrayed negatively, attacked or defamed in literary and historical accounts, particularly Thomas More’s ‘History of Richard III’, which was also a source for Shakespeare’s play. Later historians have attempted to clear his name to some degree, notably Horace Walpole in his 10 ‘Historic Doubts on the Life and Death of Richard III’. However, Richard III remains one of the most controversial figures in English history. The play The Tragedy of King Richard III is considered a historical tragedy. After Hamlet, it is Shakespeare’s second longest drama and yet it is one of his most often performed plays. There are at least half a dozen film versions of the play, in which some of the stage’s best actors have played major roles.

15 The drama unfolds in five acts, beginning with the exposition and the complication of the plot within the first two acts. Typically, the climax comes at the end of Act III. The dénouement and the finale follow in the remaining two acts. The plot At the onset the House of York has won the Civil War against the House of Lancaster and a scheming Richard wants to inherit the crown from his brother Edward IV who is dying. Edward 20 has a daughter, Elizabeth. However, the rightful heirs to the throne are Richard’s other brother, George (Duke of Clarence), followed by his two sons. Richard tricks the weak king into locking Clarence up on account of treason and then hires murderers to kill him. Richard woos Lady Anne with the intent of making her his queen once he is king. She curses him for having killed her husband in the war. Pretending to be hopelessly in love with her, he claims 25 that he killed her husband for the sole purpose of marrying her, and she is convinced. Shortly after their marriage King Edward IV dies. Richard then has George’s sons taken to the Tower – apparently for their own protection – and with the help of the Duke of Buckingham he seizes power. To make his position more secure, Richard has the princes in the Tower murdered. Disposing of Lady Anne, he plots to marry his niece, Elizabeth.

30 In the meanwhile the Earl of Richmond (of the rival House of Lancaster) has gathered up an army and invades to end Richard’s tyrannical reign. The night before the Battle of Bosworth Field the ghosts of Richard’s victims appear and predict his awful death. Although Richard feels safe with his large army, he loses his horse and cannot escape the enemy. After his uttering: “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” he is killed by the Earl of Richmond. Once the battle is over,

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35 Richmond is crowned Henry VII. On this occasion he makes public that he intends to ask for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage – thus signalling an end to the longstanding conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster.

Understanding the text 1. Read the plot summary, take notes and prepare to give a two-minute talk. 2. Why is Richard III a historical play? 3. Briefly explain the structure of a classical play.

4. Why was Richard III a topic of interest for writers?

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