The Characters of Richard III - Deep Analysis Video

Richard III was believed to be written around 1591, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and about a century after the historical King Richard III’s death. The play depicts the concluding events of the War of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought in England during the fifteenth century. For decades, two rival factions of the House of Plantagenet, known as the Lancasters and the Yorks, vied for control of the English throne. At the start of the play, the Lancastrians have been defeated by the Yorkists and the country has enjoyed relative peace under the reign of Yorkist king Edward IV. Richard III features an extensive cast of characters. While understanding the varied relationships among characters might pose a challenge, they can generally be divided into three categories: Richard’s allies, Richard’s enemies, and the women at court.

Part One: Richard’s Allies

The Duke of Gloucester, who will become King Richard III, is the central character of the play. He is manipulative and conniving, physically deformed, rhetorically skilled, and murderous in his pursuit of the throne. Many contend that, along with Iago from Othello, Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s greatest dramatic villains.

When Richard’s brother, King Edward IV, dies, Richard desires to seize the throne for himself. As he is not the rightful inheritor of the crown, he enlists the help of the Duke of Buckingham to help him achieve his goal. Together, Richard and Buckingham manipulate the court and hire various hitmen to eliminate other threats to the crown. These casualties include Richard’s older brother, the Duke of Clarence, and Richard’s nephews, who are referred to as the “young princes” throughout the play.

Part Two: Richard’s Enemies

Richard’s enemies are often extinguished before they have a chance to challenge him. However, one crucial enemy develops over the course of the play. Henry Tudor, the Earl of Richmond, is a member of the rival Lancastrian house. He raises a rebel army and eventually defeats Richard at the end of the play. Richmond, as he is mostly called, is portrayed as kind, just, and fair, standing in stark contrast to Richard and his many self-serving schemes. One reason for Richmond’s sterling portrait is that he is an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth I, who sat on the English throne at the time the play was written.

Part Three: The Women at Court

Richard also maintains enemies in the various women at court, though their status as women affords them little power against him. Queen Elizabeth is the widow of King Edward IV and the mother of the young princes. She is strong-willed and vocal in her opposition to Richard, but can do little but rely on her kinsmen – Dorset, Rivers, and Gray – to combat Richard’s schemes.

Margaret of Anjou is the widow of the former Lancastrian King Henry VI. She is often compared to a witch, as she frequently hurls curses at Richard and calls for his demise.

Lady Anne is Margaret’s daughter-in-law and is the widow of the former Prince Edward of the Lancastrian line. Anne reluctantly agrees to marry Richard after he explains to her that she has no allies left at court.

The Duchess of York is Richard’s mother who is ashamed of his behavior. She scorns her youngest son and is fiercely protective of her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, as well as her grandchildren.

Finally, Elizabeth of York – the only daughter of Edward IV and the sister of the young princes – becomes a political pawn over the course of the play. She is eventually betrothed to Richmond, a marriage that unites the Lancastrian and Yorkist claims to the throne, ending the War of the Roses.

Despite the fact that Richard III depicts historical events instigated by men, many argue that the women serve an even more important role in the play. Virtually every female character is a widow, and while they are powerless to act, the women – especially Margaret, Lady Anne, and Queen Elizabeth – serve as consistent harbingers of the past and what has been lost. In fact, many suggest that while the events of the play represent English history, the female characters might represent an antithetical notion of English memory.