The play is thought to have been penned in 1591. It is one of Shakespeare longest plays and it tells the tale of ruthless ambition and Machiavellian manipulation to obtain power.
Shakespeare's Source
Shakespeare’s predominant source for the play was Holinshed’s Chronicle. However this was published in 1577, sometime after the actual events. So, it is impossible to view the play as an accurate representation of history.
Certainly, in some circumstances it is evident that Shakespeare has chosen dramatic effect over historical accuracy. For example, Queen Margaret would have been dead at the time the events of the play take place.
Synopsis of The Play
The play tells the story of the ruthlessly ambitious Richard Duke of Gloucester, who perhaps unsurprisingly given the title of the play, kills and manipulates his way to the throne. Richard sets about organising the execution of his brother, Clarence. Infamously, Richard then kidnaps his young nephews and imprisons them in the Tower of London.
Eventually Richard succeeds in his ambition for the crown, but his reign is not unchallenged and his heinous deeds cannot remain unpunished. The play climaxes with the Battle of Bosworth Field.
The Character of Richard
However, Richard III is not simply a villain. Undoubtedly, there are villainous qualities to him. In fact, at times we can see embryonic characteristics of what became Iago in Othello. Richard III is a Machiavellian character, of that there is no question. But there is another side to him.
Of all the characters in the play Richard has the most poetic dialogue, which is demonstarted in his opening soliloquy. He has long lyrical speeches, which lead an audience to believe that he is more than a mindless vessel of ambition.
This goes some way to explaining his incredible success with the ladies. In Act 1, Scene II, the recently bereaved Anne, whose husband has been killed by Richard, is suddenly bowled over by the man she professes to hate. There are those who believe that this demonstrates the weakness of women, but it could be argued that it has much more to do with the seductive charm of Richard.
Richard’s physical impairments are also a point of interest. It has been argued that his physical deformities reflect his rotten soul. However, it is possible that it is the mistreatment and disregard he is suffered because of his physical deformities that have effected his view of the world, and the people in it. This could be compared with Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera, or Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The play has spawned some of the most famous lines in the Shakespearean catalogue. Most notably the opening “Now is the winter of our discontent…” and the often repeated quotation “A horse, a horse, my Kingdom for a horse.”
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