From the first speech of the play, Shakespeare's character Richard III is, in his own words, "determined to prove a villain." This has been the most recognizable portrait of the erstwhile king for centuries. Shakespeare wasn't even Richard's first detractor; he was simply the most renowned.
As with many of his history plays, Shakespeare relied heavily on Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland to conceive his plot. Holinshed, in turn, was indebted to writers such as Edward Halle and Richard Grafton--in some cases, bordering on plagiarism. Halle and Grafton, among others, were themselves influenced by the original work of Sir Thomas More in his History of King Richard the Thirde. All of these works paint Richard of Gloucester as a scheming, murdering usurper to the throne.
The point is that by 1597 (the first known publication of Shakespeare's Tragedy of Richard III), the tradition of libeling Richard III in English literature had been a popular sport for decades. Hence, Shakespeare was doing nothing more than giving the audience what they wanted, so to speak. Elizabethans could not get enough violence, murder, and intrigue in their entertainment; after all, this is a society that attended executions for fun. And, lest we forget, Shakespeare was writing his play during the reign of Elizabeth I, granddaughter of Henry Tudor. It would have been unthinkable to have written anything praiseworthy of the man her ancestor had defeated to gain the throne.
How does this character of Richard jibe with the historical Richard?
Shakespeare's deformed, hunchbacked Richard stands accused of killing Henry VI when the defeated king was imprisoned in the Tower of London, as well as Edward, Prince of Wales, following the Battle of Tewkesbury. He's also allegedly the guiding hand behind multiple executions, including his own brother, the Duke of Clarence. He reputedly poisoned his wife, Anne. Most heinous among the charges is that Richard ordered the murder of his two nephews in the Tower.
As with many of his history plays, Shakespeare relied heavily on Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland to conceive his plot. Holinshed, in turn, was indebted to writers such as Edward Halle and Richard Grafton--in some cases, bordering on plagiarism. Halle and Grafton, among others, were themselves influenced by the original work of Sir Thomas More in his History of King Richard the Thirde. All of these works paint Richard of Gloucester as a scheming, murdering usurper to the throne.
The point is that by 1597 (the first known publication of Shakespeare's Tragedy of Richard III), the tradition of libeling Richard III in English literature had been a popular sport for decades. Hence, Shakespeare was doing nothing more than giving the audience what they wanted, so to speak. Elizabethans could not get enough violence, murder, and intrigue in their entertainment; after all, this is a society that attended executions for fun. And, lest we forget, Shakespeare was writing his play during the reign of Elizabeth I, granddaughter of Henry Tudor. It would have been unthinkable to have written anything praiseworthy of the man her ancestor had defeated to gain the throne.
How does this character of Richard jibe with the historical Richard?
Shakespeare's deformed, hunchbacked Richard stands accused of killing Henry VI when the defeated king was imprisoned in the Tower of London, as well as Edward, Prince of Wales, following the Battle of Tewkesbury. He's also allegedly the guiding hand behind multiple executions, including his own brother, the Duke of Clarence. He reputedly poisoned his wife, Anne. Most heinous among the charges is that Richard ordered the murder of his two nephews in the Tower.
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