Richard III (play)

A history play by William Shakespeare dramatizing Richard III’s rise to the English throne and his defeat at Bosworth Field.

Opening soliloquy of Richard III: The opening speech in which Richard declares his ambition and presents himself as a villain. Richard’s direct address establishes the play’s intimacy between villain and audience.
Wars of the Roses: A series of English dynastic conflicts between the houses of Lancaster and York from 1455 to 1487. The play’s rival claims to the crown grow out of this prolonged civil war.
William Shakespeare: An English playwright and poet whose works include tragedies, comedies, and history plays. Shakespeare turns Richard’s reign into a study of theatrical self-invention and political violence.
Richard III of England: The Yorkist king of England from 1483 until his death at Bosworth Field in 1485. Shakespeare’s protagonist draws on the historical king while greatly intensifying his villainy.
Richard III (historical king): The last Yorkist king of England, who ruled from 1483 until his death in 1485. The historical king’s short reign and contested reputation differ from Shakespeare’s concentrated villain portrait.
Wooing of Anne in Richard III: A scene in which Richard courts Lady Anne while she mourns her husband and father-in-law. The scene makes Richard’s persuasive performance a startling engine of the plot.
House of York: The English royal dynasty whose members contested the crown during the Wars of the Roses. Richard’s family position makes his path to the throne possible.
Thomas More: An English statesman and writer whose unfinished History of King Richard III helped shape later accounts of the king. More’s hostile portrait contributed to the tradition Shakespeare inherited.
Henry VII of England: The first Tudor king of England, who defeated Richard III at Bosworth Field in 1485. Henry’s victory supplies the play’s providential resolution and dynastic future.
The Daughter of Time: A 1951 historical mystery novel by Josephine Tey that questions the case against Richard III. Tey’s revisionist investigation challenges the Tudor tradition that shapes the play.

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