Richard III
Play
Summary
Richard III is Shakespeare's supreme theatrical villain — deformed, brilliant, sardonic, and utterly remorseless. From his opening soliloquy declaring himself a villain, through his astonishing wooing of Lady Anne over her husband's coffin, to his murderous path through brother, nephews, and allies to the crown, Richard commands the stage by sheer force of wit and audacity. He descends into paranoia as king and meets his end at Bosworth Field, unhorsed and abandoned, fighting to the last.
Notable Quotations
"Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York; / And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house / In the deep bosom of the ocean buried." *(1.1)*
"I am determined to prove a villain / And hate the idle pleasures of these days." *(1.1)*
"Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? / Was ever woman in this humour won?" *(1.2)*
"Conscience is but a word that cowards use, / Devised at first to keep the strong in awe." *(5.3)*
"A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" *(5.4)*
"I shall despair. There is no creature loves me; / And if I die, no soul will pity me." *(5.3)*
Cross-references
- Richard III — the play
- Richard of Gloucester (3 Henry VI) — earlier appearance
- Henry VI, Part 3 — his emergence
- Buckingham (Richard III) — his chief accomplice
- Queen Margaret — his prophetic curse
- Anne (Richard III) — his wooed victim
- Clarence — his murdered brother
- Richmond (Richard III) — his nemesis
- Histories