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Richard III (play)
The Tragedy of Richard the Third, often shortened to Richard III, is a play by William Shakespeare, which depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. It was probably written c. 1592–1594. It is labelled a history in the First Folio, and is usually considered one, but it is sometimes called a tragedy, as in the quarto edition. Richard III concludes Shakespeare's first tetralogy which also contains Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3.
It is the second longest play in the Shakespearean canon by word count and the second longest by number of lines, as well as the longest of the First Folio, whose version of Hamlet, otherwise the longest, is shorter than its quarto counterpart.[citation needed] The play is often abridged for brevity, and peripheral characters removed. In such cases, extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere to establish the nature of the characters' relationships. A further reason for abridgment is that Shakespeare assumed his audiences' familiarity with his Henry VI plays, frequently referring to them.[citation needed]
The play begins with Richard of Gloucester, the youngest brother of King Edward IV of England, describing Edward's re-accession to the throne (implying the year is 1471, after the Battle of Tewkesbury):
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.
Despite this new era of peace and joy, Richard is an ugly and unloved hunchback who is therefore "determined to prove a villain". Due to a prophecy that "G of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be", Richard and Edward's brother Clarence (whose given name is George) is placed under arrest. (Edward interpreted the prophecy as referring to George, but it could just as easily refer to Richard of Gloucester.) Speaking to Clarence as he is escorted along to the Tower of London, Richard blames the queen, Elizabeth, and says that he will try to help Clarence.
Richard describes to the audience his plot to marry Lady Anne, despite being responsible for the death of her father and her husband. Anne attends the corpse of the late king, Henry VI, lamenting. When Richard appears, Anne berates him and says that "Henry's wounds [...] bleed afresh". He confesses to murdering the king, saying her beauty motivated it, and she spits at him. He proclaims his feelings for her and offers his sword for her to kill him, but she drops it. He then offers to kill himself, but she instead accepts his ring unhappily (and, it is implied, marriage) as he promises to repent for the murder. Richard exults at having won her over and tells the audience that he will discard her once she has served his purpose.
The atmosphere at Edward's court is poisonous. The established nobles are at odds with the ambitious relatives of Elizabeth, a hostility fuelled by Richard's machinations. Queen Margaret, Henry VI's widow, returns, though banished, and she warns the squabbling nobles about Richard, cursing extensively. The nobles, all Yorkists, unite against this last Lancastrian and ignore her warnings.
Richard orders two murderers to assassinate Clarence. The murderers arrive at the Tower with a warrant and, while they ponder how to carry out the deed, Clarence wakes and pleads for his life, telling them to go to Richard, who will reward them better for having kept him alive. One of the murderers explains that Richard hates him and indeed sent them, before they stab Clarence and drown him in a butt of Malmsey wine (the year 1478).
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Richard III (play)
The Tragedy of Richard the Third, often shortened to Richard III, is a play by William Shakespeare, which depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. It was probably written c. 1592–1594. It is labelled a history in the First Folio, and is usually considered one, but it is sometimes called a tragedy, as in the quarto edition. Richard III concludes Shakespeare's first tetralogy which also contains Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3.
It is the second longest play in the Shakespearean canon by word count and the second longest by number of lines, as well as the longest of the First Folio, whose version of Hamlet, otherwise the longest, is shorter than its quarto counterpart.[citation needed] The play is often abridged for brevity, and peripheral characters removed. In such cases, extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere to establish the nature of the characters' relationships. A further reason for abridgment is that Shakespeare assumed his audiences' familiarity with his Henry VI plays, frequently referring to them.[citation needed]
The play begins with Richard of Gloucester, the youngest brother of King Edward IV of England, describing Edward's re-accession to the throne (implying the year is 1471, after the Battle of Tewkesbury):
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.
Despite this new era of peace and joy, Richard is an ugly and unloved hunchback who is therefore "determined to prove a villain". Due to a prophecy that "G of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be", Richard and Edward's brother Clarence (whose given name is George) is placed under arrest. (Edward interpreted the prophecy as referring to George, but it could just as easily refer to Richard of Gloucester.) Speaking to Clarence as he is escorted along to the Tower of London, Richard blames the queen, Elizabeth, and says that he will try to help Clarence.
Richard describes to the audience his plot to marry Lady Anne, despite being responsible for the death of her father and her husband. Anne attends the corpse of the late king, Henry VI, lamenting. When Richard appears, Anne berates him and says that "Henry's wounds [...] bleed afresh". He confesses to murdering the king, saying her beauty motivated it, and she spits at him. He proclaims his feelings for her and offers his sword for her to kill him, but she drops it. He then offers to kill himself, but she instead accepts his ring unhappily (and, it is implied, marriage) as he promises to repent for the murder. Richard exults at having won her over and tells the audience that he will discard her once she has served his purpose.
The atmosphere at Edward's court is poisonous. The established nobles are at odds with the ambitious relatives of Elizabeth, a hostility fuelled by Richard's machinations. Queen Margaret, Henry VI's widow, returns, though banished, and she warns the squabbling nobles about Richard, cursing extensively. The nobles, all Yorkists, unite against this last Lancastrian and ignore her warnings.
Richard orders two murderers to assassinate Clarence. The murderers arrive at the Tower with a warrant and, while they ponder how to carry out the deed, Clarence wakes and pleads for his life, telling them to go to Richard, who will reward them better for having kept him alive. One of the murderers explains that Richard hates him and indeed sent them, before they stab Clarence and drown him in a butt of Malmsey wine (the year 1478).
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