Home > Richard III Summary & Study Guide > Criticism > The Women in Richard III: Anne, The Duchess of York, Elizabeth, and Margaret

Richard III | The Women in Richard III: Anne, The Duchess of York, Elizabeth, and Margaret

Madonne M. Miner addresses the misogyny that occurs in Richard III, pointing out that women in the play are used as “scapegoats” and are extremely dependent upon men for their roles in life. In the second selection, Irene G. Dash examines the powerlessness of women in the play, tracing how some of the female characters evolve as the drama progresses and comparing the two wooing scenes.

Critics have studied the women in Richard III for their significance both as individuals and as a group. Madonne M. Miner, for example, focuses on the play's misogyny (the hatred of women), stating that Richard continually blames women instead of accepting the guilt which is really his own. Miner and Irene G. Dash also discuss the women's role as "ciphers" or "nonpersons," especially after they become widows and their sole source of power and of social identity—their husbands—is gone. Both critics note a positive element of women's fate in the play: Through their...

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