• Overview
  E. M. W. Tillyard examines the theme of divine retribution and deliverance of England through God’s grace in Richard III. In a second overview, A. C. Hamilton describes how the work functions both as a history play and as a tragedy, and analyses the causes and effects of Richard’s isolation.
• Language: Oaths, Curses, and Prophecies
  Frances Shirley comments on the seriousness in Elizabethan society of making oaths or swearing and how this is revealed in Shakespeare’s Richard III. David Bevington’s piece highlights the power of curses, particularly self-curses, in the play. In the third selection, Kristian Smidt focuses on prophecies and points out that while Richard is not a real prophet, he invents prophecies in order to control other characters in the play.
• Dark Comedy in Richard III
  William E. Sheriff discusses various purposes for Shakespeare’s use of comedy in Richard III and examines the title character’s wittiness and use of dramatic irony and inversion. In the second essay, John W. Blanpied asserts that Richard himself, behaving like an actor or clown, is responsible for the comedy in the play.
• Wooing
  In the first analysis of the controversial wooing scene from Act I, scene ii, Denzell S. Smith argues that Richard’s careful choice of words and clever appeals to Lady Anne’s emotions and vanity make the scene believable. In the second selection, Donald R. Shupe applies psychological theories to prove that the wooing is realistic.
• Richard
  Paul N. Siegel’s essay provides insight into the character of Richard through an examination of his speeches and use of the vocabulary of business. Morton J. Frisch contrasts Richard’s lust for control over other people with Caesar’s ambition for greatness. Unlike Caesar, Frisch contends, Richard is not interested in achieving glory for himself, but instead wants power for its own sake.
• 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.

Related Topics

1. Richard III: Introduction
2. Reading Shakespeare
3. Summary
   1. Act I Summary
   2. Act II Summary
   3. Act III Summary
   4. Act IV Summary
   5. Act V Summary
4. Themes
5. Character Analysis
   1. Lady Anne (Character Analysis)
   2. Duke of Buckingham (Character Analysis)
   3. Queen Elizabeth (Character Analysis)
   4. Queen Margaret (Character Analysis)
   5. Richard (Character Analysis)
   6. Duchess of York (Character Analysis)
   7. Other Characters (Descriptions)
6. Principal Topics
7. Essays
8. Selected Quotes
9. Criticism
   1. Overview
   2. Language: Oaths, Curses, and Prophecies
   3. Dark Comedy in Richard III
   4. Wooing
   5. Richard
   6. The Women in Richard III: Anne, The Duchess of York, Elizabeth, and Margaret
10. Modern Connections
11. Pictures
    1. The royal children and their murderers
    2. Prince Edward as played by Lena Ashwell
    3. Richard III as played by Edwin Booth (1872)
    4. Title page from the First Folio (1623)
    5. Richard and the ghosts by William Blake
12. FAQs
    1. Why is Richard III so profoundly evil?
    2. How can Richard expect to win Lady Anne's consent to marry him?
    3. What is Richard's worst crime?
    4. What impact does the procession of ghosts have upon Richard III?
13. Bibliography and Further Reading
14. Copyright

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