The Princes (Prince Edward and the the Duke of York)

Prince Edward and the Duke of York are the two sons of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV. Prince Edward was supposed to be crowned King Edward V after his father’s death but was deposed by his uncle Richard who proclaimed him as illegitimate. The two princes are precocious and smart as Prince Edward does not believe Richard when he tries to manipulate him into believing that Dorset, Rivers and Grey were “false friends.” Their wittiness is emphasised further when the two princes manage to outsmart Richard and match his wordplay and use of language with ease during their banter in Act 3 Scene 1. However, they are persuaded by Richard to reside in the Tower of London. This is something that doesn’t end well for them as Richard proceeds to bar anyone from visiting them there and later hires Tyrrell to murder them. Shakespeare consistently uses diction and beautiful imagery when describing the princes in order to accentuate their innocence. This makes Richard’s act of slaughtering them look even more despicable. Basically, Shakespeare uses the murder of the two princes as an ‘atrocity story’ to fuel his propagandistic representation of Richard in his play. The ghosts of the two princes later come back in Act 5 Scene 3 to haunt Richard and to support Richmond.