With 5 acts, 25 scenes, and 29,278 words in total, Richard III is Shakespeare’s second longest play ever written! So even if you haven’t started reading it, give yourself a pat on the back for taking on such a challenging text!
For those of you who have studied Macbeth in the past, you might find the plot of Richard III a tad bit familiar. (There are actually a few scholarly articles out there comparing the character of Richard III with Macbeth!)
In Richard III, we are introduced to the eponymous Richard, Duke of Gloucester and brother to King Edward IV. Richard is determined to gain the crown of England and undertakes a series of Machiavellian machinations to do so.
Widows are seduced, brothers are slain, and children are slaughtered as Richard claws his way to the throne through duplicity and cunning. Eventually, Richard becomes King of England after Edward IV dies of illness and Richard kills off his nephews, Edward’s two sons. The natural order is disturbed. Richard’s reign is cut short however by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and the heir to the Lancastrian claim to the throne, who declares war on Richard. The night before his battle with Henry, Richard is haunted and tormented by the ghosts of all his victims. Richard is then killed the next day by Henry who is crowned King Henry VII of England. The natural order is restored.
