# King Richard III — Richard III character guide

> King Richard III in Richard III by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Richard, Gloucester, King Richard, Duke of Gloucester

**First appearance:** 0002-act-i-scene-i

## Snapshot

A brilliant, deformed duke who, denied love and sport, vows to prove a villain and carve his way to England's crown.

## Who they are

Richard opens the play alone on a London street, confessing that peacetime leaves his misshapen body nothing to do but scheme. He has already set brother against brother, using a prophecy about the letter G to send Clarence to the Tower while smiling at him as a friend. His wit, self-loathing, and appetite for the throne drive every early maneuver, making him both the engine and the seductive voice of the tragedy.

## In the story

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i)

Opens the play with a soliloquy expressing his discontent and his plan to become a villain; he manipulates Clarence and Hastings, and plots the deaths of Clarence and King Edward IV.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii)

Richard intercepts the funeral, manipulates Lady Anne with flattery and false remorse, and wins her over despite her hatred.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iii)

Feigns innocence after Margaret's curses and reveals his manipulative nature; sends murderers to kill Clarence.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iv)

Though absent, Richard is revealed as the orchestrator of Clarence's murder, having sent the killers.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i)

Feigns humility and reconciliation; reveals Clarence's death with calculated malice.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-ii)

Arrives feigning grief and piety; secretly plots with Buckingham.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iii)

Mentioned as the Duke of Gloucester, described as full of danger.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iv)

Referenced as 'uncle Gloucester' and 'the tiger' who has seized the gentle hind; implicated in the imprisonment of Rivers, Grey, and Vaughan.

### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i)

Manipulates the young prince, plots with Buckingham, and sends Catesby to test Hastings' loyalty.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv)

Orchestrates Hastings' execution, using a fabricated accusation of witchcraft to remove a political obstacle.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-v)

Plots with Buckingham, feigns grief over Hastings' death, and instructs Buckingham to spread false claims about Edward's children.

### [Scene VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-vii)

Feigns religious devotion and reluctance to accept the crown, ultimately yielding to Buckingham's orchestrated plea.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii)

Crowned king, he plots the murder of the princes and schemes to secure his rule.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

Receives news of the princes' death and later learns of Buckingham's rebellion and Ely's flight to Richmond.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iv)

Manipulates Queen Elizabeth to win her daughter, receives news of rebellion, and confronts his mother's curse.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iii)

Tormented by nightmares of his victims; conscience-stricken and fearful before battle.

### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iv)

Fights on foot after his horse is slain; cries out for a horse and refuses to withdraw.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/chapters/act-v-scene-v)

Slain in combat by Richmond; referred to as 'the bloody dog' and 'bloody wretch'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/characters/richard_iii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/richard_iii_se/characters