With funeral arrangements underway, Richard meets his nephew, Edward V, and several Lords from his widow's side of the family. When hisīrother dies, he also kills his wife's confidante Lord Rivers, leaving the widowed queen completely alone. He suggests his wife is behind Clarence's execution. With his brother Clarence's sudden death, Richard brings stress to his brother, King Edward, bringing on an illness and his death. Clarence is later killed by murderers that Richard planted within the tower. Simultaneously hisīrother has recalled a vivid dream he had that seems to portray Richard as a mass murdering psychopath. Richard plots to have his brother Clarence killed in the tower. Richard also helps to create a hostile environment at court, by creating drama between all the noble parties. Through his persistence, without her knowing that he is the killer who made her a widow. He sets his sights on Lady Anne, the widow of the Prince of Whales. Richard makes it clear he has committed many terrible acts, and intends to commit many more. He plots to remove his brother Clarence, ahead of him in succession, and frame him for a crime that will place him in the tower of London. Throne and his nephew's succession before his own. Richard is an unattractive man with a hunchback whom Shakespeare describes as 'rudely stamp'd,' 'deformed,' and 'unfinish'd.' The first scene finds him lamenting his brother's ascension to the

There is some overlapping between the historical text of Shakespeare's play At its base however, the play depicts the rise of a Machiavellian ruler, King Richard the III of England.

Different scholars have debated its classification between a tragedy or historical play, and more than one William Shakespeare's Richard III was believed to have been written around 1592.

Richard iii full play