The Boar
The boar is a recurring image in Richard III, mainly because it is Richard's heraldic symbol. Other characters frequently describe Richard himself as a boar, implying that he is brutish and, most of all, dangerous. At the time, the boar was one of the most dangerous animals that men could hunt, with many being injured or killed in the process.
Grief
The women of the play provide an emotional and salient portrait of grief as Richard slowly kills off their husbands, brothers, and children. Their speeches, which often emphasize the shared emotional trauma that they have all experienced, come to serve as an antithetical force against Richard's machinations. They provide for the audience a dramatization of memory, as they lament their loved ones and challenge Richard's claims.
Richard's Deformity
While there is debate among historians over whether Richard III actually suffered from a severe physical deformity, the play makes Richard's "hunchback" a central image of the narrative, with multiple characters commenting on his appearance throughout the play. This imagery of Richard as a physically ugly outlier is both what inspires his villainy and what other characters' use to express their mistrust of him. It is also in keeping with the early modern theatrical convention of reflecting characters' inner righteousness (or inner malevolence) primarily through their physical appearance.
Poison and Treachery
Throughout the play, characters (especially the women) compare Richard to a poison or otherwise invasive force that will leave destruction and pain in its wake. The repeated imagery of illness, death, and decay associated with Richard renders his success all the more shocking and unsettling to the audience, who again and again must watch characters fall victim to his rhetoric and seduction.
