Richard III Literary Elements

History play

London, late fifteenth century

There is no singular narrator in the play, but audiences are privy to all of Richard's thoughts and plans throughout.

The tone of the play is vengeful and manipulative. The mood of the play is bleak and hopeless until the end, when Henry VII assumes the throne and ushers in a hopeful mood.

The central antagonist is Richard, though he is also, because of his intimacy with the audience, a type of protagonist. There is no singular protagonist until the end of the play, when Richmond defeats Richard to become King Henry VII.

The major conflict in the play is that Richard, wanting the throne for himself, schemes to murder multiple others in order to rise to power.

One could argue that there are multiple climaxes throughout the play. However, Richard's success in scheming only seems to crumble at the Battle of Bosworth Field, when he loses his horse and in desperation offers to trade his entire kingdom just for a horse to ride. Soon after, Richard dies and Richmond becomes king.

The play contains a number of instances of foreshadowing. Margaret's curses are perhaps the most memorable example, as her curses toward Richard ultimately predict almost the exact events of the play. Other instances of foreshadowing include Clarence's prophetic dream and the condemnation by the ghosts in Act Five.

When Richard makes the aside about Prince Edward, saying, "So wise so young, they say, never do live long," he uses understatement to convey that his plan is to have the young prince murdered in the Tower with his brother (3.1).

Like many of Shakespeare's plays, Richard III contains multiple allusions to ancient Greek and Roman mythology. As a history play about English kings, Richard III also contains references to other Shakespeare plays with the same subject matter, most notably Henry VI, Part 3.

The play relies heavily on imagery of poison, deformity, danger, and grief to emphasize Richard's impending destruction.

The central paradox of the play is that, while Richard is clearly mistrusted and reviled by a number of characters, he still manages to win them over. This seemingly illogical narrative ultimately emphasizes Richard's rhetorical skill, as well as the nature of evil as something intriguing and seductive.

Richard uses parallelism when he pleas, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" (5.4). In this famous quotation, Richard's repetition of "a horse" at the beginning of the line emphasizes his desperation and suggests his impending demise.

Names are an important metonymical element of Richard III, so much so that they may be confusing to some readers. "Richmond," for example, is only a partial name for the man who will become King Henry VII: his full name is Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. Likewise, "Clarence" is not actually named Clarence, but is instead called George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence. Characters are therefore referred to not by their proper names but by their noble titles, suggesting the importance of the political role they play under the crown.

Characters frequently personify the boar, Richard's heraldic symbol, throughout the play. The boar is described as having a blood-thirsty and dangerous disposition, imbuing it with human qualities that mirror those in Richard.