Appearance
One of the most notable features of Richard III is a physical one: he is described as "hunchbacked" and is generally perceived as physically ugly. Most performances of the play, including contemporary ones, maintain Richard's deformity as a central part of his character. However, scholars are divided on whether Richard III's physical appearance was really so dramatic, with some arguing that he suffered from scoliosis and would have had only a slight bend in his spine. That Shakespeare's play emphasizes Richard's disability is significant because it raises the question of how outward appearance reflects inward motives. In the case of Richard, his deformity seems a physical manifestation of his evil intentions, but it also emphasizes the extent to which Richard's machinations and persuasions are so powerful as to convince others to believe his intentions are pure.
The Appeal of Evil
Related to Richard's physical appearance is, of course, his inner malevolence. Famously one of Shakespeare's most manipulative and self-serving characters, Richard is recognized throughout the play as having his own hidden agenda. The women of the play are particularly skeptical of Richard's motives, but he nonetheless convinces Lady Anne to marry him, and a number of other characters to trust him despite his obvious malice. Even the audience may be frequently enraptured by Richard's thoughtful speeches at the same time they revile him for his evil-doing. Thus, the play toys with the notion of evil as a seductive force, noting the fine line that exists between repulsion and attraction.
Gender and Power
As a history play, Richard III occupies an interesting space in Shakespeare's repertoire because of the sheer number of female characters included in the narrative. Whereas histories of England tended to focus almost exclusively on kings and male-dominated spheres, the women of Richard III occupy an important role in the play – namely, to challenge Richard or to see through his deception. Though the female characters remain relatively powerless against Richard's schemes, they provide a distinct emotional counterpoint to his political ascent. Women like Queen Margaret provide powerful laments in the play for the men Richard kills, so much so that Richard himself attempts to silence these expressions of grief as they emphasize the true effects of his political actions.
Memory
Especially in terms of the female characters, memory plays a crucial role in Richard III because of the way it is juxtaposed with the notion of history. Whereas "history" is generally perceived as a male-dominated narrative (because of kingship, patrilineal inheritance, and misogyny, among other factors), personal memory is more closely attached to the women of the play. Audiences witness this phenomenon through the moving laments the women provide for their husbands and sons throughout the play; their memory of their loved ones, as well as their shared experience of grief, is framed as a disruption to, or at the very least a pause from, the political action of the play.
The King and the People
Through the figure of King Richard III, Shakespeare explores one of the widely-held English beliefs that was still operative at the time he was writing: that is, the notion that a benevolent and well-intentioned ruler will lead to a prosperous nation, while a power-hungry and self-interested monarch will ultimately weaken the state as a whole. Indeed, it is significant that the common people come to mistrust Richard before many of the nobles who are in closer proximity to him; the common people's skeptical response to Richard as king mirrors this understanding that the king is inextricably connected to his people, and that the people's judgment of him – though they still remain subjects under his rule – will matter for his legacy.
Language
Next to Iago in Othello, Richard III is perhaps the best rhetorician in Shakespeare's dramatic repertoire. It is also no coincidence that both of these characters are inherently malicious. Related to the play's exploration of the appeal of evil, language plays a significant role in persuading characters to support Richard despite their misgivings about his righteousness. In using rhetorical skill, Richard distracts other characters (as well as the audience) into a false sense of security and trust, leading them to doubt their initial evaluation him. Like the single most famous rhetorician in English literature, John Milton's Satan in Paradise Lost (which would appear in the latter half of the seventeenth century), Richard III uses the power of speech to achieve his goals at the expense of others.
Beginning of The Tudor Line
It is important to remember that Shakespeare's plays – and his career – were at the mercy of the whatever monarch sat on the English throne. At the time Richard III was written, the throne was occupied by Queen Elizabeth I – a descendent of King Henry VII and, notably, a member of the Tudor dynasty. The end of Richard III features the ascent of Henry VII, the first Tudor to occupy the throne in the history of England. As such, many interpret Richard's repulsive character as, in part, a means of setting up the redemptive and "rightful" monarchy of the Tudors and therefore Queen Elizabeth herself.
