A review by ed_moore
The Tragedy of King Richard III: The Oxford Shakespeare the Tragedy of King Richard III by William Shakespeare

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Only Richard III could take a woman from grieving the man that he murdered and manage to gain her hand in marriage in the matter of a scene. Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’ is a play about plotting, manipulation and betrayal as Richard III conducts his bloodthirsty ascension to the throne and and subsequent fall. Richard was a fascinating protagonist, as he was very similar to Iago, the villain of ‘Othello’ in that he is very vocal with his schemes and consequently holds an unusual connection with the audience and the reader. This was a play that followed the villain and in all his murder he was far from likeable yet still fascinating. Shakespeare also made the artistic choice to answer the mystery of the princes in the tower, not shying from the fact that they too were victims of Richard’s power hungry wrath, as is likely assumed by history but impossible to confirm. It was the best of Shakespeare’s histories I have read so far due to how unique and interesting the persecutive of Richard was.