Richard III: A Ruthless King

1126 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Downfall of Richard Ii

Richard III is known to this day as a ruthless king, remaining infamous for his alleged murders and nefarious acts. There are many rumors surrounding his rule, telling stories of his horrid temperament and appearance, and how he unscrupulously killed anyone who might oppose his reign. But modern historians are taking another look at his history, and some say he was not as bad as the stories claimed. Despite Richard III’s notoriety and bloody rise to power, he served as a successful king of England because of his skill in battle, unyielding determination, and political prowess.
When Richard III was born on October 2, 1452, he had little expectation of rising to power, or ever becoming king. Richard was the youngest son of thirteen children, while the House of Lancaster was still in control of the throne. He was despised since birth, looked down on by his brothers , and, allegedly, ugly and disfigured. Legend of the day claimed that he spent two years in his mother’s womb, and had a full head of shoulder-length hair at birth . It was also rumored that Richard developed scoliosis, and, according to Shakespeare, looked like a “foul, hunch-back’d toad” . Whether these allegations were true or not, the young Richard would soon begin to prove his worth.
Richard was born against the background of the Wars of the Roses, a bloody conflict between two noble houses, the Lancastrians, and the Yorks, of which Richard was a member. Even at seventeen, Richard was given command over a division of the army , and began to gain recognition. He was known throughout the kingdom as a brave and hardy soldier, full of vigor and military intelligence . When his family succeeded in seizing the throne and his brother, Edward IV, became king, Richard was gi...

... middle of paper ...

... really committed all those murders is debatable. Certainty lies in his skill in battle, his determination and dedication, and his political prowess. Richard III should be remembered for these qualities just as much as for the murders and misdeeds for which he is currently assessed.

Bibliography

Balchin, Nigel. “Richard III,” in British History Illustrated, Vol. 1, no. 4 (October, 1974), pp. 29-47.

Beahrs, Virginia Oakley. “White Boar, Red Dragon,” in British Heritage, Vol. 6, no. 5 (August/September, 1985), pp. 46-57.

“Richard III (r. 1483-1485)”[http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/Kingsand
QueensofEngland/TheYorkists/RichardIII.aspx], 1/22/2014.

Ross, Charles. Richard III. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1981.

Shakespeare, William, Richard III. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine (eds.) New York: Washington Square Press, 1996.

Show More
Related

  • Comparison of King Richard III and Looking for Richard

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shakespeare constructs King Richard III to perform his contextual agenda, or to perpetrate political propaganda in the light of a historical power struggle, mirroring the political concerns of his era through his adaptation and selection of source material. Shakespeare’s influences include Thomas More’s The History of King Richard the Third, both constructing a certain historical perspective of the play. The negative perspective of Richard III’s character is a perpetuation of established Tudor history, where Vergil constructed a history intermixed with Tudor history, and More’s connection to John Morton affected the villainous image of the tyrannous king. This negative image is accentuated through the antithesis of Richards treachery in juxtaposition of Richmond’s devotion, exemplified in the parallelism of ‘God and Saint George! Richmond and victory.’ The need to legitimize Elizabeth’s reign influenced Shakespeare’s portra...

    Read More

  • Richard III's Usurpation and His Downfall

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richard III's Usurpation and His Downfall Richards rule was always unstable due to his unlawful usurpation to the throne and his part as far as the public was concerned in the death of the two princes. As a result right from the start he didn't have the trust or support from his country. As soon as he became King people were already plotting against him. After he was crowned he travelled the country trying to raise support by refusing the generous gifts offered to him by various cities. However unknown to him a rebellion was been planned in the South.

    Read More

  • The Loss of the Throne by Richard III

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richard did not manage to recover from the usurpation of Edward and after allegedly murdering the two Princes in the tower his reputation had fallen greatly. He had lost a lot of respect from nobles and from the populus. Killing the Princes could be seen as one of the major factors of his downfall. It was common place in monarchical families to have brothers and sisters "put out of the picture", but even in these primitive times, the murder of innocent children was a taboo.

    Read More

  • Richard III Villain Quotes

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I am determined to prove a villain / and hate the idle pleasures of these days. / Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, / by drunken prophecies, libels and dreams.” Richard III, the evil Duke of Gloucester, is fighting a bloody road to the crown in Shakespeare's dramatic play. Stopped by nothing and with brilliant intelligence, Richard fights his way to the king’s position, clothing his villany with “old odd ends stolen out of holy writ.” With no one to fully trust, Richard breaks many hearts by killing all people in his way, and becomes the unstoppable villain. He hides behind a shield of kindness and care, but when he is alone, his real soul comes alive. Sending murderers, or killing people himself, he has no mercy. Manipulating Lady Anne to marry him and promising Buckingham rewards for his deeds, he knows what he is doing, and won’t stop until the crown lies at his feet.

    Read More

  • Richard III - Did Richard Kill the Children?

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    But since you ask, let me give you my reasons. First, Richard did not have a strong enough need to kill the boys or enough of a reason. He seems to have successfully had them declared bastards legally--based on evidence of bigamy against his elder brother (their late father) Edward IV-- before he (Richard) ascended the throne. This action removed the boys from the line of succession to the throne of England. Killing them might thereby rid Richard of two people who later might try to prove their own right to inherit, but killing them also might alienate him from his own supporters as a murderer of his own family. This logic, however, does not save Richard from the charge of having had someone else--most commonly thought to be Buckingham--assassinate them secretly. I still do not feel this is likely, for reasons I will explain as I go. But Richard's successor, the usurper Henry Tudor, had all sorts of good reasons to kill off any Plantagenet heirs to the throne, the main one being that Henry was out to establish his own family--the Tudors--as the reigning dynasty. Henry celebrated his success in taking over the throne by hiring his own historian to write an account of how this all came about, and we are still relying on this account, even though we know that it is pro-Tudor propaganda.

    Read More

  • The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...e was also writing in Tudor England and seemed to have openly dislike Richard III. In other portions of his writing he describes Richard as an unattractive deformed man who was born with a full set of teeth. He writes that he had a “sour countenance , which seemed to savour of mischief, and utter evidently craft and deceit.”

    Read More

  • Berengaria of Navarre

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many historians conclude that Richard’s indifference to his wife signifies to that the Lionheart had a deviant sexual orientation. Documented records of Richard's adolescent infatuation and behavior also suggest underlying homosexual attraction for young Prince Philip Augustus of France, when the two princes were teenage friends in the French court in Paris. A similar innuendo is offered for adult King Richard’s very close bond of friendship during the Third Crusade with his...

    Read More

  • Comparing the Behavior of Characters in Richard III

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    Richard had weakened since he had become king and was no longer ruthless as he had no reason to be ruthless. He had got what he wanted and was pleased with himself. He thought he was invincible, and he was too confident, which cost him his life. If he had been more careful, he would have been aware of the danger that lied before him. But, he did use some similar techniques in both the scenes.

    Read More

  • King Edward V

    2490 Words  | 5 Pages

    .... Henry VI elevated Richard as Baron Rivers of Grafton in 1448. He remained loyal to Lancaster until his daughter Elizabeth married Edward IV of York in 1464, when Richard Woodville switched loyalty to York. Edward IV advanced his father-in-law Richard Woodville to the rank of Earl Rivers of Grafton in 1466. His rise in social status was a small part of resentment in the nobility for Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s endless efforts to gain noble titles for her large family.

    Read More

  • Richard the Third as a Hero or a Villain

    2535 Words  | 6 Pages

    This contributes to a very villainous role. Richard begins his journey to the throne. He manipulates Lady Anne. into marrying him, even though she knows that he murdered her first. husband.

    Read More

  • The Evil of Richard the Third

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare Richard III was a traitor, a murderer, a tyrant, and a hypocrite. The leading characteristics of his mind are scorn, sarcasm, and an overwhelming contempt. It appears that the contempt for his victims rather than active hatred or cruelty was the motive for murdering them. Upon meeting him he sounds the keynote to his whole character. " I, that am curtailed of this proportion, cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deform'd, unfinish'd sent before my time Into this word scarce half made up"( 1.1.20-23)

    Read More

  • The Supernatural in Shakespeare's Richard III

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. Richard III. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Greenblatt, Stephen. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1997. 515-596.

    Read More

  • A Study of the Dramatic Roles of Women in Richard III

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. Richard III. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1997), 515-600.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare on Machiavelli: The Prince in Richard III

    1505 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the outset of the play, it is obvious that Richard subscribes to the majority of the Machiavellian principles.  Certainly, he is not ashamed or afraid to plot heinous murder, and he does so with an ever-present false front.  "I do mistake my person all this while,"1 he muses, plotting Anne's death minutes after having won her hand.  He will not even entertain the ideas in public, demanding they "Dive...down to [his] soul."2 He knows that he must be cunning and soulless to succeed in his tasks.  Richard also knows it is essential to guard against the hatred of the populace, as Machiavelli warned.

    Read More

  • Wars Of The Roses

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edward V and his brother so that he could be next in line for the crown. But that is not true for Richard really didn’t do it.

    Read More

More about Richard III: A Ruthless King

Open Document