Thursday, October 3, 2019

Besides Clarence and Anne, who else did Richard III mistreat? What did he do to them?

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in Richard III is generally considered one of the most thoroughly evil villains about whom William Shakespeare ever wrote. He has few (if any) redeeming qualities and, in his rise toward becoming King of England, clearly shows that he cares only about power. In addition to tricking and having his brother Clarence killed and marrying Lady Anne, he treats almost everyone badly. After King Edward IV dies, Richard goes after all of the supporters who remain loyal to Queen Elizabeth; among those he executes are the lords Grey, Rivers, Vaughan, and Hastings.
But Shakespeare's Richard is most well-known for the heinous crime of having the boy princes killed (act 4, scene 2). After having them imprisoned in the Tower of London, Richard orders the murder of the two young heirs to the throne, Edward V and Richard Duke of York, who were only 12 and 9 years old, respectively. In real life, it should be noted, it has not been definitely proven that Richard gave the order, but in the play there is no doubt .

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