Synopsis

“Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York."

Richard III opens with one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, “Now is the winter of our discontent.” Richard, Duke of Gloucester, does not like the contentment that has settled upon the kingdom, feeling that his outward appearance forever keeps him apart from happy society. Thus armed with his boredom and hatefulness, Richard vows “to prove a villain.” His first victim is his own brother, George, Duke of Clarence, whom he uses as a pawn against their brother King Edward IV. Clarence is imprisoned by the king based on a prophesy that says that “G” shall be the king’s downfall. Richard swears to Clarence that he will intercede on his behalf.

As Clarence is led away to prison, Lord Hastings tells Richard that King Edward is ill and likely to die soon. This news prompts Richard to act quickly. Alone on stage once again, Richard continues his plotting. He turns his aims to Lady Anne, widow of Prince Edward, son of the lately deceased Henry VI, and is determined to marry her for strategic reasons. He encounters Anne as she accompanies the body of Henry VI to burial. Richard’s attempts at playing a lover initially repulse Anne, and she accuses him of murdering Henry. Boldly admitting to this, Richard claims he did it for love of Anne. A clever and witty war of words ensues, and Richard succeeds in convincing Anne that he truly loves her and she agrees to marry him.

At the court of the king, Richard argues with Queen Elizabeth and her family over the imprisonment of Clarence. Henry VI’s widow, Margaret, enters the court and vents her anger on not only Richard, but Elizabeth and her family too, whom she believes have usurped her place in court. Margaret releases a barrage of gruesome curses: that King Edward will die of illness, Elizabeth’s brothers will die unnatural death, and Elizabeth herself will live long enough to see herself deposed as queen, mother, and wife. Although Margaret manages to curse Richard, he tricks her into cursing herself too.

Before King Edward can pardon Clarence on his deathbed, Richard employs two men to murder Clarence. In his cell, Clarence relates to his jailor that he dreamt of his own death. The murderers arrive and, despite Clarence’s pleas for mercy, they stab him and drown him in a vat of malmsey wine.

King Edward asks for reconciliation between his wife’s family and Richard, Hastings and Buckingham. The moment of peace is interrupted when Richard accuses Edward of being responsible for Clarence’s death. Edward is stricken with grief and remorse. He exits and dies soon after. While the Duchess of York mourns the death of her son Clarence, Queen Elizabeth mourns her husband. Richard, with feigned comfort, says he will bring the young Prince Edward to London to be crowned king, all the while plotting the boy’s demise. News of the imprisonment and death sentence of the Queen’s kindred, Rivers, Grey and Vaughan, reaches her as she waits for Prince Edward to arrive.

When Prince Edward and his young brother arrive, they are immediately imprisoned in the Tower by Richard and Buckingham. Together with Catesby, the men plot Richard’s ascension to the throne and hope to gain Lord Hastings’ support. Hastings’ refuses and swears loyalty to the young princes. Richard hears of this at a council where he is designated Lord Protector. He accuses Hastings of treachery and sentences him to death and stages a revolt with Buckingham to cover-up the real reason for the execution. With the help of the Lord Mayor, Buckingham tries to convince the people of London to give Richard the crown instead of Edward IV’s heirs. The people are not favorable to this until the Lord Mayor begs a deceptively pious and humble Richard to accept the crown.

The Duchess of York, Queen Elizabeth and Lady Anne are turned away from the Tower when they try to visit the imprisoned princes. Stanley, Earl of Derby, comes to take a confused and wretched Anne away to be crowned Richard’s queen. With the news of Richard’s coronation, Elizabeth’s son, Dorset, flees to France to join the Earl of Richmond, Henry Tudor.

Richard, now king, demands that Buckingham kill the young princes in the Tower. Buckingham balks and so Richard employs James Tyrrel to do the deed, thus leaving Buckingham in disgrace with nothing left to do but to flee. Deciding that Edward IV’s daughter, Elizabeth, would make a more strategic wife, Richard decides to have Anne killed. In a war of words mirroring his wooing of Anne, Richard convinces the former Queen Elizabeth to let him marry her daughter.

Richard realizes his crown is not safe, despite all his plotting, as messengers tell of Richmond’s strengthening support and the capture of Buckingham. As Richard gathers an army of his supporters, Buckingham is executed. The night before the battle at Bosworth Field, Richard is visited in his dreams by the ghosts of those he murders declaring his demise is near. The same spirits visit Richmond with words of encouragement. Richard is slain during the battle and his supporters flee. Richmond takes Princess Elizabeth as his wife, thereby uniting the long feuding houses of York and Lancaster.