The most important character in Shakespeare’s play, Richard III, was Richard himself, who was initially appointed Duke of Gloucester. He is the brother of King Edward IV and the brother of George, Duke of Clarence. The brothers of the reigning king were appointed dukes of a part of the kingdom, endowed with many possessions and powers. Richard was crowned King Richard III after a variety of misdeeds and backstabbing to obtain the crown.
He had a type of deformity in his body and an abnormal gait when walking. He was highly skilled, evil, and a master manipulator in word and deed. However, he was also brilliant, cunning, and maintained a very sensitive form of intelligence to do the wrong things to suit his imagination, and he was able to get away with his vicious actions. His henchman normally carried out his misdeeds of hurting others. Buckingham was one of Richards’s right-hand men. He was the Duke of Buckingham and had ambitions similar to Richard’s.
George, Duke of Clarence, trusted his brother Richard. However, his confidence allowed Richard to get rid of him and get him out of his way on his way to becoming king. Clarence was killed by Richard’s henchmen even while begging for his life. When Clarence died, he had two children, a son and a daughter who would have been heirs to the throne if he had survived Edward IV or if Edward IV had died before him.
Normally, when a king dies from murder or foul play, the assassin will seek to eliminate all heirs to the throne in an effort to ensure that there is no threat to his obtaining the throne. The same would apply to a duke who was next in line for the throne to become king. However, the wife would be saved, as she was not recognized as a threat.
The Duchess of York, mother of Richard III; George, Duke of Clarence, (deceased); and King Edward IV (deceased), cursed Richard III for all his wrongdoing. Apparently, and by virtue of his position, he had some knowledge of what was going on between the brothers and others in the kingdom; therefore, his finger points to Richard III as the villain.
The manipulative nature of Richard III was also in conflict with Lady Anne, the widow of Prince Edwards of Wales, son of the late King Henry VI. She despised Richard III for the hasty death of her husband and that of King Henry VI. However, Richard was not far behind and convinced her to marry him for political reasons.
