Character Analysis of Richard III

The title character in Shakespeare’s Richard III is extremely interesting because he functions both as the villain of the play as well as the hero. In the very first scene of the play, Richard tells the audience that he is “determined to prove a villain” (p. 752, line 30), but he also gains the sympathy of the audience because of his deformity, of which Richard points out that he is “so lame and unfashionable that dogs …

…shows remorse for his actions in Act V, scene iii saying, “Have mercy Jesu!”(p. 791, line 178) and “there is no creature loves me, and if I die no soul will pity me.” (p. 791, lines 200-201). He then goes on to fight in the battle that he cannot win because his enemies are too strong. He has lost the sympathy of the audience, and this paves the way for a glorious rise of the new dynasty.