Richard the Third
Here you can find some information that will help you through your analysis of Richard the Third.
First a synopsis:
Richard III Richard kills everyone in the York family who stands between him and the throne, as well as Henry VI's widow Margaret, Prince Edward's widow Lady Anne (whom he marries first), and a whole bunch of people who aren't related to him to make himself King Richard III. He seems unstopable, but ... Remember Princess Katherine, the widow of Henry V? She remarried to Owen Tudor and had a son named Edmund Tudor. And remember John of Gaunt, the first Duke of Lancaster we met? By his third wife he had a son who then had a daughter named Margaret Beaufort. Edmund Tudor married Margaret Beaufort, and their son was Henry of Richmond, technically of the House of Tudor, but also the last of the Lancasters. He appears over the horizon with an army, kills Richard III, becomes King Henry VII, and marries Elizabeth who, as the daughter of Edward IV, is the last of the Yorks and a legitimate heir to the throne as the great great great grandaughter of Lionel. Thus the enmity between York and Lancaster - not to mention almost 100 years of civil war - comes to an end, and everybody lives happily ever after. Their son is Henry VIII, whose daughter is Elizabeth I, who is queen when Shakespeare begins writing these plays.
When analyzing Richard the Third, you are to look for figurative language examples like that in the video below. Take note of what she does when analyzing and try to apply this method throughout your own analysis.
And lastly a short summary of the play:
Another option of understanding this play would be to watch it. A full version of the play can be found here.
To help understand family relationships (and dynamics) you can also refer to this tree. It is the basis for Shakespeare's Richard the Third and shows how one conniving character can kill and marry his way up to rule.
Heaven and Hell in the Renaissance period, click the picture below to find out more.
Within Richard the Third, Queen Elizabeth is insulted by...and told that she hides behind her painted face. Below is the real reason Queen Elizabeth chose to paint her face white.
