Richard III: Genre 1 key example

The play focuses on the story of Richard, Duke of Gloucester. He was the youngest of three sons and very unlikely to inherit the throne, so he schemed and manipulated his way to become Richard III, the King of England. It is important to note that Shakespeare took creative liberties and added fictional elements to dramatize historical events in all of his history plays. Although the events of this monarch's life were certainly very dramatic, some were exaggerated or distorted by the playwright. Through the characters’ conversations, asides, and soliloquies, Shakespeare provides a glimpse into the political maneuvers, family rivalries, and treacheries that preoccupied 15th-century England.

Richard III is also a tragedy, as it focuses on the protagonist’s rise to power and subsequent downfall. Richard is the quintessential flawed main character. His physical deformities are mirrored by a twisted and villainous personality. Through Richard’s sinister ambition and ruthlessness, Shakespeare explores the consequences of unbridled ambition in powerful people. Although some might say that the brutal murder of two innocent children is the saddest moment in the play, the tragic genre’s key elements are most apparent in the fall of Richard himself. Despite his cunning and resourcefulness, Richard cannot escape being humbled by his destiny. More than any other of Shakespeare’s tragedies, Richard III warns of the dangers that come with the pursuit of power at all costs.