This Month's Richard III Feature >>

Richard is a freak of nature, a self-proclaimed enemy to human kindness, bent upon destruction and the disruption of the commonwealth. As a result, Richard III is part morality play and part melodrama: Evil versus good. While Richard's Evil is writ large, the good side is sorely undermanned until the final Act. Richard is able to succeed because those who would otherwise oppose him are easily duped (e.g., Clarence), at odds with each other (notably the female characters of the play), or harbor their own political ambitions (as in Buckingham's case). Active good without tainted motive surfaces only with Richmond's appearance in Act V, although some of the nobles (Hastings and Stanley) prove to be of good character.