King Richard III

Pure Evil
Full Name	Richard III Plantagenet
Alias	Duke of Gloucester Bloody Richard King Richard My Lord
Origin	Richard III
Allies	Buckingham ( formerly ) Tyrell William Catesby
Powers / Skills	Cunning Plotting Ruthlessness Extreme high intelligence
Goals	Usurp the throne Eliminate his competitors for power Have his nephews killed (all succeeded) Defeat Henry of Richmond (failed)
Moral Event Horizon	Having his own brothers and nephews killed
Kill Count	Dozens
Worst Crimes	Mass murder (inc. child murder) Nigh-familicide Assassination Usurpation Treason Attempted massacre
Type of Villain	Tyrannical Usurper

“	I can smile, and murder while I smile.	„
	~ Richard describing himself

“	A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!	„
	~ Richard's most famous line

King Richard III is the titular villain protagonist of William Shakespeare's play Richard III.

He is a fictionalized version of the actual historical figure, portrayed as a power-hungry mastermind who murders his way to power.

In the 1955 film, he was portrayed by the late Laurence Olivier. In the 1963 Royal Shakespeare Company production, he was portrayed by the late Ian Holm. In Looking For Richard, he was portrayed by Al Pacino (who also portrayed Big Boy in Dick Tracy and John Milton in The Devil's Advocate). In the 1995 film, he was portrayed by Ian McKellen. In the 2011 play, he was portrayed by Kevin Spacey (who also portrayed John Doe in Se7en and Frank Underwood in House of Cards). In The Other Place, he was portrayed by the late Ian Richardson. In the 2002 play, he was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh (who also portrayed Iago in the 1995 film adaptation of Othello and Andrei Sator in Tenet) and in the Almeida Theatre's 2016 production, he was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes (who also portrayed Amon Goeth in Schindler's List and Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise).

What Makes Him Pure Evil?

• He plots to take over the throne of England.
• He murders Lady Anne's husband and intimidates her into marrying him. Later on, Richard brags that he will kill her once she has served her purpose.
• He arranges for his own brother, Clarence, to be imprisoned and later murdered.
• He causes the death of his eldest brother, King Edward, after informing the latter of Clarence's death and making Edward believe that he gave the order for their brother's demise.
• He sets the royal court against each other, blaming Queen Ellizabeth and her family for Clarence's death.
• He has the queens brother Ear Rivers and her son from a previous marriage Lord Grey and their ally Sir Thomas Vaughn executed on charges of treason.
• He imprisons his nephews in the Tower of London, later having them murdered.
• He has Lord Hastings executed on false charges.
• He usurps the throne by claiming his nephews are illegitimate.
• He poisons his own wife.
• He plans to marry his own niece Elizabeth.
• He has Buckingham executed despite the latter's assistance in helping Richard succeed with his coup earlier on.
• He orders for Stanley's young son to be killed as punishment for Stanley defecting to Richmond's side, but fortunately this does not happen in the end.
• He attempted to kill Richmond in order to end the opposition against his tyrannical reign.

Trivia

• In Henry VI Part 3, Richard seems to be genuinely upset over the deaths of his father and younger brother, and wants to avenge the latter's death. However he subverts this as a redeeming trait because it seems to be a facade to make him appear loyal to his family, and he admits in soliloquies that he is only out for himself and loves no one, and he has clearly shed any redeeming traits by the time of his own play.

External Links

• King Richard III on the Villains Wiki