Richard III
Villain or Villified?
Richard III had one the shortest reigns of any king of England, yet he
continues to stir controversy fully five hundred years after his
death. Richard has had the unfortunate luck to have been a subject for two
men well respected in English literature: Sir Thomas More and William
Shakespeare. It was More who first portrayed Richard as "a deep
dissembler......... not hesitating to kiss whom he thought to kill" and
this theme was further developed by Shakespeare for his deliciously villainous
Richard III, "Since I cannot prove a lover, I am determined to prove a
villain." Such evil makes for great theatre, but does it
correspond with the facts?
Traditionalists would have us believe it does. Richard was a tyrant who had long wanted to be king and
murdered anyone who stood in his path. Revisionists say he was an
intelligent man of great integrity who had the makings of a great king,
but was betrayed and used as propaganda by the usurping Tudors.
The truth will probably never be known, and so he remains an enigma.
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