Richard III characters

Also known as Duke of Gloucester

Appears from the start

The younger brother of King Edward IV, a brilliant and resentful nobleman who addresses the audience as his confidant. With civil war over, he finds peace unrewarding and resolves to seize the crown through deception, setting his brothers and their allies against one another while hiding his purpose behind an appearance of loyalty.

Also known as Duke of Clarence, George

Appears from the start

Richard's elder brother, arrested after a prophecy leads King Edward to fear that an heir whose name begins with G will threaten his children. Clarence trusts Richard to help him, unaware that Richard arranged both the suspicion and his imprisonment.

Also known as Lady Anne

Appears from the start

The widow of Prince Edward, son of the deposed Henry VI. She meets Richard while mourning Henry, whose body she accompanies, and denounces Richard for the deaths that destroyed her family. Her grief and anger make his attempt to court her seem unthinkable.

Also known as Queen Margaret

Appears from the start

The widow of Henry VI and former queen, living in the shadow of the Yorkist court that defeated her family. Bitter and politically powerless, she confronts her enemies with curses, naming the losses she believes will repay them for her own.

Appears from the start

The ailing Yorkist king whose victories ended the civil conflict. He tries to reconcile the factions around his court, particularly his wife's relatives and the older nobles, but his authority is weakened by illness and by Richard's secret manipulations.

Also known as Queen Elizabeth

Appears from the start

Edward IV's queen and the mother of his heirs. She fears the king's failing health will expose her children and her Woodville relatives to hostile nobles, and she recognizes Richard as the most dangerous figure near the succession.

Appears from the start

A powerful nobleman who becomes Richard's closest political partner. He readily helps turn suspicion against the queen's family and presents himself as an energetic supporter of Richard's claim.

Also known as Lord Hastings

Appears from the start

A senior Yorkist lord recently freed from confinement and an enemy of the queen's relatives. He considers Richard a trusted friend and believes his own loyalty to Edward's sons leaves him secure amid the struggle over the succession.

Also known as Prince of Wales, Edward

First appears in chapter 2

The eldest son and heir of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Still a boy when summoned to London after his father's death, he shows intelligence and composure while the adults around him compete to control his accession.

Also known as Duke of York

First appears in chapter 2

The younger son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Quick-witted and daring in conversation, he jokes sharply with Richard when he joins his brother in London, though his age leaves him dependent on the adults directing both princes' movements.

Also known as Lord Stanley

Appears from the start

A cautious nobleman whose wife is connected to Richmond, a possible rival claimant. He serves the court while watching its dangers closely and is less willing than many around him to trust apparent security.

Also known as Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond

First appears in chapter 5

An exiled Lancastrian claimant who lands in England to challenge Richard's rule. He presents his cause as a means to end tyranny and civil division, gathering nobles who have abandoned the king before meeting him in battle.

First appears in chapter 4

A follower whom Richard recruits for a secret act of violence after Buckingham hesitates. Tyrell is willing to arrange the deed and later reports its completion directly to the king.