Richard III recap

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, decides to take the English crown held by his brother Edward IV. He engineers Clarence's imprisonment and murder, courts Lady Anne despite his part in her family's destruction, and exploits distrust between the old nobility and Queen Elizabeth's relatives. After Edward dies, Richard and Buckingham isolate the young heir, imprison both royal sons in the Tower, eliminate their protectors, and persuade London to accept Richard as king. Richard then has the princes killed, discards Anne, and seeks a marriage that would strengthen his title. Buckingham rebels after Richard refuses him a promised reward, but is captured and executed. The exiled Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, invades with support from Richard's defecting nobles. Haunted by his victims before Bosworth, Richard fights but is killed by Richmond. Crowned Henry VII, Richmond plans to marry Elizabeth of York, uniting the rival houses and promising an end to civil war.

England has emerged from civil war under Edward IV, but the king's younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, resents the peace and privately resolves to become king. He manipulates Edward into imprisoning their brother Clarence by fostering fear of a prophecy about the succession. Although Richard assures Clarence that he will help, he secretly orders his death. Richard then interrupts the funeral procession of Henry VI and confronts Lady Anne, widow of Henry's son. She curses him for the deaths of her husband and father-in-law, yet Richard's audacious performance of repentance and devotion persuades her to accept his ring. At court, hostility divides Queen Elizabeth's Woodville relatives from older nobles such as Hastings and Buckingham. The displaced Queen Margaret appears among them, condemns Yorkists and Woodvilles alike, and predicts suffering for those who profited from her family's defeat. Richard presents himself as the victim of court intrigue while directing it. Hired killers drown Clarence in a wine cask, carrying out Richard's first major step toward the throne.

Edward IV tries to restore peace among the court factions and believes he has reconciled their leaders. Richard then reveals that Clarence has already been killed, and Edward is devastated that his earlier order of execution was not countermanded in time. The sick king soon dies, leaving the young Prince Edward as heir. Queen Elizabeth fears for her family, while Richard and Buckingham move quickly to control the transition. On the journey to London, they arrest the queen's brother Rivers and her son Grey, along with Vaughan, separating the prince from his maternal protectors. Elizabeth takes her younger son, York, into sanctuary. Richard and Buckingham nevertheless secure the boy's release, arguing that sanctuary should not obstruct royal business. The two princes are brought together and lodged in the Tower, officially while preparations are made for Edward's coronation. Their alert questions reveal their unease, but Richard now controls both heirs and the governing council around them.

Richard and Buckingham remove the remaining obstacles to a seizure of power. Rivers, Grey, and Vaughan are executed at Pomfret. Hastings, confident that Richard favors him, refuses to support setting aside Edward's sons. At a council meeting Richard abruptly accuses Queen Elizabeth and Hastings's mistress of witchcraft, then declares Hastings a traitor and has him beheaded without a proper trial. Buckingham stages public claims that Edward's children are illegitimate and that Richard is the lawful heir. London initially responds with silence, so Buckingham arranges a delegation that finds Richard displaying false reluctance between two churchmen. After repeated appeals, Richard accepts the crown as though yielding to public duty. The princes remain confined in the Tower while their uncle prepares to rule in their place, and the women of their family are prevented from reaching them. Richard's conspiracy has become an open usurpation backed by controlled councils, executions, and manufactured consent.

Now crowned, Richard asks Buckingham to arrange the deaths of the princes. Buckingham hesitates, so Richard turns to Tyrell, who has the boys killed in the Tower. Richard also plans to dispose of Queen Anne and marry his niece Elizabeth, hoping to strengthen his disputed title. Opposition grows rapidly. Buckingham, angered when Richard withholds the earldom he had promised, joins a rising connected with the exiled Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. Bad weather disrupts the rebellion, Buckingham is captured, and Richard sends him to execution. Queen Margaret's earlier curses appear fulfilled as Elizabeth Woodville, the Duchess of York, and Margaret confront the scale of their losses. Richard tries to make Elizabeth Woodville assist his proposed marriage to her daughter, using threats and political arguments. Reports then arrive that Richmond is approaching and that nobles are deserting. Richard marches toward Bosworth, distrusting Stanley because Stanley's stepson Richmond leads the invasion and holding Stanley's son as security for his obedience.

Richard and Richmond establish camps near Bosworth. During the night, the ghosts of Prince Edward, Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, the young princes, Hastings, Anne, and Buckingham pass through the camps. They condemn Richard to despair and death while encouraging Richmond. Richard wakes frightened and recognizes that his own conscience has turned against him, though by morning he resumes his defiance. Richmond tells his followers they are fighting to free England from a violent ruler; Richard urges his army to reject an invading claimant. In the battle, several nobles with uncertain loyalties withhold support from Richard, and Stanley joins Richmond. After Richard's horse is killed, he fights on foot and desperately seeks either a new mount or Richmond himself. Richmond defeats and kills him. Stanley presents Richard's crown to the victor, now Henry VII. Richmond promises pardons and proper burial for the dead and announces his marriage to Elizabeth of York, intended to unite the rival dynasties and end the cycle of civil war.

On the night before Bosworth, the ghosts of Richard's victims visit his camp and condemn him, then promise Richmond victory. Richard wakes shaken but goes into battle determined to fight. Stanley's position remains uncertain until the fighting begins, when he and other wavering nobles support Richmond. Richard fights fiercely after losing his horse and searches for Richmond on foot, but Richmond kills him. Stanley retrieves the crown and places it on Richmond, who becomes Henry VII. Richmond announces that he will marry Elizabeth of York, joining the Lancastrian and Yorkist lines. He pardons surviving opponents who submit, orders burial for the dead, and promises a peaceful government. Richard's defeat ends his violent reign, while the planned marriage offers a political settlement to the dynastic conflict that enabled his rise.