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SUMMARY OF ACT 4 SCENE 3
• Tyrrell returns to the palace and tells Richard that the
princes are dead. He says that he has been deeply shaken by
the deed and that the two men he commissioned to perform
the murders are also full of regrets after smothering the two
children to death in their sleep.
• But Richard is delighted to hear the news, and offers Tyrrell a
rich reward. After Tyrrell leaves, Richard explains the
development of his various plots to get rid of everyone who
might threaten his grasp on power. The two young princes
are now dead. Richard has married off Clarence’s daughter
to an unimportant man and has locked up Clarence’s son
(who is not very smart and does not present a threat).
Moreover, Richard gloats that Queen Anne is now dead.

Cont’d
• He announces once again that his next step will be to woo
and marry young Elizabeth, the daughter of the former King
Edward and Queen Elizabeth. He believes that this alliance
with her family will cement his hold on the throne.
• Ratcliffe enters suddenly with the bad news that some of
Richard’s noblemen are fleeing to join Richmond in France,
and that Buckingham has returned to Wales and is now
leading a large army against Richard. Richard, startled out
of his contemplation, decides that it is time to gather his
own army and head out to face battle.

ACT 4 SCENE 4
• Elizabeth and the duchess of York lament the deaths of
the young princes. Suddenly, old Queen Margaret
enters, and tells the duchess that she is the mother of
a monster. Richard, she says, will not stop his campaign
of terror until they are all dead.
• Margaret rejoices in this fact because she is very glad
to see her curses against the York and Woodeville
families come true. She is still as bitter as she has been
throughout the play about the deaths of her husband,
Henry VI, and her son, Prince Edward, and she says that
the York deaths are fair payment.

CONT’D
• The grief-weary Elizabeth asks Margaret to teach her
how to curse, and Margaret advises her to experience
as much bitterness and pain as Margaret herself has.
Margaret then departs for France.
• When Richard enters with his noblemen and the
commanders of his army, the duchess begins to curse
him, condemning him for the bloody murder of his
extended family and telling him that she regrets having
given birth to him. The enraged Richard orders his men
to strike up loud music to try to drown out the
women’s curses, but it does not work, and the duchess
curses him to die bloodily.

CONT’D
• Although shaken by this verbal assault, Richard recovers and,
speaking with Elizabeth in private, broaches his proposal to
her: he wants to marry her daughter, the young Elizabeth. The
former queen is horrified, and sarcastically suggests to
Richard that he simply send her daughter the bloody hearts of
her two little brothers as a gift, to win her love. Richard, using
all his gifts of persuasion and insistence, pursues Elizabeth,
insisting that this way he can make amends to what remains
of her family for all he has done before.
• He argues that the marriage is also the only way the kingdom
can avoid civil war. Elizabeth seems to be swayed by his words
at last and tells him she will speak with her daughter about it.
As soon as Elizabeth leaves the stage, Richard scornfully calls
her a foolish and weak-willed woman.

CONT’D
• Richard’s soldiers and army commanders start to bring
him reports about Richmond’s invasion, and as bad
news piles up, Richard begins to panic for the first time.
Richmond is reported to be approaching England with
a fleet of ships; Richard’s allies are half-hearted and
unwilling to fight the invader. All over Britain,
noblemen have taken up arms against Richard.
• The only good news that Richard hears is that his
forces have dispersed Buckingham’s army, and that
Buckingham has been captured. Richard then learns
that Richmond has landed with a mighty force, and he
decides it is time to fight. He leads out his army to
meet Richmond in battle.

ACT 4 SCENE 5• Elsewhere, Stanley, earl of Derby, meets a lord from
Richmond’s forces for a secret conversation. The suspicious
Richard has insisted that Stanley give his son, young George
Stanley, to him as a hostage, to prevent Stanley from
deserting Richard’s side.
• Stanley explains that this situation is all that prevents him
from joining Richmond. But he sends his regards to the rebel
leader, as well as the message that the former Queen
Elizabeth has agreed that Richmond should marry her
daughter, young Elizabeth. The other nobleman gives Stanley
information about the whereabouts of Richmond (who is in
Wales) and about the vast number of English noblemen who
have flocked to his side. All are marching toward London, to
engage Richard in battle.

PLOT DEVELOPMENT
• Act 4 scene 3-5 contributes to the Freytag’s
pyramid as it is apart of the falling action.
Richard has killed the sons and plans to marry
Elizabeth. He has almost fully secured his
position on the throne. He also goes into war
with persons who oppose his power and these
scenes also forces the reader to want to know
what will happen next in the denouncement.
In summary it prepares us for what will take
place in the resolution.

FEATURE/ELEMENT OF DRAMA
• Soliloquies by Tyrrell, Richard and Margaret
Through Tyrrell’s soliloquy the audience gets
information of how the princes were killed and
Tyrrell’s horror at the bloody deed. In Richard’s
soliloquy the audience learns of what has been
happening and what he is about to do next.
Clarence’s son is in prison, he has marry off his
daughter, the princes are dead and he wants to
marry Elizabeth first before Richmond does. (Act 4
scene 3)

Cont’d
In Act 4 scene 4 Margaret opens saying that she
has been watching the downfall of her weak
enemies. She plans to go away to France
knowing that things will continue to be bad just
as it begun.

CHARACTERIZATION
• Richard- he is deformed in body and twisted in mind and
tries everything in his power and might to be king. He is
both the central character and the villain of the play. He is
evil, corrupt, sadistic, and manipulative, and he will stop at
nothing to become king. His intelligence, political brilliance,
and dazzling use of language keeps the audience fascinated
and his subjects and rivals in his palms.
• Queen Elizabeth- The wife of King Edward IV, the mother of
the two princes (who Richard tells Tyrrell to kill) and their
older sister, young Elizabeth. Elizabeth is part of the
Woodeville family. Richard sees her as is enemy because
she opposes his rise to power, and because she is intelligent
and fairly strong-willed.

Cont’d• Duchess of York – Widowed mother of Richard, Clarence and
King Edward IV. She is the mother-in-law of Elizabeth and is
very protective of Elizabeth and her children, who are the
duchess’ grandchildren. She is angry with, and eventually
curses Richard for his heinous actions.
• Margaret – Widow of dead King Henry IV, and the mother of
slain Prince Edward. She is embittered and hates both Richard
and the people he is trying to kill.
• Ratcliff – Richard’s flunkies among the nobility.
• Richmond – A member of a branch of the Lancaster royal
family. He also gathers a force of rebels to challenge Richard
for the throne.

Cont’d
• Richmond – he is meant to represent goodness, justice, and
fairness-all the things Richard is not.
• Stanley – The stepfather of Richmond. Lord Stanley, earl of
Derby, secretly helps Richmond, although he cannot escape
Richard’s watchful gaze.

THEMES
• War-To take place between Richard, Richmond and
Buckingham (who later got arrested)
• Deception-Richard told Elizabeth that he wants to
marry her daughter out of love, however, this is not
true.
• Death-Richard hires Tyrrell to kill the princes.
• Power of language-Richard’s skill with words has
enabled him to isolate the princes to be murdered and
convince Elizabeth to talk to her daughter about his
proposal for marriage.
• Remorse/regret-This was expressed by Tyrrell and the
murderers who plot and killed the princes in their
sleep.

INTRAPERSONAL/INTRAPERSONAL
CONFLICTS
• Tyrrell- he feels shaken at the bloody deed
that was done. (Act 4 scene 3)-Intrapersonal
• Margaret and Yorks-She despises them
because of the death of her husband and son
and is angered at them (Interpersonal)-Act 4
scene 4

SYMBOLS/MOTIFS
• Death (Motif)
-The princes death (Revealed in Scene 3)
-The women mourn the death of the princes, King
and husbands (Revealed in Scene 4)
• Trumpet and drums- Symbolises that blood will
run (Scene 4)
• Prayer book-The sons slept with a prayer book
but still was killed

CRITICS
• "The character of King Richard III of England is perhaps
Shakespeare's most evil
creation. A Machiavellian who delights in governing through fear
and force, his
evil is only offset by his ready and cutting wit. Yet Shakespeare
does provide a
contrast to Richard's villainy. The women of this play function as
voices of
protest and morality. They often see through his intrigues and
predict dire
consequences from his acts. Shakespeare uses the women to point
out moral
truths and emphasize general principles of the Elizabethan world
view of moral
and political order.“-Shirley Galloway

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