Introduction

In the play Richard III,there are many characters all

with their own distinct personalities.I’ll break down 3
characters in the play.
Richard
Main character.
Duke of Gloucester
Later “King” of England
Richard:Selfish
As he is the main character, and many characters have ties to him, it would be
wise to analyze Richard first. Firstly, Richard is extremely selfish.He does the most
heinous deeds like sending assassins to kill his brother or the young princes for a
reason that is incredibly selfish. The reason he has for all the madness that he
causes is that he wants to be King. Despite the fact that he would have already
been effectively controlling the kingdom later in the story as Lord Protector, he still
has a selfish desire for the crown that doesn’t belong to him.
Richard:Sly/Cunning
Another trait of Richard is that he is sly/cunning. Richard is willing to say anything
to get what he wants. He uses sweet words to make people think he is trustworthy
yet would betray them at a moment's notice. An example of Richard being cunning
is when he tricked Anne into marrying him even as she was mourning her father in
law and husband. One minute, she could not stand to look at him, the next, she
was won over by his lies. This is also evidence of him being selfish.
 Anne
Widow of Edward(son of Margaret)
Daughter in law of former King Henry
Anne: Naive
Anne is the daughter in law of the former King Henry and she later becomes
Richard’s wife. A trait that Anne has is that she is naive. She believes things that
anyone in their right mind would determine as being foolish. An example is when
Anne allowed herself to be taken in by sweet lies and tricked into marrying
Richard because she thought he was genuinely sorry for killing her husband and
father in law. This flaw eventually led to her death at the order of her ‘loving
husband’.
Anne: Shallow
Additionally, Anne is shallow. She calls Richard dreadful names and even spits at
him because of her hatred for him. However, she is quickly overcome by his
compliments and his commenting on her beauty. She is blinded by these
compliments and instead of remembering the evil man before her, she is swept
away by empty praises of her beauty.
Clarence(George)
Brother of Richard and King Edward
Son of Duchess of York
Duke of Clarence
Clarence: Remorseful
Clarence is the brother of Richard and later becomes one of Richard’s many
victims. He is actually Richard’s first victim of a long list. Clarence expresses
remorse for helping to kill men during the struggle for the throne, especially Prince
Edward, when he sees his ghost in a dream. He clearly has a sense of morals,
otherwise this would not have bothered him at all.
Clarence:Trusting
Another trait of Clarence is that he is trusting (perhaps not to the extent of Anne’s
naivete, but he is still trusting). He trusts his brothers and is loyal to his family.
Unfortunately, this ends with him being killed by Richard. Clarence trusted Richard
so much that even when faced by assassins, who told him that they were sent by
his beloved brother Richard, could not bring himself to believe that his own
brother would wish him dead. He should have trusted his dream in which Richard
pushed him overboard instead.
Conclusion
Richard III has various characters, each with their own personality and traits,
which helps get the reader interested in the play, curious about what will happen at
every turn which definitely makes the play more enjoyable. Three characters that
illustrate this are Richard, Anne and Clarence. Each contributes in a unique way to
make Shakespeare’s Richard III one worth reading.