Richard III: Is Richard A Villain?

Richard III, like all people, has had many choices to make. Although some of those choices Richard made were bad, some people wouldn’t blame Richard for what he chose. They would argue that, because people, in Richard’s time, treated Richard like a monster, he later had his revenge. Though this could be a valid argument, Richard had a choice in everything he did. He could’ve chosen to forgive those people for their wrongful actions, but he instead chose to become the monster that they thought he was. This only makes him seem worse and not any better.
Another example of a wrong decision made by Richard was when he ordered Tyrell to kill the two princes, Prince Edwards and Prince York (The Tragedy of Richard The Third 4.2.68-82). Although it gained him an advantage in the long run, it was completely heartless and unnecessary. Instead of just appreciating his position in …show more content…
Although some may argue that he is not a villain, there is too much evidence supporting his villainy to ignore. In the beginning of the play, Richard directly says “since I can’t prove a lover...I am determined to prove a villain” (The Tragedy of Richard the Third 1.1.28-30). Some more evidence of Richard’s villainy are his many orders to kill innocent people that were in the way of the throne. An example of this was when he ordered for George Stanley to be killed right after a messenger told Richard that Stanley, George’s father, wouldn’t come to support him against Richmond. His exact words were: “Off with his son George’s head” (The Tragedy of Richard the Third 5.3.344). This proves that he is a villain because he has absolutely no aversion to murdering innocent children to get his own way. The same thing happened when he ordered Tyrell to kill the two princes in the tower. He was completely unaffected by ordering a man to kill two children that had done nothing, even though though the men who did it felt horrible after this deed was