Richard III in Popular Culture

'Richard cannot be hurt now by Tudor's lies, and none who knew him will ever believe it; they'll know the truth.'

'And what of those who didn't know him? What happens, too, when all who knew him are dead, when people know only what they've been told? What truth will we be talking about then? Tudor's truth.'

Sharon Kay Penman, 1982: The Sunne in Splendour

"...sorely slandered by a sad fellow called Will Shakespeare, whose Lancastrian partialities, and a certain knack at embodying them, has turned history upside-down, or rather inside out."

Sir Walter Scott, 1817: Rob Roy

Image Credit: Letson, Ezra. "The Tower of London". 2019. JPEG.

“…before the average person has come to any serious study of English history, he has once for all identified Richard III as a monster hunched of back, withered of arm, and twisted of countenance…”

Paul Murray Kendall, 1955: Richard the Third

Literature: Richard, the Villain

Richard III - William Shakespeare

The play by William Shakespeare. Click here to see 'Richard III: A Handy Guide to Homicide', a quick guide for students reading Shakespeare's play that aids readers in keeping track of characters (and their untimely demises); click here for a ready-resource website that not only focuses on the play, but includes the full text.

Link to YouTube video "Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent" - Richard III, Laurence Olivier 1955". 4:29 minutes long.

Manga Shakespeare: Richard III - Patrick Warren, William Shakespeare

Goodreads Synopsis: “I AM DETERMINED TO PROVE A VILLAIN,” vows the sinister Duke of Gloucester as he prepares to seize the English Crown and become King Richard III. A fusion of the original Shakespeare with manga visuals, this is a cutting-edge adaptation set in a darkly gothic, medieval England. We follow the scheming, seductive Duke as he cheats and slaughters his way to the throne in one of the bloodiest chapters in the monarchy’s history. He masterminds the murder of his brother, his two nephews, and poisons his wife in order to marry his own niece. When his throne is challenged, his reign of terror is broken and the ghosts of his victims return to torment him.

Richard III is part of Manga Shakespeare, a series of graphic novel adaptations of William Shakespeare’s plays. Drawing inspiration from Japan and using Shakespeare’s original texts, this series – edited by Richard Appignanesi and illustrated by leading manga artists – brings to life the great Bard’s words for students, Shakespeare enthusiasts and manga fans.

Richard the Villain, In Film

Tower of London (1962) - IMDbDirected by Roger Corman. With Vincent Price, Michael Pate, Joan Freeman, Robert Brown. The twisted Richard III is haunted by the ghosts of those he has murdered in his attempt to become the King of England.

Richard III (1955) - IMDbDirected by Laurence Olivier. With Laurence Olivier, Cedric Hardwicke, Nicholas Hannen, Ralph Richardson. Shakespeare's powerful tale of the wicked deformed King and his conquests, both on the battlefield and in the boudoir.

Richard III (1995) - IMDbDirected by Richard Loncraine. With Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Christopher Bowen, Edward Jewesbury. The classic Shakespearean play about a murderously scheming King staged in an alternative fascist England setting.

Link to Youtube video 'Richard III (Benedict Cumberbatch) dreams of the throne - The Hollow Crown: Episode 2 - BBC Two'. 1.28 minutes long.

"You've got it all wrong!"

works that aim to correct the record on richard iii

Books

The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman

A glorious novel of the controversial Richard III - a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history. In this beautifully rendered modern classic, Sharon Kay Penman redeems Richard III - vilified as the bitter, twisted, scheming hunchback who murdered his nephews, the princes in the Tower - from his maligned place in history with a dazzling combination of research and storytelling. Born into the treacherous courts of fifteenth-century England, in the midst of what history has called The War of the Roses, Richard was raised in the shadow of his charismatic brother, King Edward IV. Loyal to his friends and passionately in love with the one woman who was denied him, Richard emerges as a gifted man far more sinned against than sinning. This magnificent retelling of his life is filled with all of the sights and sounds of battle, the customs and lore of the fifteenth century, the rigors of court politics, and the passions and prejudices of royalty.

Link to Youtube video 'Dan Jones introduces The Hollow Crown'. 3:17 minutes long.

The Hollow Crown - Dan Jones

Amazon Synopsis: The fifteenth century experienced the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands violently five times as the great families of England fought to the death for the right to rule. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these chaotic years. Yet efforts were made to maintain some semblance of peace and order, as chivalry was reborn, the printing press arrived, and the Renaissance began to flourish.

television

Link to Youtube video 'Horrible Histories - Richard III + lyrics HD'. 2:42 minutes long.

Horrible Histories: The Truth About Richard III

Horrible Histories, a British Children's Television Program, wrote a satirical song/skit about the Tudor Propoganda that influenced the general history and portrayals of Richard III.

Unfortunately, the video of the skit is unavailable in America due to copyright laws, but the video linked on the left has the music and song, as well as the lyrics (which get the point across on their own, really).

Starz: The White Queen (2013)

"On Starz’s “The White Queen,” Aneurin Barnard has helped paint a new portrait of Richard III, the king vilified in the famous play by William Shakespeare.

' I hope that maybe [people] are a bit more wise to the difference between the real Richard and then, Mr. Shakespeare’s Richard, because the play is a completely bastardized version of who Richard actually was,' Aneurin said. 'And we have to remember that Mr. William was writing for the Tudor household at that time who were not great fans of Richard because they had to overpower him to take the throne. The average man and woman may just think that Richard III is the hunchback from that famous play, but actually, he was something quite different, and hopefully, through ‘The White Queen,’ it does tell people that they are two very different interpretations,' he added."

AccessOnline Interview: "The White Queen Q&A: Aneurin Barnard Talks Taking On Richard III"

"Richard wasn’t the hunchback oddball he’s usually seen as, the embodiment of all evil. He was a very loyal man and he would have been a great leader. I wanted to find the truth of him."

Metro.co.uk Interview: "The White Queen star Aneurin Barnard: Richard III gets a raw deal"