Richard

The opening couplet in Richard III ("Now is the winter of our discontent/ Made glorious summer by this son of York") and the final line of Act V, scene iv ("A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"), are probably the most famous lines in the play; appropriately, they are also the first and the last words that Richard speaks. Richard is the energizing force of the play. He is responsible for most of the play's dark comedy—which usually occurs when he is mocking himself or ridiculing his victims. He has been called a Machiavel (one who views politics as amoral and that any means, however unscrupulous, can justifiably be used to achieve political power) because of his ruthless drive for power. Almost as soon as he appears onstage he tells us that he is "determined to prove a villain" and mentions the traps...