Director Jane Howell also saw the unedited nature of the tetralogy as important for Richard himself, arguing that without the three Henry VI plays "it is impossible to appreciate Richard except as some sort of diabolical megalomaniac," whereas in the full context of the tetralogy "you've seen why he is created, you know how such a man can be created: he was brought up in war, he saw and knew nothing else from his father but the struggle for the crown, and if you've been brought up to fight, if you've got a great deal of energy, and physical handicaps, what do you do? You take to intrigue and plotting."Richard III falls under my umbrella of Shakespearean villain extraordinaire, alongside Iago and Lady Macbeth. But this production from the BBC Television Shakespeare suggests I ought to read those Henry VI plays to get a better grip on him and perhaps recast his character. Alas, these plays are among the few I haven't read, yet.
Full Theatrical Reading
Complete Text
Note. The numbers in the title refer to the play number (3.7) and publication year (1592), which Wikipedia noted based on the Oxford chronology.
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