Richard III Bones (3) Shakespeare Got It

Anthony Sher, as Richard III

An examination of the recently discovered skeleton of the ill-fated English king shows he had scoliosis, which is probably the root of the perception that he was a malformed -- and therefore malevolent -- hunchback. 

But the scoliosis would have had only a slight effect on his appearance, so slight it could have been minimized by "a good tailor and custom-made armour," according to Jo Appleby, PhD, of the University of Leicester in England. 

Contrast that with the words Shakespeare puts into the future king's mouth in his opening speech in "Richard III": He describes himself as "rudely stamp'd ... deform'd, unfinish'd" -- so ugly, in fact, that he cannot "prove a lover" and therefore decides to be a villain.

Reference: Richard III: Shakespeare Blew It.

Anzan Hoshin Roshi posted this article on our Shakespeare community on Google+, and I felt compelled to comment:

Nope, Mr. Smith, Shakespeare most certainly did not blow it (lol)!