I know some of you are still confused about the characters and the action in the play, so I’m going to share some web resources with you, which I hope will provide you with more guidance in your study of Richard III.
What’s important is that you invest some time and effort into reading all the material including your text. You must also actively re-read your materials and refer to them continuously e.g. refer to the family trees as you read the history. This will help you make the connections which you need to better understand the play.
If you do this diligently and in a disciplined fashion, I guarantee that you will see the academic pay-off sooner than later.
- Student Guide to the Play.
This Insight Text Guide may be a six-page preview but I think it will help to clarify some of your doubts.
- A Brief History of Richard III and the War of the Roses.
I covered this in my introductory lecture, which can be found on Moodle along with notes for revision. If you feel that you need more background context/information, you can find it here:
- You Can’t Tell the Players without a Scorecard.
This is a simplified history which is quite different from the action in the play. Please bear this in mind when you read this article.
- Richard III – A Man and his Times
Another summarised history, which again is very different from the play we are studying. I’d like you to read this for insight into writing style; the tone of this article differs from the previous as it tries to dissuade the reader from believing the traditional portrayal of Richard III.
- Family Trees.
Last but not least, many family trees which you must refer to when you read the above material or the play, so that you can attempt to map the interactions between each character, or at least differentiate one similarly-named character from the other. A gentle reminder: there is also a Plantagenet Family Tree on p. 262 of your text.
