Character Summary

Richard: a deformed, crooked backed son of the Duke of York who decides to kill his brother George (the Duke of Clarence) so that he might steal the crown of England from his other brother, Edward, without complications and/or interference

Clarence: a.k.a. George or the Duke of Clarence, he is manipulated into being of the object of King Edward IV's paranoia which paranoia leads to Clarence's murder at the King's behest, all of it engineered by their evil brother, Richard (Duke of Gloucester)

Brackenbury: Lieutenant of The Tower who escorts Clarence to his confinement and bars Queen Elizabeth from seeing her confined children

Lord Hastings: the Lord Chamberlain whose opposition to Richard's coronation has him murdered

Lady Anne: widow of Edward, Prince of Wales, who manages to get her herself seduced by Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, never mind that it was Richard who slew not only her father-in-law, Henry VI, but her husband a well; she is later murdered by Richard

Queen Elizabeth: formerly Lady Grey, wife to Sir John Grey, and sister to Anthony Woodville (Earl Rivers) who has children both by Edward and Grey and who is particularly busy in trying to advance the fortunes of her children by her previous marriage and who is now married to King Edward IV

Rivers: Anthony Woodville whose relationship to Queen Elizabeth (they are siblings) has given him the noble status of Earl Rivers; he is murdered by Richard

Grey: a son of Queen Elizabeth from her previous marriage and is now accorded the noble status of Lord Grey; he is murdered by Richard

Buckingham: the Duke of Buckingham who initially supports Richard only to turn against him and is beheaded for it

Stanley: Lord Stanley or Earl of Derby, he is Richmond's step-father, who manages to stay alive while feigning support of Richard

Queen Margaret: wife and the mother of the vanquished King Henry IV and the former Prince of Wales who curses Richard, Queen Elizabeth's brother and sons by her previous marriage, and warns Buckingham to be wary of Richard

Dorset: Queen Elizabeth's son by a previous marriage who has been conferred the title of Marquess of Dorset

Murderers: Richard's henchmen who are given a written authorization (presumably from the King) to execute Clarence

Keeper: jail-keeper who obliges Clarence and stays with the Duke so that he may fall back asleep and forget about the nightmare which had awoken him and which threatens to keep him up all night

Duchess: Duchess of York or the mother of King Edward IV, Clarence, and Richard

Boy: the orphaned son of Clarence who Richard dismisses as a non-threat to his crown

Girl: the orphaned daughter of Clarence, she is married off to a gentleman of no consequence so as to pose no threat to Richard and his crown

Citizens: three citizens of England who discuss King Edward's death and its ramifications

Archbishop: Thomas Rotherham or Archbishop of York, he assumes the duty of looking after Queen Elizabeth's interests when Richard and Buckingham take actions that threaten the Queen's livlihood

York: Queen Elizabeth's child by marriage to King Edward IV, he is the Duke of York and the Prince of Wales' brother

Messenger: messenger who apprises the Queen and the Duchess of the news of Lords Grey and Rivers' imprisonment in Pomfret

Prince Edward: the Prince of Wales or the son of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth, who is denied his rightful crown by Richard & Co.

Catesby: Sir William Catesby, he is commissioned by Richard and Buckingham to ferret out Lord Hastings' true mind with regards the scheme to make Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, the king of England

Cardinal: Cardinal Bourchier or Archbishop of Canturbury, he is commissioned by Buckingham to persuade the Queen to relinquish the Duke of York

Messenger: man sent by Lord Stanley to warn Lord Hastings of the danger posed by Richard to his--Hastings'--welfare

Ratcliffe: Sir Richard Ratcliffe, he is Richard's henchman who sees to the execution of Rivers, Grey, and Vaughn

Vaughan: of Queen Elizabeth's faction, he is Sir Thomas Vaughan, who is executed along with Grey and Rivers

Ely: Bishop of Ely or John Morton, he provides Richard with strawberries which Richard makes a special request for; he defects from Richard to join Richmond

Lovell: Lord Lovell, he is Richard's henchman, who assists Ratcliffe in executing Lord Hastings but who defects to Richmond

Mayor: Lord Mayor of London who facilitates Richard and Buckingham to have the stage wherein they might persuade Londoners to accept Richard as their new crowned king

Scrivener: the man who drafts the official document indicting Lord Hasting which Buckingham will read to the public

Page: a boy in Richard's service who fetches Tyrrel, a murderer

Tyrrel: James Tyrrel, a murderer who gladly accepts for profit Richard's commission to kill the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York

Messengers: four messengers who deliver Richard news with respect the development of the impending civil war vis-a-vis Richmond

Christopher: Christopher Urswick is a priest of Richmond's faction who sends a message to Richmond on behalf of Lord Stanley

Sheriff: Sheriff of Wiltshire who leads Buckingham to his execution

Richmond: Henry, Earl of Richmond, he will defeat King Richard III to become King Henry VII

Oxford: Earl of Oxford; one of Richmond's allies

Blunt: Sir James Blunt; another of Richmond's allies

Herbert: Sir Walter Herbert; yet another of Richmond's allies

Surrey: Earl of Surrey; a general of King Richard's forces who is faint of heart at the upcoming battle vis-a-vis Richmond

Norfolk: Duke of Norfolk; King Richard' general who prompts Richard to prepare himself and his men for the day's battle

Ghosts: ghosts of Prince Edward, Henry VI, Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, Hastings, the two young princes, Lady Anne, and Buckingham that curse and condemn Richard and bless and laud Richmond in their respective dreams

Lords: lords attending Richmond at Bosworth field