The final play in Shakespeare's masterly dramatization of the strife between the Houses of York and Lancaster, Richard III offers a stunning portrait of an archvillain—a man of cunning and ruthless ambition who seduces, betrays and murders his way to the throne. In the process, Richard delivers great speeches and engages in formidable confrontations with a large cast of characters, almost all of them caught up in the terrible struggle for power that dominates the play. It is a tribute to Shakespeare's dramatic genius and knowledge of human psychology that by the end of the drama the detestable Richard begins to elicit some sympathy for the awful plight in which he finds himself. Explanatory footnotes and an introductory note are included.