Richard III
by William Shakespeare

Richard III: Genre 1 key example

New! Understand every line of Richard III.
Read our modern English translation.
Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

Richard III primarily belongs to two of Shakespeare’s best known genres of theater: it is both a “history play” and a tragedy. The protagonist of this piece is one of the playwright’s most famous villains, but Richard III was also a real former king of England. "History plays," a subgenre within Shakespeare's writing, reflect on and dramatize eventful periods in English history. Like all of Shakespeare’s history plays, Richard III is rooted in real historical events and figures from English history. This one centers on the historical figures of the Plantagenet family, the events surrounding the end of the Wars of the Roses, and the rise of the Tudor dynasty in the late 1400s.