War of Roses (Richard III)

             Richard, Duke of Glouster, begins the play by telling the viewers that the House of York is in power. His brother, King Edward IV, is the one leading York House to power. The War of the Roses is the underlying historical context of the Shakespeare play, Richard III. I am interested in learning about the War of the Roses to form a better understanding of the influences and mindset of the characters and the audience during the time period that the play was performed.

            The War of Roses consisted of  two branches of the Royal House of Plantagenet. The houses of York and Lancaster competed for the throne of England from 1455 and 1485. The war ended with Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond coming into power and founding the House of Tudors. Henry Tudor united the House of York and Lancaster, even combining the symbol of the white and red rose into an emblem of a red and white Tudor rose.

            An influence that the battle between the houses could have affected was the courtship of Richard III and Lady Anne. Lady Anne is part of the Lancaster family. Richard’s alliance with Lady Anne might help him get both the approval of his own house and the House of Lancaster.

            History not only plays as a background setting in the play but was also an influencing matter in the presentation of characters in the play. Queen Elizabeth I was in power at the time, who was a Tudor, of the writing and performance of Richard III. Shakespeare wanted to please the royal family because they could influence the success of his career. Due to this pressure Shakespeare portrays Richard III as a horrendous villain in order to make Henry Tudor appear in a much brighter light. If Shakespeare did not show the devilish side of Richard III as much as he did then Henry Tudor would have looked less heroic. Even though the history of England has swayed the representation in this play due to the fact that the characters he was writing about were still alive and influential.