William Shakespeare
RICHARD III

circa 1591–1597

a synoptic, alphabetical character list

ANTHONY WOODEVILLE
Proper name of Rivers.

BERKELEY
A gentleman escorting Lady Anne as she transfers Henry VI's corpse from St. Paul's Cathedral to Chertsey monastery. After Anne's encounter with Richard, Berkeley, along with Tressell, escorts her away.

BISHOP OF ELY
Supporter of Richmond. The Bishop of Ely is present during the council scene in the Tower of London, where the dukes and lords meet to discuss the Yorkist Prince Edward's coronation. Richard III asks the Bishop to send for strawberries from the Bishop's garden. Later, the Bishop joins with Richmond and urges him to lead a rebellion against Richard.

BISHOP OF EXETER
A "ghost character." The elder brother of Sir Edward Courtenay and a supporter of Richmond. The Bishop of Exeter, along with his brother, march soldiers through Devonshire to attack Richard III's forces.

BONA OF SAVOY
A "ghost character." Sister of the King of France who had originally been betrothed to Edward IV. Edward disregarded the betrothal contract and married Elizabeth, widow of Lord Gray, instead. Richard III and Buckingham try to use the betrothal, which was a legal contract and a de facto marriage, to prove that Prince Edward and Prince Richard are illegitimate and therefore unable to inherit the kingship of England.

BOY
Also known as Ned Plantagenet, the son of Clarence. After Clarence's murder and Edward IV's death, the boy and the girl, his sister, grieve for the loss of their father while Elizabeth grieves for Edward IV and the Duchess of York grieves for both. Later, Richard III has the boy locked away because he would stand to inherit the crown from Clarence, Richard's older brother.

BUCKINGHAM
Richard III's main supporter and coconspirator. The Duke of Buckingham organizes the London citizenry into rejecting the legitimacy of the Yorkist Prince Edward and calling for the coronation of Richard instead. In exchange for Buckingham's support, Richard promises to give him the earldom of Hereford. However, Buckingham hesitates when Richard indicates that he wants Prince Edward and Prince Richard murdered, causing Richard to renege on the promise. Buckingham defects to Richmond's side, but he is captured by Richard's forces and executed after his army deserts him. His ghost visits Richard and Richmond the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

CARDINAL OF LONDON
The Lord Cardinal of London. The Cardinal conducts Elizabeth into sanctuary with her children, excepting Prince Edward, in order to protect them from Richard III, who has arrested Elizabeth's brother Rivers and her son Gray. The Cardinal is later reluctant to remove Prince Richard from sanctuary until Buckingham persuades him that the Prince did not claim and therefore does not deserve sanctuary.

CITIZENS, THREE
Citizens of London. The three meet each other in the street and discuss the death of Edward IV and the youth of Prince Edward. They recall that Henry VI was crowned while still an infant, and that England was ruled by his contentious uncles until he was old enough to take over; during this time, the Wars of the Roses began and England lost control of France. The citizens fear that the situation with Prince Edward will be similar.

CLARENCE, GEORGE DUKE OF
Son of York and brother of Edward IV and Richard III, and father of the boy and girl. Also known as George, Edward IV has the Duke of Clarence imprisoned in the Tower of London because of a prophecy concocted by Richard that a person with the initial "G" will murder Edward IV's sons. While being escorted by Brackenbury to the Tower, Clarence is met by Richard, who claims the imprisonment is the working of Elizabeth, Edward's queen, and that he will try to have Clarence released. In the Tower, Clarence dreams that he is on a ship with Richard and that Richard slips on the deck and accidentally knocks him overboard, where he drowns; he goes to Hell, where his father-in-law Warwick and brother-in-law Edward, son of Henry VI, accuse him of perjury for breaking his vow to fight for them during the Wars of the Roses. Clarence is murdered by one of the two murderers sent by Richard, and his body is put into a barrel (or "butt") of malmsey wine. His ghost visits Richard and Richmond the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

CLIFFORD
A "ghost character." A lord who supported Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses. He murdered York's young son Rutland, brother of Edward IV, Clarence, and Richard III. He then captured York in battle and killed him. Clifford later died in battle with the Yorks.

DERBY
Alternative name of Lord Stanley. Stanley is the Earl of Derby.

DIGHTON
A "ghost character." Servant to Sir James Tyrell. Tyrell orders Dighton, along with Forrest, to carry out the murder of Prince Edward and Prince Richard in the Tower of London.

DOCTOR SHAW
A "ghost character." A cleric of London. Richard III sends Lovell to Doctor Shaw to order him to give a sermon supporting Richard's claim to the throne.

DORSET
Son of Elizabeth, Edward IV's queen, from her previous marriage to Lord Gray. The Marquis of Dorset, whose father supported Henry VI, was made a nobleman because of his mother's influence with Edward. He is an enemy of Lord Hastings, as his family is responsible for Edward imprisoning Lord Hastings in the Tower of London. Before Edward's death, he forces an uneasy reconciliation between Dorset and Lord Hastings. After Richard executes Dorset's uncle Rivers, brother Gray, and Sir Thomas Vaughan, Dorset leaves England to join Richmond. He returns to England to fight Richard and is last heard of "in arms" with Lovell in Yorkshire.

DUCHESS OF YORK
Wife of York and mother of Edward IV, Clarence, and Richard III. The Duchess of York has despised her son Richard from his birth, and is one of the few people who never trusts him. She accompanies Elizabeth into sanctuary and joins with her in cursing Richard.

EARL OF OXFORD
Supporter of Richmond. The Earl of Oxford fights for Richmond in the Battle of Bosworth. This is the same Oxford who had earlier nearly defeated Edward IV in battle. Historically, he was John de Vere the 13th Earl of Oxford.

EDWARD IV
Son of York, brother of Clarence and Richard III, husband of Elizabeth, and father of Prince Edward, Prince Richard, and Princess Elizabeth. Edward IV is king of England in the beginning of the play, but is ill from extravagant living. He imprisons Clarence in the Tower of London and orders his execution because of a prophecy concocted by Richard that a person with the initial "G" will murder Edward's sons. Although he pardons Clarence, Richard has Clarence killed before the pardon can be presented, causing Edward shock and guilt that presumably kills him. Before he dies, however, Edward forces uneasy reconciliations between the contentious factions of his court, and appoints Richard as Lord Protector until Prince Edward is old enough to rule on his own.

EDWARD V
Son of Edward IV, brother of Prince Richard and Princess Elizabeth. His uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, forestalls his coronation by having him thrown into the Tower along with his brother Richard, Duke of York. Technically, however, the young Prince of Wales is King Edward V from the death of his father until his murder in the Tower (historically comprising a short period during 1483). During this period, his uncle Richard is named (ironically) Lord Protector until the young king is old enough to rule on his own. He is never called Edward V in the play.

ELIZABETH
Edward IV's queen and widow of Lord Gray. Because of her influence with Edward, Elizabeth is distrusted and disliked by many members of the court. She has used her influence to promote her brother and sons from her former marriage and to imprison Lord Hastings. Richard III uses this fact to blame her for Edward's imprisonment of Clarence, though that was really Richard's own doing. Elizabeth is afraid that her own life and her family's lives will be in danger after Edward IV dies, so she readily agrees to the uneasy reconciliations that Edward forces on the court. However, when Richard takes power and has her brother Rivers and son Gray arrested, she goes into sanctuary with the rest of her family, excepting her son Prince Edward. After Richard has Prince Edward and Prince Richard murdered, Elizabeth asks Margaret to teach her how to curse Richard; she puts her new skill to use when Richard asks for her help in wooing her daughter, Princess Elizabeth. Elizabeth instead has her daughter marry Richmond, uniting the houses of York and Lancaster and ultimately ending the Wars of the Roses.

FORREST
A "ghost character." Servant to Sir James Tyrell. Tyrell orders Forrest, along with Dighton, to carry out the murder of Prince Edward (now technically Edward V) and Prince Richard, Duke of York, in the Tower of London.

FRIAR PENKER
A "ghost character." A cleric of London. Richard III sends Ratcliffe to Friar Penker to order him to give a sermon supporting Richard's claim to the throne.

GEORGE
Proper name of the Duke of Clarence. Richard III concocts a prophecy that a person with the initial "G" will murder Edward IV's sons. Richard convinces Edward that "G" refers to George, the Duke of Clarence. In actuality, Richard himself, Duke of Gloucester, will be the "G" responsible for the boys' deaths.

GHOSTS BEFORE THE BATTLE AT BOSWORTH FIELD
The night before Richard III meets Richmond (Henry Tudor) on Bosworth Field (1485), each man is visited by victims of Richard's villainy. Each curses Richard and blesses Richmond for the following day's fight. They appear to them in the order that they were killed (for complete notices, look under the individual names of these characters in this index):

PRINCE EDWARD (Son of Henry VI);
HENRY VI;
CLARENCE;
RIVERS, GRAY, and VAUGHAN;
WILLIAM LORD HASTINGS;
PRINCE EDWARD (Son of Edward IV), and PRINCE RICHARD (Duke of York);
LADY ANNE;
BUCKINGHAM.

GIRL
Daughter of Clarence. After Clarence's murder and Edward IV's death, the girl and the boy, her brother, grieve for the loss of their father while Elizabeth grieves for Edward IV and the Duchess of York grieves for both. Later, Richard III disposes of her by marrying her off to a poor man to ensure that her children cannot inherit the crown.

GLOUCESTER
Alternative name of Richard III. Richard is the Duke of Gloucester.

GRAY
Son of Elizabeth, Edward IV's queen, from her previous marriage to Lord Gray. Through Elizabeth's influence, Gray is able to inherit his father's title and estate, which had been forfeited to Edward because Lord Gray supported Henry VI. Gray is therefore an enemy of the Yorks. He tries to comfort his mother while Edward is on his deathbed because she is afraid that her own life and her family's lives will be in danger after Edward dies. Richard III arrests Gray along with his uncle, Rivers, and Vaughan, and they are executed in Pomfret Castle, where Richard II was murdered. His ghost visits Richard and Richmond the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

HASTINGS (I)
Also known as Lord Chamberlain, William Lord Hastings is a supporter of the Yorks and is loyal to Edward IV. An enemy of the family of Edward's queen Elizabeth, she used her influence on Edward to have Lord Hastings imprisoned in the Tower of London. Lord Hastings is released by having Edward's (and later his own) lover Mistress Shore use her influence to have him freed. Before his death, Edward forces an uneasy reconciliation between Lord Hastings and Elizabeth's family. Richard III has Catesby sound out Lord Hastings to see if he would support Richard's usurpation of the crown, and Lord Hastings resists; he is determined to see Prince Edward crowned. When Lord Hastings goes to the Tower to discuss the Prince's coronation, Richard has him arrested and executed on charges of protecting his lover, Mistress Shore, whom he absurdly claims deformed his body through witchcraft. Lord Hastings' ghost visits Richard and Richmond on the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

HASTINGS (II)
Proper name of the Pursuivant; not to be confused with Lord Hastings.

HENRY TUDOR
Proper name of the Earl of Richmond.

HENRY VI
The Lancastrian king of England during the Wars of the Roses, murdered by Richard III. When he lived, he predicted that Richmond would become king. His daughter-in-law Lady Anne escorts his corpse from St. Paul's Cathedral to be reinterred at Chertsey monastery when Richard accosts her; the corpse begins bleeding in his presence. Henry's ghost later visits Richard and Richmond on the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

HENRY VII
Alternative name of Henry Tudor, the Earl of Richmond. Richmond becomes King Henry VII after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.

JOHN
A priest of London. John meets Lord Hastings as Hastings is about to go to the Tower of London to discuss Prince Edward's coronation. John's profession makes Lord Hastings think of the execution of his enemies Rivers, Gray, and Vaughan that will happen later that day.

JOHN DUKE OF NORFOLK
A supporter of Richard III. Norfolk is the captain of the watch the night before the Battle of Bosworth; during the night, a message is left on his tent warning him that Richmond has bought off part of Richard's army. Along with Surrey, Norfolk leads the first wave of Richard's soldiers during the battle and is killed.

LADY ANNE
Widow of the Lancastrian Prince Edward and later wife of Richard III. Lady Anne is the daughter of Warwick "the Kingmaker", and her sister is married to Clarence, making Prince Edward and Clarence brothers-in-law. Richard III chooses to marry her as a political maneuver to unite the Yorks and Lancasters. He accosts her on the street as she is escorting the corpse of Henry VI, her father-in-law, from St. Paul's Cathedral to be reinterred in Chertsey monastery. Lady Anne curses Richard and spits in his face because he murdered Henry and, along with his brothers, killed Prince Edward in battle. Richard claims that he killed them out of love for her, and she ultimately agrees to marry him. After Richard becomes king, though, he decides that he needs to marry his niece Princess Elizabeth to better secure his claim to the throne, so he has Lady Anne killed. Her ghost later visits Richard and Richmond on the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

LADY GRAY
Alternative name of Elizabeth, Edward IV's queen. Elizabeth was previously married to Lord Gray, who opposed the house of York and was killed in battle with them.

LADY LUCY
A "ghost character." A noblewoman who bore Edward IV an illegitimate child. Richard III and Buckingham claim that Edward was legally engaged to her in their attempt to prove that Prince Edward and Prince Richard are illegitimate and therefore unable to inherit the kingship of England.

LORD CHAMBERLAIN
Alternative name of Lord Hastings.

LORD GRAY
A "ghost character." Previous husband of Elizabeth, Edward IV's queen. Lord Gray opposed the house of York and was killed in battle against them.

LORD LOVELL
Supporter of Richard III, historically he was Francis, Viscount Lovell. Richard sends Lovell to see to Hastings' execution and also to order Doctor Shaw to give a sermon supporting Richard's claim to the throne. Along with Catesby and Ratcliff, he was the target of William Collingbourne's satiric attack

The catte, the ratte, and Lovell our dogge
Rulyth all England under a hogge.

Lovell is last heard of "in arms" with Dorset in Yorkshire.

LORD PROTECTOR
Alternative name of Richard III. After Edward IV's death, Richard is named Lord Protector, the guardian of the young king Edward V who governs until the boy is old enough to rule on his own.

MARGARET
Wife of Henry VI and mother of the Lancastrian Prince Edward. Margaret fought during the Wars of the Roses to ensure that her son inherited the crown of England. After Clifford murdered Rutland, she soaked a handkerchief in the boy's blood and gave it to his father York when he was captured in battle. She placed a paper crown on York's head before Clifford killed him. When Edward IV became king, Margaret was banished to France. When Edward is on his deathbed, though, Margaret returns and curses the Yorkist court of Edward for deposing her and killing her son. She returns to France, but not before teaching Edward's queen Elizabeth how to curse Richard III.

MAYOR OF LONDON
The Lord Mayor of London. The Mayor comes to meet the Yorkist Prince Edward when he is brought to London to be crowned. Because Richard III and Buckingham need the Mayor in order to gain support from the citizens of London, they later get him to excuse the illegal execution of Lord Hastings by claiming Hastings had plotted to attack them. Finally, in a staged event, the Mayor comes to implore Richard to take the crown.

MISTRESS SHORE
A "ghost character." The wife of Shore and lover of Edward IV and later of Lord Hastings. As an excuse for executing Lord Hastings, Richard makes an absurd claim that Mistress Shore, along with Edward's queen Elizabeth, deformed his body through witchcraft.

MURDERERS, TWO
Murderers hired by Richard III to kill Clarence. One of them is unable to go through with the murder, while the other stabs Clarence and puts his body into a barrel (or "butt") of malmsey wine.

NORTHUMBERLAND (I)
A "ghost character." A supporter of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. The night before the battle, Lord Northumberland, along with Surrey, tries to cheer up Richard's soldiers. This is the 5th earl, whose title was restored to the Percies by Edward IV in 1570 after it was briefly held (1464-1470) by Richard Neville, brother of Warwick "the Kingmaker." This is not the Lord Northumberland referred to earlier in the play, who had supported Henry VI and was moved to tears at York's grief for Rutland. That was Henry Percy, 3rd earl of Northumberland, who died in 1461 at Towton. That Northumberland was grandson of the traitorous Northumberland depicted in Richard II, and 1 & 2 Henry IV.

NORTHUMBERLAND (II)
A "ghost character." Supporter of Henry VI. When Margaret gave to York a handkerchief soaked in Rutland's blood, York's grief moved Northumberland to tears. This was the 3rd earl of Northumberland and is not to be confused with the 5th earl, referred to later in the play as Lord Northumberland, who tries to cheer up Richard III's soldiers the night before the Battle of Bosworth.

OXFORD
Supporter of Henry VI. Earlier, Oxford had nearly defeated Edward IV in battle until Clarence saved him. The Earl of Oxford fights for Richmond in the Battle of Bosworth. Historically, he was John de Vere the 13th Earl of Oxford.

PAGE
Servant of Richard III. Richard asks if the page knows anyone willing to commit murder for hire; the page recommends Sir James Tyrrell.

PEMBROKE
A "ghost character." Uncle and supporter of Richmond. The Earl of Pembroke joins Richmond's forces in Havorford West as they march to Bosworth.

PLANTAGENET, EDWARD
Alternative name of Prince Edward, Edward IV's son. The royal family is descended from the Plantagenet line.

PLANTAGENET, NED
Alternative name for the Boy, Clarence's son. His proper name is Edward, and the royal family is descended from the Plantagenet line.

PRINCE EDWARD (I)
Son of Henry VI and Margaret, and husband of Lady Anne. Edward was killed in battle by his brother-in-law Clarence, Edward IV, and Richard III. He appears in Clarence's dream and accuses Clarence of perjury for breaking his vow to fight for the Lancasters during the Wars of the Roses. His ghost visits Richard and Richmond the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

PRINCE EDWARD (II)
Son of Edward IV, brother of Prince Richard and Princess Elizabeth, and heir to the throne of England. After his father's death, Prince Edward is brought to London to be crowned king. However, Richard III has Prince Edward and his brother Prince Richard placed under house arrest in the Tower of London while Buckingham claims to the citizenry that the boys are illegitimate. When Richard becomes king, he hires Tyrrell to murder the two princes. Their ghosts visit Richard and Richmond on the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

PRINCE RICHARD, DUKE OF YORK
Son of Edward IV and brother of Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth. Prince Richard is taken into sanctuary by his mother Elizabeth, but is forced to leave it when Prince Edward is brought to London to be crowned king and asks to see him. Richard III has the two princes placed under house arrest in the Tower of London while Buckingham claims to the citizenry that the boys are illegitimate. When Richard becomes king, he hires Tyrrell to murder the two princes. Their ghosts visit Richard and Richmond on the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

PRINCESS ELIZABETH
Daughter of Edward IV and sister of Prince Edward and Prince Richard. When Richard III becomes king, he decides that he needs to marry his niece Princess Elizabeth to better secure his claim to the throne. The Princess instead marries Richmond, uniting the houses of York and Lancaster and ultimately ending the Wars of the Roses.

PURSUIVANT
Also known as Hastings, the pursuivant issues public summons in London. The pursuivant meets Lord Hastings while the Lord is about to go to the Tower of London to discuss Prince Edward's coronation. Lord Hastings recalls that the last time he saw the pursuivant was when he was taken to the Tower to be imprisoned.

RHYS-AP-THOMAS
A "ghost character." A supporter of Richmond. Rhys-ap-Thomas joins Richmond's forces in Havorford West as they march to Bosworth.

RICHARD III
Also known as Gloucester and Lord Protector, Richard is the son of York and brother of Edward IV and Clarence. Richard is deformed, with a humped back, a limp, and a withered arm. Richard is embittered by the national peace that occurs during Edward's reign because his deformities don't allow him to take part in the sexual activities that accompany peacetime; Richard is a warrior, not a lover. Thus, Richard resolves to become king and cause discord in the court. His first act is to concoct a prophecy while Edward is on his deathbed that a person with the initial "G" will murder Edward's sons; while it is Richard himself, as the Duke of Gloucester, who is responsible for the boys' deaths, he insinuates that it will be his brother George, the Duke of Clarence. Edward has Clarence imprisoned in the Tower of London, and Richard hires two murderers to kill Clarence because he stands before Richard in inheriting the crown. Richard then resolves to marry Lady Anne, the widow of Henry VI's son, Prince Edward, whom he had a hand in killing; she is also the daughter-in-law of Henry VI, whom he murdered. He successfully woos Lady Anne over Henry VI's corpse, which bleeds in his presence. Before Edward IV dies, he appoints Richard as Lord Protector, who is to govern England until Prince Edward is old enough to rule on his own; Richard uses this position to execute his political enemies, including Lord Hastings, Rivers, Gray, and Sir Thomas Vaughan. Richard places Prince Edward and Prince Richard under house arrest in the Tower and has Buckingham insinuate that the boys are illegitimate in order to discredit their claims to the crown, leaving him to inherit it. Once he's king, Richard has the two princes murdered and also has Lady Anne killed so that he may marry his niece Princess Elizabeth in order to strengthen his hold on the crown. Because of his tyrannical rule, Richmond leads a rebellion against him that ends in the Battle of Bosworth. The night before the battle, the ghosts of Richard's victims visit him and curse him. The next day, Richard is killed in the field and the Wars of the Roses finally end.

RICHMOND
Also known as Henry Tudor and Henry VII, the Earl of Richmond leads a rebellion against Richard III. When Richmond was a boy, Henry VI predicted that he would become king, and because of his family's Lancastrian background, Richmond grew up in exile in Brittany. After Richard becomes king, many of his political enemies go to support Richmond, who invades England to claim the crown. On the night before the Battle of Bosworth, the ghosts of Richard's victims appear to Richmond and bless him. The next day, he defeats Richard in battle and becomes King Henry VII. Richmond also marries Edward IV's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, thus uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and ending the Wars of the Roses.

RICHMOND, COUNTESS
A "ghost character." Wife of Lord Stanley and mother of Richmond. She is descended from the Lancasters and therefore doesn't support the Yorks. Elizabeth, Edward IV's queen, assures Stanley that she doesn't bear him any malice despite his wife.

RIVERS
Also known as Anthony Woodeville, brother of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth. The Earl Rivers supported the Lancasters during the Wars of the Roses, and after Elizabeth married Edward, she used her influence on the king to have her brother pardoned and promoted. Rivers is therefore a political enemy of the Yorks, and especially of Lord Hastings. Rivers had Elizabeth use her influence to have Lord Hastings imprisoned. Before his death, Edward IV forces an uneasy reconciliation between Rivers and Lord Hastings. Richard III later has Rivers imprisoned with his nephew, Gray, and Vaughan, and they are executed in Pomfret Castle, where Richard II had been murdered. His ghost visits Richard and Richmond the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

RUTLAND
A "ghost character." Young son of York and brother of Edward IV, Clarence, and Richard III. Clifford murdered Rutland, and Margaret soaked a handkerchief in the boy's blood, which she then gave to York before he was killed.

SCRIVENER
A scribe of London. The scrivener is ordered to write up the declaration for Lord Hastings' execution. He observes that the order was given after Hastings has already been executed.

SHERIFF
A sheriff of Salisbury. The Sheriff leads Buckingham to execution.

SHORE
A "ghost character." A London goldsmith; Shore's wife, Mistress Shore, is the lover of Edward IV and later of Lord Hastings.

SIR CHRISTOPHER
A priest who supports Richmond. Sir Christopher conveys a message to Richmond from Lord Stanley, that George Stanley is being held hostage by Richard III to ensure Stanley's loyalty.

SIR EDWARD COURTENAY
A "ghost character." A knight supporting Richmond. Sir Edward Courtenay, along with his elder brother the Bishop of Exeter, marches soldiers through Devonshire to attack Richard III's forces.

SIR GILBERT TALBOT
A "ghost character." Supporter of Richmond. Talbot joins Richmond's forces in Havorford West as they march to Bosworth.

SIR JAMES BLUNT
A supporter of Richmond's campaign for the crown of England. Blunt is a captain of Richmond's army during the Battle of Bosworth.

SIR JAMES TYRRELL
Supporter of Richard III. Richard hires Tyrrell to murder Prince Edward and Prince Richard. Tyrrell orders his servant Dighton, along with Forrest, to commit the murders.

SIR RICHARD RATCLIFFE
Supporter of Richard III. Ratcliffe escorts Rivers, Gray, and Vaughan to be executed at Pomfret Castle, where Richard II was murdered. Richard later sends Ratcliffe to Friar Penker to order him to give a sermon supporting Richard's claim to the throne. Along with Catesby and Lovell, he was the target of William Collingbourne's satiric attack

The catte, the ratte, and Lovell our dogge
Rulyth all England under a hogge.

Ratcliffe attends on Richard during the Battle of Bosworth.

SIR ROBERT BRACKENBURY
The Lieutenant of the Tower of London. Brackenbury holds the keys to the Tower, and acts as warden to the prisoners kept there. He later dies during the Battle of Bosworth.

SIR THOMAS VAUGHAN
Friend of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth's family, and enemy of the Yorks and Lord Hastings. Vaughan is arrested with Rivers and Gray, and executed in Pomfret castle, where Richard II had been murdered. His ghost visits Richard and Richmond the night before the Battle of Bosworth, cursing Richard and blessing Richmond.

SIR WALTER HERBERT
Supporter of Richmond. Herbert predicts that Richard's forces will desert him during the Battle of Bosworth.

SIR WILLIAM BRANDON
Supporter of Richmond. Brandon bears Richmond's standard and is killed during the Battle of Bosworth.

SIR WILLIAM CATESBY
A supporter of Richard III. Catesby is sent to sound out Hastings, to see if he would support Richard; Catesby later conveys Hastings' head to Richard. Catesby also takes part in the charade when Buckingham leads the Mayor and citizens in imploring Richard to take the crown. Along with Lovell and Ratcliff, he was the target of William Collingbourne's satiric attack

The catte, the ratte, and Lovell our dogge
Rulyth all England under a hogge.

Finally, Catesby fights alongside Richard in the Battle of Bosworth.

STANLEY
Also known as Derby, Lord Stanley is Richmond's stepfather. After Edward IV is shocked by the news of Clarence's death, Stanley asks the king to pardon his servant who had been sentenced to death for killing an attendant of Norfolk's. Stanley's suit causes Edward to guiltily lament that no one had begged him to pardon his own brother Clarence. Later, Stanley has a dream in which Richard III cuts off his head; seeing it as a prophecy, Stanley considers fleeing to the north of England and sends a messenger to Lord Hastings to see if he will join him. When Richard becomes king, Stanley is sent to escort Lady Anne to the coronation, and he is warned by Richard to make sure his wife Countess Richmond, Richmond's mother, does not send letters to her son. When Richmond lands his forces in England, Richard takes Stanley's son George Stanley hostage to ensure Stanley's loyalty. Stanley had intended to aid his stepson's invasion, but sends him a message by Sir Christopher saying he cannot do so without endangering his son. In the end, Stanley does support Richmond during the Battle of Bosworth, and places the defeated Richard's crown on Richmond's head.

STANLEY, GEORGE
A "ghost character." Son of Lord Stanley. Richard III orders George Stanley held hostage during the Battle of Bosworth to ensure Lord Stanley's loyalty. When Lord Stanley defects to Richmond's side, Richard orders George Stanley executed. However, George Stanley escapes harm because there is no opportunity for the execution to occur during the battle.

STANLEY, SIR WILLIAM
A "ghost character." Brother of Lord Stanley and supporter of Richmond, his step-nephew. Sir William Stanley joins Richmond's forces in Havorford West as they march to Bosworth.

THOMAS EARL OF SURREY
A "ghost character." Supporter of Richard III. The night before the Battle of Bosworth, Surrey and Lord Northumberland try to cheer up Richard's soldiers, and during the battle Surrey and Norfolk lead the first wave of Richard's forces.

TRESSELL
A gentleman escorting Lady Anne as she transfers Henry VI's corpse from London's St. Paul's Cathedral to Chertsey monastery. After Anne's encounter with Richard, Tressell, along with Berkeley, escorts her away.

WALTER LORD FERRERS
A "ghost character." A nobleman who is killed during the Battle of Bosworth.

WARWICK
A "ghost character." This is Richard Beauchamp, not "Warwick the Kingmaker," who was his son-in-law, Richard Neville. This is the father of Lady Anne (who married "the Kingmaker"); father-in-law of George, Duke of Clarence; and also grandfather-in-law of Prince Edward, Henry VI's son, who married his granddaughter, another Lady Anne (who in this play is found following Henry VI's corpse and who becomes Richard's queen). Warwick supported Henry VI, and at Warwick's urging Clarence vowed to fight for them during the Wars of the Roses. Clarence deserted Warwick and the Lancasters, though, and in Clarence's dream Warwick and Edward accuse him of perjury.

YORK
A "ghost character." Father of Edward IV, Clarence, Richard III, and Rutland. The Wars of the Roses began when Richard of York opposed the sovereignty of Henry VI, claiming that the crown should have descended to the Yorks after the death of Richard II. Margaret and Clifford, who had murdered York's young son Rutland, captured York in battle. Margaret gave York a handkerchief soaked in Rutland's blood and placed a paper crown on his head, and then Clifford killed him.

YORK, DUKE OF
Alternative name of Prince Richard, Edward VI's youngest son. His elder brother, Edward, is Prince of Wales, the heir apparent. Prince Richard inherits the dukedom of York, the family's ancestral seat.