Richard III

William Shakespeare · 1564–1616 · England

Why it matters

A hunchbacked schemer confides directly in the audience while murdering his way to the throne, turning atrocity into shared entertainment. Shakespeare's first great villain, and the bloody culmination of his early history-play cycle on England tearing itself apart.

At a glance

One of his longest early plays, dense with Wars of the Roses genealogy and political maneuvering.