1. To what extent is Richard justified by circumstances in taking the path he does? Can he be viewed as a standard 'paste-board' villain or melodramatic villain? To what extent do we sympathize with his rise to ill fame and fortune? By what devices does Shakespeare make it possible for us to be able to enjoy his rise?

2. Is Richard an actor? If he is, is he a good one? How does Richard use acting and dissimulation to help him rise to power? Does it effect our view of him for better or worse?

3. How do Richard's three 'coups' effect our early view of Richard in this play? (1) the wooing of Anne; (2) the cursing scene with Margaret; and (3) the death of Clarence.

4. Talk about the downfall of Richard III. That is, how is Richard different at the end of the play than he was at the beginning? Does he get worse in the eyes of the audience? Does he lose power? How does this change occur?

5. Talk about the roles of women in Richard III. Most specifically, talk about Lady Anne, Queen Elizabeth, Margaret, and the Duchess. You may choose one or all of them, but make sure to use examples and to talk about them as characters. Does our view of any or all of them change during the course of the play? If so, how?

6. Talk about animal images in this play. How are they used and who are they used in connection with? What is the significance of these images? (Perhaps use your knowledge of the Great Chain of Being or use the Oxford English Dictionary to see if any of these animals are defined as meaning something in particular during the Renaissance.)

7. Talk about ritual in this play. How and when is ritual used or abused? (You may choose one particular set of rituals, or you may talk more generally, just make sure that you use specific examples in connection to what you are talking about.)

8. Take the two orations to the soldiers from V.iii, and discuss the differences between the two speeches: Richmond's versus Richard's. How are these two speeches inherently different, and what is the effect of these differences?

9. Richard as scapegoat. Here's an outrageous proposition for you: to what extent can it be argued that Richard III was actually a force for good not evil, since his actions united England and ended the Wars of the Roses? To what extent do you interpret the play as subversive of the Tudor authority it seems to support?

10. The body politic and the body of the king. Look at II.iii, the scene with the citizens of London, and discuss how this scene represents Renaissance attitudes towards the health of the nation vis-a-vis the health of a king. Quotations and the images they create should prove most helpful for this one.