Richard III

Shakespeare’s historical play Richard III was written in the 1590s and follows events which took place just less than 100 years previous. The War of the Roses was fought from 1455 to 1487 as rival families battled for the throne. The House of York was represented by a white rose, while the House of Lancaster’s badge was a red rose. In this scene you can visit both the castle and the battlefield to learn about the key characters and key events in Shakespeare’s play.

# Learning objectives

1: To describe the characteristics of King Richard III as he is portrayed in the play.{.info}

2: To recall key events in Shakespeare’s play Richard III.{.info}

3: To understand the relationship between actual historical events and the dramatisation seen in the play.{.info}

# Richard III Rises to the Throne{.objective .objective1}

In this scene students can learn about the death of Richard’s nephew and nieces. In this section student are asked to describe the ruthless ways Richard tried to become king.

# The End for King Richard III{.objective .objective2}

In this scene students can learn about Richmond and how he has a claim to the throne.
In this section students are asked to describe the battlefield and the events of the Battle
of Bosworth.

# Shakespeare’s Historical Plays{.objective .objective3}

In this scene students can learn about context of the play. They can learn about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and how Shakespeare liked to write about the English monarchy. In this section are asked to describe how did Shakespeare make use of real historic events to create a dramatic play to tell audiences a story of good versus evil?

# Teacher Resources

Download Teacher Notes

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/791642/files/Richard%20III+Teacher+Notes+1.pdf?date=1675784042&size=1403557&md5=bfb7fe03660505ad67455cf92e9490c1)

Student Quiz Answers Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/791643/files/Richard%20III+Teacher+Notes+2.pdf?date=1675784225&size=750547&md5=53dc5a26f2f79f4e05791007bcf7ec0c)

Download Student Quiz Document

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/791644/files/Richard%20III+Teacher+Notes+3.pdf?date=1675784292&size=82068&md5=9559875402474bcc12ad186399f0ebae)