What impressions of Richard’s character does the audience obtain in Act I of Richard III? Does he have any positive qualities to enable him to win our interest, admiration or sympathy?

... What impressions of Richard's character does the audience obtain in Act I of Richard III? Does he have any positive qualities to enable him to win our interest, admiration or sympathy? There are many discrepancies between the real Richard III the play was based on ? and the fictitious character created by Shakespeare. These discrepancies were created for several reasons: His deformity was played up in order to invoke disgust and to portray his lack of morals and evil spirit in a physical form, also Shakespeare had to make Richard look bad to please the Queen Elizabeth I as she was from an opposing family to Richard's. Also the history sources, which Shakespeare relied on to provide a basis of a character, were doctored in order to make the present monarchy look good. Another, perhaps more prominent reason for the particular character traits Shakespeare took was that he wanted to

want to read more? →