Upon hearing an interpretation of Richard III being a one-dimensional character, there were objections during discussion about what qualified him as one. While his character has been established well in the opening act, it is possible that the one-dimensionality of his character derives from his actions to the plot. In other words, his character development stalled for the most part of the play until his demise. Nevertheless, there is an interesting aspect of his character that is found buried deep within his psyche.
The perfect place to get a glimpse into Richard III’s characterization is the opening scene of Act I. In fact, it is the only instance of an attempt at his character development. His lamentation of his brother’s ascension as King Edward IV, whom he describes “He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber/To the
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What these series of dialogue implies overall is that not only he is envious of his brother, but he also felt tormented for his deformity. Yet the only other time his deformity is during his encounter with Lady Anne, who outright called him “lump of foul deformity” (1.2.57). From that dialogue, it is safe to say idea of others tormenting him for his deformity is legitimate. This not only cause him to not only loath himself, but also become frustrated with his deformity as well as lowly status in comparison to his brother. Hence, it made since that he wanted prove his worth beyond at. However, he declared “Since I cannot prove a lover,/To entertain these fair well-spoken days,/I am determined to prove a villain” (1.1.28-30). Most likely, his attempt at proving his worth as a good person was unsuccessful to a point. Because of that, he may have thought that rebelling as a villain was a better option as villains tend to not abide by the