Richard III

A drama by William Shakespeare

England breathes a sigh of relief - after a century of wars, peace at last seems to be arriving. But Richard, the underestimated brother of the new king, is tired of standing on the sidelines. He wants the crown and is willing to do anything to get it.

Richard is deformed, limping and hunchbacked - yet charismatic, intelligent, and utterly without scruples. Intrigue, manipulation, and murder are his tools on the path to power. Step by step, he removes obstacles, no matter how bloody the cost. But the higher he climbs, the thinner the ice beneath his feet: the people he has lied to and exploited begin to fight back. In the end comes a decisive battle - and the question of whether a tyrant can ever escape unpunished.

Shakespeare's "Richard III" is both a portrait of a fractured ruling elite from which a perverted dictatorship emerges - and thus a play that remains politically as relevant as ever.