“King Richard the Third” is a historical tragedy written by Shakespeare, based on the events surrounding King Richard III’s brief and bloody rise and fall from the throne during the War of the Roses, resulting in the establishment of the Tudor line, a turning point that ended the Middle Ages in Britain. This design is heavily influenced by gothic paintings, sculpture, and stain glass. The secular themes of mortality, the intense blacks, blues, greens, and whites, the harsh, well-defined lines, have all found their place in the costumes.  

 

My design concept stems from the characters’ ruthless struggle for power. Clothing is used to display status, but also to conceal the characters’ true nature. Richard’s fine coat speaks to wealth and courtly manners, but a lining of coarse fur reveals that under the gauze of charm he is deceitful, dangerous. Additionally, the coat well-conceals his severe scoliosis, the physical deformity at the root of his vicious ambition. 

 

Moreover, the supernatural themes of the play, in which even the cunning cannot escape the influence of prophecies, dreams, ghosts, and curses wielded by women, is central to the design of the female characters. They are Dionysian, curved lines are a constant feature of their costumes. However, despite their ethereal power, they are bonded to their roles as women, where widowed they are left without ally or influence. The weight of their situations is represented in Margaret’s heavy sleeves and Lady Anne’s shawl.