King Richard III
| King Richard III of England | |
|---|---|
| Blackadder character | |
| First appearance | "The Foretelling" |
| Last appearance | "The Foretelling" |
| Portrayed by | Peter Cook |
| Information | |
| Occupation | King of England, Duke of Gloucester |
| Nationality | English |
King Richard III of England is a fictionalised version of the real Richard III of England in the first series of the British sitcom Blackadder. The character was played by Peter Cook.
The series' first episode, "The Foretelling", explains that King Richard III was actually a kind, benevolent ruler who doted on his nephews, and that his popular image as a murderous usurper is based on lies spread by his rival, Henry Tudor. In the episode, Richard wins the Battle of Bosworth Field, but he loses his horse. He calls out cheerfully, in a parodied version to the play of his name, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" He doesn't have a very good relationship with his great-nephew, Lord Edmund Plantagenet, as he refers to Edmund as a "little turd", "horrid little scabby reptile", "loathsome little fairy maggot" and "smelly little dog's pizzle". Later, Edmund accidentally kills him; (Richard takes Edmund's horse, which he thinks is a stray; not recognizing the king, Edmund thinks Richard is one of the enemy attempting to steal his horse, and cuts his head off). The late King's nephew, Richard, Duke of York, Edmund's father, is then crowned as Richard IV.
During the celebration dinner, Richard's ghost returns to haunt Edmund (parodying Banquo in Macbeth).
Read more about this topic: List Of Minor Blackadder Characters
Famous quotes containing the words king, richard and/or iii:
“In a few years there will be only five kings in the world—the King of England and the four kings in a pack of cards.”
—Farouk I (1920–1965)
“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”
—Larry Forrester, U.S. screenwriter, Hideo Oguni, and Ryuzo Kikushima. Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku. Admiral Yamamoto (Soh Yamamura)
“Knavery seems to be so much a the striking feature of its inhabitants that it may not in the end be an evil that they will become aliens to this kingdom.”
—George III (1738–1820)