Richard III (1699 play) success with leading actors such as David Garrick playing Richard III. The Shakespeare renaissance of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries deprecated modifications of Shakespeare's plots. Cibber's adaptation could not stand comparison with Shakespearean originals, and has rarely been staged since. The play opens in the reign of King Edward IV before it represents the reign of King Richard III during the Wars of the Roses. The end of the play reflects the accession to the throne of the Earl of Richmond, descendent of the Tudor family and future King Henry VII. Shakespeare's play summarises events around the year 1485, although
Richard III of England In the mystery novel "The Murders of Richard III" by Elizabeth Peters (1974) the central plot revolves around the debate as to whether Richard III was guilty of these and other crimes. A sympathetic portrayal of Richard III is given in "The Founding" (1980), the first volume in "The Morland Dynasty" series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. One film adaptation of Shakespeare's play "Richard III" is the 1955 version directed and produced by Laurence Olivier, who also played the lead role. Also notable are the 1995 film version starring Ian McKellen, set in a fictional 1930s fascist England, and "Looking for Richard",