Why did Shakespeare lie about Richard the third?

Answer 1

Shakespeare created the character of Richard III based on the historical resources he had available to him, all of which trace to Thomas More's dubious history of King Richard. The fact of the matter is that Henry VII, having only a very backhanded claim to the throne, was something of a spin doctor and arranged for all histories to portray Richard as a monster in order to justify Henry's seizure of the throne. Totally fictitious details such as the hunchback and the withered arm were invented to make Richard appear more loathesome. And it was these histories which Shakespeare had to use as sources. The evil deformed Richard, even though not historically accurate, made for a good play, and in fact Richard III remains one of Shakespeare's two most popular histories.

Even if Shakespeare had reason to doubt the histories he was reading, and he didn't, it would have been foolhardy to present Richard as a legitimate and able king, and Henry Tudor as a self-seeking, cynical and unscrupulous adventurer with a sham claim to the throne. Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond, became Henry VII and was the grandfather of Elizabeth I the Queen. Elizabeth did not need people to cast aspersions on her right to the throne when there were people desperately trying to depose her all over. Shakespeare might well have been tossed in the Clink for saying such things. Richard the Third wants reality about Richard the Third not a made up.