ABSTRACT
Richard III’s identity has been firmly tied to his disability. Medieval and Renaissance writers, from Thomas More to William Shakespeare, were obsessed with Richard’s outward appearance, using it as way to measure him as both a ruler and a man. This chapter examines graphic novel and comic book representations of both Shakespeare’s Richard III, as well as the “historical” figure Richard III. It focuses on Irina Metzler’s and Abigail Elizabeth Comber’s methodology when discussing disability and Richard III, primarily as they differentiate between modern medical stigma and medieval concepts of impairment. The majority of historical sources that discuss Richard, his rise to power, short reign, and his appearance come from authors writing after his death in 1485. The most well-known historical texts and chronicles, and those that would influence Shakespeare’s perception of Richard III as king and as man, were written after Richard’s death in 1485.
