Richard III: Disability Informed Reading Guide

Richard III: Disability Informed Reading Guide PDF

Many commonly taught books and stories that feature disabled characters and/or themes related to disability include portrayals that can be confusing, stereotyped, or unintentionally harmful. Our disability informed reading guides help educators navigate these texts with care. These resources are not endorsements of the books themselves, but tools to support thoughtful conversations, offer important context, and encourage more inclusive, accurate discussions about disability. Like all of our resources, they’re designed to help classrooms be places where all students feel respected and represented.

Richard, in his opening soliloquy, bemoans that he is "deformed" and insists that, since he is ignored, cast aside, and in "want [of] love's majesty," he is determined to "prove a villain" to his far more successful family (1.1.1-41). Through exploring historical context from both Shakespeare's time and the historical Richard III's time, as well as language usage, students will be able to better contextualize one of literature's most popular, self-described villains and discuss the ways that negative perceptions of disability drive Richard's self-narrative.