Why Shakespeare's Richard III became a controversial villain

Why Shakespeare's Richard III became a controversial villain Ellie Kurttz/RSC The notorious monarch is one of the Bard's most iconic characters. Richard III has long been a figure of fascination – inspiring the play that remains one of William Shakespeare's most performed works on stage and screen, regularly staged on both sides of the Atlantic. Richard – whose disability is not specified but is described in the play as having a limp, a withered arm and being "bunchback'd" – is one of literature's most famous disabled characters, but has only rarely been played by disabled actors. Ellie Kurttz/RSC Arthur Hughes is the first disabled actor to play the lead in a production of Richard III for the UK's Royal Shakespeare Company Arthur Hughes, who plays Richard, has hitherto been best known for his roles in long-running British radio soap The Archers and Netflix series The Innocents. Richard is written as disabled, so let's give disabled actors this rich character – Arthur Hughes The play's concept of disability as an outward sign of inner evil is hugely problematic for modern audiences.