English Language and Literature Studies; Vol. 7, No. 1; 2017 ISSN 1925-4768 E-ISSN 1925-4776 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 94 Richard’s Physical Deformity, the Cause or Excuse behind His Wickedness: A Critical Analysis of Shakespeare’s Richard III Samina Akhtar 1 , Muhammad Rauf 2 , Saima Ikram 3 & Seema Rehman 4 1 Deptartment of English, Govt. Girls Degree College Gulshan Rehman, Peshawar, Pakistan 2 Deptartment of Social Sciences and Humanities, CECOS University, Peshawar, Pakistan 3 Deptartment of English, Qurtuba Univeristy of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan 4 Deptartment of English, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar, Pakistan Correspondence: Samina Akhtar, Deptartment of English, Govt. Girls Degree College Gulshan Rehman, Peshawar, Pakistan. E-mail: meenaiftikhar@yahoo.com Received: December 28, 2016 Accepted: February 22, 2017 Online Published: February 28, 2017 doi:10.5539/ells.v7n1p94 URL: http://doi.org/10.5539/ells.v7n1p94 Abstract This study is an attempt to explore the intrinsic behavior of Richard, the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s renowned historical play Richard III. This paper interprets deformity is a cause or excuse behind Richard’s wickedness that leads him towards his appalling disaster. It further evaluates the internal conflicts of Richard’s mind, his lust for the throne and riches, and his ferocity to attain his lustful desires. The paper investigates whether Richard used his physical malformation as a defending tool or it is mere hindrance in his goodness. It also throws light on how Richard defends his wicked nature by blaming his deformity. The researcher critically studies the psyche of the genius but evil character through social and psychological perspective. The finding of the paper suggests that deformity reflects Richard’s inward nature full of evil and vices and turns to be the real cause behind his abysmal calamity. Richard’s malicious disability is the clear example of his inward evil. Keywords: Richard III, physical deformity, inherent evil, society, calamity 1. Introduction Richard III is widely conferred as a character of warped humanity, and this historical figure involved various scholars to extensive discussions about the obvious interconnection between his physical deformity and inherent evil. He has always been disapproved as the “arch-defective in all literature” and the principal illustration of “malevolent disability” (Snyder, 2005, p. 272). Richard, the duke of Gloucester, who is described in the play as a deformed hunchback, fiendish, and a great manipulative murderer who mercilessly deceit and willing to dispose off any man, woman, or child who stands between him and the throne of England. In the play the distorted body of the tyrant ruler, Richard is always been at stake. He reveals himself as “cheated of feature” which associate insult to an anomalous body. This study aims to analyze the inherent evil in the deformed body and evaluates the internal conflicts going on in the mind of Richard. It discussed and answered the questions flit around one’s mind regarding Richard’s malevolent disability. My analysis explores Richard as a deformed character, a wicked son and brother and a tyrant ruler who blamed his deformity for his wickedness and considered it as an impediment in his good nature. He does not realize the immoral and depraved ways that he has adopted to attain the throne. In other words, he used physical deformity as an excuse for his wickedness and autocracy. In the opening scene of the play, Richard III, Richard tells the readers in his speech that he was born “deformed”, “unfinished” and was “sent before [his] time into this breathing world, scarce half made-up” (1. 1.1) Throughout the play, the characters discuss Richard’s body in a number of ways: Anne and Elizabeth describe him as “lump of foul deformity”, “diffused infection of a man”, “hedgehog”, “bottled spider” and “poisonous bunch-backed toad”, “Slander of thy mother’s heavy womb”. All these insulting terms are very offensive and hateful for Richard. In a profoundly religious sense at that time, physical deformity was certainly considered as the work of God. Even different people might react with resentment at their disability. However, the more likely consequence would be a