The Last Act of Richard III In Shakespeare's play Richard III, the main character Richard is developed as an actor, to the degree of morbidity. Richard always puts on an act and plays the part that he thinks will appeal most to whoever is sharing the stage at any given moment. Not that pleasing is his ultimate goal, it's just a means to get what he wants, which is the king's tempting role. His acts are abundant from the start and for a time almost surprisingly effective. To Clarence he plays the loving and concerned brother. His forgery induces Clarence into a state of trust that amazes the viewer, who knows that the events that cause Richard to exclaim "We are not safe, Clarence, we are not safe!" (Ii70) are in fact Richard's work. Alone with his audience, Richard plays the part of the self-confident villain. The audience serves a function not unlike that of a mirror, except that it reflects character traits rather than appearance. He presents himself as the actor who fails to play the role of the lover (i.e. being good) satisfactorily, so instead chooses to play the villain (i.e. being evil). The idea that this is a choice, as well as his use of the word play rather than be, highlight the fact that for him this is all acting. In front of the audience - his mirror and therefore a second self - Richard plays with the belief that he can do anything he sets his mind to through the means of his acting skills. He leaves the audience speechless by completing the overly ambitious task he has set for himself. He tells us that he is going to marry Warwick's youngest daughter, and soon after he has made it. Whether Anne falls for Richard's sex appeal or his rhetoric is debatable, yet she falls in love. Richard himself seems naïve because she gives up so easily; "Has a woman ever been conquered in this mood? / Has a woman in this mood ever been conquered?" (I.ii.232-233) She speaks as if it were a sign that her repugnance must somehow seem attractive to her, although the way she expresses it makes me question her seriousness. Perhaps this is an attempt to share a joke with her audience, her feeling is that since it can't be her looks that she fell in love with, it must be her words..