Richard speaks his thoughts:

""But I--born crude, with hum-ped back and wretched, misformed shape, whose visage makes dogs snarl and bark, and grown men stand and gape--am not well built for sporting tricks, 'tis plain for all to see, a lover I will never prove, so villain I will be.""

With this simple verse, the essence of Richard and what drives him to his evil excesses is captured, and this format of Shakespearean style verse continues throughout the book to cover the entire play, including notable real life events, such as the War of the Roses, the Princes in the Tower and the ultimate end of Richard at the Battle of Bosworth.