A Plague on both your houses

A Plague on both your houses

Paul Murray Kendall used this phrase from Romeo and Juliet to express his dismay about apologists and detractors of Richard III, but, in the opinion of many, went on to give a largely sympathetic view of Richard.

Surely Richard was the third way: a mixture of good and bad like everyone I've ever known with shades of grey.

I've felt that if he did give the order to kill the princes this was entirely understandable, because they most certainly would NOT have accepted they were bastards and Richard would've died a traitor's death and probably his family and friends with him. Once he'd decided he didn't fancy being under the thumb of Elizabeth Woodville and her brood – who had a greedy and ruthless reputation – it was inevitable that Richard would collide catastrophically with Edward Plantagenet-Woodville known as Edward V or Edward IV's bastards.