V, to abandon Falstaff when he becomes king (in 2 Henry IV) seem all the more harsh (sparknotes.com).
             Another of Shakespeare's great characters is Richard III. Richard is in every way the dominant character of the play that bears his name, to the extent that he is both the protagonist of the story and its major villain. Richard III is an intense exploration of the psychology of evil, and that exploration is centered on Richard's mind. Critics sometimes compare Richard to the medieval character, Vice, who was a flat and one-sided embodiment of evil. However, especially in the later scenes of the play, Richard proves to be highly self-reflective and complicated-making his heinous acts all the more chilling (sparknotes.com).
             Perhaps more than in any other play by Shakespeare, the audience of Richard III experiences a complex, ambiguous, and highly changeable relationship with the main character. Richard is clearly a villain-he declares outright in his very first speech that he intends to stop at nothing to achieve his nefarious designs. But
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