Whatever view we take of Richard III as depicted in Shakespeare's play, his
             dominance of the action cannot be doubted. He is the central figure of the
             story, a demonic force that energizes the plot and constantly makes things
             happen. The very fact that he begins the play by asserting that all is well
             in England except with himself, and proceeds on the basis of his own
             discontent to undermine the content of the nation, demonstrates clearly his
             own self-centered vision. "I am determined to prove a villain" [act I,
             scene 1, line 30] is his declaration in his first speech and that is
             precisely what he does - not merely "appear" a villain or "be regarded" as
             a villain, but actively "prove" a villain. Richard, however much he may be
             a villain to the world, is the hero of his own story, and his actions in
             that role are based upon the assumption that he is an entirely autonomous
             agent, free to act upon the world in whichever way he chooses and re-
             arrange it to suit his purposes, unconstrained by any other power. He
             boasts of his powers after carrying out the extraordinary feat of
             persuading Lady Anne to be his wife:
             What' I that killed her husband and his father
             To take her in her heart's extremest hate â€
             Having God, her conscience, and these bars against me, â€
             And yet to win her! All the world to nothing!
             [act I, scene 2, lines 230-8]
             Yet there are forces greater than Richard's plots and passions. In the
             second half of the play, from Act IV onwards and following the murder of
             the princes in the Tower, they gain greater strength against him, and they
             ultimately overwhelm and defeat him. The motif of the dream plays a key
             role in the mechanisms through which Shakespeare demonstrates this process.
             Dreams are important throughout Richard III, as bringers of warnings
             and portents. As Clarence complains of King Edward at the begi...