An engraving of a murder scene from Richard III. Two cherubic children with curly hair are sleeping in each others' arms; beside them are an open bible and a crucifix. Two men loom over them: one wears full plate armour with a helmet and a sheathed sword; the other wears a loose shirt and holds an oil lamp high over their heads. Both men are gripping a cushion which they will use to smother the children. A further crucifix is visible through the bed curtains at the top right.

King Richard III, Act IV, Scene iii

Francis Legat (1755-1809), after James Northcote (1746-1831)

1790

engraving

49.8 x 37.1 cm

Folger Shakespeare Library

Image credit: Image courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The murderers Forrest and Dighton emerge out of the darkness to smother the sleeping 'Princes in the Tower'.

This print is based on a painting by the British artist James Northcote. It was commissioned for the 'Shakespeare Gallery' project of John and Josiah Boydell, and published as part of a two-volume Works of Shakespeare dedicated to George III and Queen Charlotte.

Though it is not shown on stage in Shakespeare's Richard III, the murder of Princes Edward and Richard became one of the play's most iconic moments. By contrasting the cherubic princes with the looming murderers - and making them younger than their historic counterparts - Northcote makes Richard III a parable of innocence threatened. It was a seductive, sentimental theme for late eighteenth-century audiences.

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