"Plots and Prophecies-The Tragedy of King Richard the Third," in Unconformities in Shakespeare's History Plays, The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1982, pp. 53-71.

[In this excerpt, Smidt focuses on prophecies in Richard ill She points out that while Richard is not a real prophet, he invents prophecies in order to control other characters in the play. Further, Richard is so confident in his own abilities that when he tells us what he plans to do, we know that he is likely to succeed. On the other hand, Smidt argues that Margaret's curses are powerful enough to work as genuine prophecies, without her having to act upon them. Finally, Smidt observes that dreams, prayers, and blessings in the play are often prophetic.]

Shakespeare made liberal use of prediction in all his history plays, but never as much as in Richard III.

This play is a web of stated intentions, curses...