In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, marriage and love were idealized, divine and celebrated. Weddings were large events bringing together all the families of the groom and bride. The reality was different; women were seen as fickle, inferior to men, and belonging to men. Women had little, if any, choice in who they would marry. Marriages were arranged so that both families could benefit from wealth or power. Even though the ruler of England for over four decades was a woman, women were still not respected. Women were kept at home and not allowed to participate in public events. In Shakespeare's Richard III, relationships between men and women are presented as deeply cynical and based on lies, lust, and political gain. First, the relationship between Lady Anne and Richard is not the only, but an example, of a relationship based on lies. As Lady Anne mourns the murder of her father-in-law Henry VI, Richard comes to greet her with “sweet saint” (1.2.49) and “reinforces this greeting with a series of compliments, to which she responds with curses.” (Minor, 47 years old). Richard says the reason he murdered Henry VI and Edward is because of her beauty. “Your beauty was the cause of this effect/Your beauty, which haunted me in my sleep/To undertake the death of the whole world (1.2.126-128).” In saying this, Richard “directs the guilt away from himself and toward the female figure” (Miner, 47). Richard believed that “her beauty served as an incitement to murder” (Miner, 48). But he lied; he killed them both to get closer to the throne and wooed Anne for the same reason. Second, the relationship between Princess Elizabeth and Richard serves as an example of a relationship based on lust. Since Elizabeth “remains in the middle of the paper, chard is used for political gain and the new King Richmond is crowned. The foundations of these relationships are fragile and have not lasted, or in some cases, will not last. Richard realizes that Anne is no longer of any use to him and hatches a plan to kill her. “Rumor is spreading abroad / Anne, my wife, is very seriously ill / I will take orders to keep her close to me (4.2.51-53)”. Queen Elizabeth saves her daughter from Richard and sends a proposal to Richmond. Richmond may attempt to form closer ties with Elizabeth or abuse his new power as king. Therefore, the examples in the play convey to us the message that relationships that are not based on love, character, and happiness will end unsuccessfully. "Yes, for all that I have read / been able to hear by tale or story / True love's course has never run smoothly (Shakespeare, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 1.1.132-134)”.