Question

In this excerpt from act I, scene I, of Shakespeare's Richard III, what two purposes does Richard's soliloquy appear to serve?

Answer 1

@Ultrilliam: English, correct?

Answer: The first purpose that Richard's soliloquy appears to serve is to reveal the motivations and personality of the character - we can see that he hates himself because he was basically a hunchback, so he was pretty self-conscious about it. He also reveals in the first scene what he intends to do throughout the play.
As for the second purpose, I'd choose the answer - it informs the audience about the background of the plot, as it gives us reasons why Richard decided to do what he did.

Answer 2

Moved to English