House of York
- King Edward IV – King of England
- Richard, Duke of Gloucester – Edward IV's brother; later King Richard III
- George, Duke of Clarence – Edward IV's brother
- Duchess of York – Edward, Richard and George's mother
- Edward, Prince of Wales – Edward IV's eldest son; later King Edward V (never crowned)
- Richard, Duke of York – Edward IV's younger son
- Boy – George's son
- Girl – George's daughter
House of Lancaster
- Queen Margaret – widow of King Henry VI
- Ghost of King Henry VI
- Ghost of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales – Henry VI's son
- Lady Anne Neville – widow of Edward of Westminster; later wife of King Richard III
- Tressel and Berkeley – Lady Anne's attendants (non-speaking roles)
Woodville family
- Queen Elizabeth – wife of King Edward IV
- Earl Rivers – Elizabeth's brother
- Marquis of Dorset – Elizabeth's son (from a previous marriage)
- Lord Richard Grey – Elizabeth's son (from a previous marriage)
- Sir Thomas Vaughan – ally of Rivers and Grey
Richard III's group
- Duke of Buckingham
- Sir William Catesby
- Duke of Norfolk
- Earl of Surrey[a] – Norfolk's son
- Sir Richard Ratcliffe
- Sir James Tyrrell – assassin
- Lord Lovel[b]
- Two Murderers
- Richard's page
Earl of Richmond's group
- Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond – Henry VI's nephew; later King Henry VII
- Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby – Richmond's stepfather
- Earl of Oxford[c]
- Sir Walter Herbert[d]
- Sir James Blunt[e]
- Sir William Brandon – Richmond's standard-bearer (non-speaking role)
Clergy
- Archbishop of Canterbury[f]
- Archbishop of York[g]
- Bishop of Ely
- Sir Christopher – chaplain of Stanley's household
- John – priest
Other characters
- Lord Hastings – Lord Chamberlain under Edward IV
- Sir Robert Brackenbury – Lieutenant of the Tower
- Lord Mayor of London
- Scrivener
- Keeper of the Tower[h]
- Three Citizens
- Hastings – pursuivant[i]
- Sheriff of Wiltshire[j]
- Ghosts of Clarence, Rivers, Grey, Vaughan, Edward (Prince of Wales), Richard (Duke of York), Hastings, Lady Anne and Buckingham
- Lords, Messengers, Soldiers etc.
Other
Although they do not appear in the text of the play, many productions include as on-stage characters Jane Shore (Edward IV's mistress), Elizabeth of York (Edward IV's daughter, later queen consort to Richmond [Henry VII]), and George Stanley (Lord Stanley's son, who is held hostage by Richard prior to the Battle of Bosworth Field).