Richard's Deformity

Richard sure makes a big, nasty deal out of his physical "deformity." Just get a load of the way he describes himself:

She did corrupt frail nature with some bribe
To shrink mine arm up like a withered shrub;
To make an envious mountain on my back,
Where sits Deformity to mock my body;
To shape my legs of an unequal size;
To disproportion me in every part, (3.2.157-162)

What's more, he goes out of its way to tell us that his "deformity" is directly related to his wicked behavior.

What's up with that?

When Richard decides to go rogue and get the crown for himself, he tells us that "Love forswore me in my mother's womb" (3.2.155). The idea is that Richard was born prematurely, before he could fully develop. More important, Richard also claims that his "monstrous" body is the reason no woman wants anything to do with him—he can't get any love, folks—and that's why he dreams of the crown.

In other words, Richard says he's decided to be a bad guy because of his deformity. Should we believe him? Some scholars do. They say that Richard's villainy is the result of his feeling rejected, inadequate, and unloved. Other scholars say that Richard has just found a very convenient excuse for being bad. Some scholars even argue that it's Richard's evil nature that makes him physically ugly.

So what do you think? Is Richard's deformity the cause of his wickedness, or is his deformity a reflection or a sign of his wicked ways?