Why does Anne call Richard a Hedgehog in Act I, Scene II of Richard III?

Question

This is probably an easy question, but why does Anne call Richard a Hedgehog in Act I, Scene II of Richard III: > Dost grant me, hedgehog? then, God grant me too Thou mayst be damned for that wicked deed! O, he was gentle, mild, and virtuous! I get the feeling I'm missing some sort of reference here.

Answer 1

Hedgehogs were associated with sin in the Middle Ages. There are also references to them rolling themselves into balls to hide and presumably Shakespeare is drawing an analogy between the hedgehog’s sin/ avoidance and Gloucester’s attempts to deny any role in Henry VI’s death ( as well as that of Anne Neville’s former(and now dead)husband Prince Edward of Westminster.