The Ghost of Richard III Visits William Shakespeare
I was sitting at my desk in my candle-lit room, a gentle breeze made
the candle flicker and a chill ran down my spine. I remember having a
strange feeling, as if there was another spirit present, it is hard to
explain, but it was nothing like I had ever felt before. The breeze
was making me shiver and it was getting colder as time passed, I
picked up my lantern and walked across to the window and pulled it to,
but still left it slightly ajar, I liked the feel of the air, but
today it did not feel the same.
I walked back to my desk and placed my lantern down again. My room was
becoming duller as the seconds ticked by.
It was eight in the evening, I thought I would have written something
by now. I picked up my quill and sat and thought, and thought, and
thought. Nothing! My mind was somewhere else, but I did not know
where. I moved across the room to look out of the window at the stars.
Distant in the darkening sky.
I sat and watched by my attention was distracted by a light banging
sound, although quiet it startled me. I looked over and my small pot
of ink had been tipped over, spilled across my paper. I walked over to
my desk and picked up the pot with what was left of the ink. Of the
little work I had done, it was ruined, impaired, and un-readable! I
screwed the paper into a tiny ball and threw it onto a pile along with
several others.
I figured I would not get much work done any time soon so I put away
my quill and what was left of the ink, I picked up my lantern and
walked across to the door. I became aware that my door was slightly
ajar. I closed it and walked back. I was startled, were my eyes
playing tricks on me? I doubt it. There standing by my desk was
space on the scan sheet with a #2 pencil only. You MUST keep your scan sheet face down on the desk
To explore connections between texts is to heighten understanding of humanity’s progressing values and the underlying relevant themes that continue to engage societies regardless of context. William Shakespeare’s King Richard III (1592) (RIII) and Al Pacino’s docudrama Looking for Richard (1996) (LFR) demonstrate how opinion is created through comparative study, both explore the struggle for power within differing contexts to determine the duplicity of humanity. Ultimately, despite the divergent eras of composition and textual form, these connections expose the relevant social commentaries of their composers, highlighting innately human values, which remain constant.
Anne is quite like a modern woman in the way that if a man tells her
Saturday morning, I had little hope. I set my gym bag down next to the
under a canteen, unwrap the letters and photos, hold them with the tips of his
According to many, Shakespeare intentionally portrays Richard III in ways that would have the world hail him as the ultimate Machiavel. This build up only serves to further the dramatic irony when Richard falls from his throne. The nature of Richard's character is key to discovering the commentary Shakespeare is delivering on the nature of tyrants. By setting up Richard to be seen as the ultimate Machiavel, only to have him utterly destroyed, Shakespeare makes a dramatic commentary on the frailty of tyranny and such men as would aspire to tyrannical rule.
piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you." Soon he came up with a new
In this essay I will explore how significant act 3 scene 7 is to the
In the Shakespearean time period people believed in ghosts and reported them, so it makes sense that Shakespeare would write about a ghost appearing in the play. There is plenty of evidence in the play to prove that the ghost is real.
(13) K.R. Eissler. Discourse on Hamlet and Hamlet: A Psychoanalytic Inquiry. New York: International Universities, Press, 1971, p. 68.
In discussions pertaining to the nature of Hamlet’s ghost, there is much debate. On the one hand, authors such as W.W. Greg believe that Hamlet’s ghost was merely a hallucination, but on the other hand, Maurice Egan believes that Hamlet’s ghost was a real character who truly existed. Egan also contends that the ghost is sent from purgatory, however, authors such as Roy Battenhouse believe that the ghost is pagan and came from hell. Others such as Robert West maintain that the ghost is neither from heaven or hell, but was written to be purposefully confusing so that any audience member could think of the ghost in many different ways. I personally believe that the ghost was a real character who came from hell and appeared before Hamlet in order to have him exact his revenge on Claudius.
The Elizabethans thought that ghosts were real and that they existed. They thought that ghosts were known to walk around the streets at midnight. Either the ghosts would not speak to anyone unless they had been challenged, or then only to those who they had a message to deliver to. They also believed that crossroads, where back in Elizabethan times, criminals and suicidals were commonly buried, were the most haunted spots. In green and marshy areas, if a traveller was hanging around there, he would be sent to his doom. A large number of roads were frequently walked along by horses without heads or deadly packs of demon hounds.
The plays of William Shakespeare are generally easy to categorize, and the heroes of these plays are equally so. However, in the history play Richard II, Shakespeare’s king is more ambiguous than Hamlet or Romeo– there is no clear cut answer to whether Richard II is a tragic hero... or simply a tragedy. Historically, Richard II was crowned at a very young age, forced into the role of monarch, and thrust without hesitation into the murky world of political intrigue, which perhaps lends his character sympathy because he had no choice in his fate. However, despite his forced role in life, Richard II seems to rely on the concept of divine right to secure his throne, making no effort to sustain it once it is “irrevocably” his. Richard II is both the tragic hero and the tragedy– simply playing the role of King for the majority of the play, but only coming into his own after he is deposed, and only then to fight for his own existence.
In traditional and modern, ghost reflects death and fear, and it never change. In Hamlet, the ghost is a symbol of Hamlet’s father who is killed by Claudius. Its propose is to demand Hamlet to avenge its death. Although the ghost only appears three times in front of Hamlet, it is a specify role to develop the whole story and plot. Through Hamlet, the ghost is the motive to make Hamlet kill Claudius, and the ghost plays a critical role to influence Hamlet.
was trying to get used to a state that I had never been too. I walked home and