Richard III Propaganda Essay

Was Richard III a true tyrant as Shakespeare made him out to be, or was he portrayed differently for the use of propaganda? In Shakespeare’s Richard III, Richard kills heirs to the throne and other royalty to receive the title of king, and is ultimately killed in battle. He is portrayed as a tyrant and having unfathomable physical characteristics. Shakespeare manipulates audiences into believing a biased portrayal of Richard III through character and physical qualities and uses this as propaganda for the Tudor family.
Richard III was accused of having a withered arm, which is not a true statement because of factual evidence that proves this false. “DNA tests show a high probability he had blue eyes and blond hair that likely darkened

The play Henry V that Shakespeare wrote was also said to be propaganda. In the play Henry V, Henry was used for the benefit of Henry and his reign. “On the face of it, Henry V offers ample evidence to validate the proposition that, of all Shakespeare's chronicle plays, this one is "closest to state propaganda," and that such proximity denies the "less privileged classes" a significant place in the nation” (Thorne 1). Henry V was truly a cruel man and no hero. This play was different because he truthfully denied the less privileged a place in the nation (that would have meant something and given them a voice). Henry V was used as patriotic propaganda for the country. Also, it has been said that Shakespeare’s play Macbeth had some propaganda in it. “However, since they were probably penned when Macbeth or his successor Malcolm still lived, they almost certainly include elements of propaganda, which taint their reliability much as the later addition of supernatural elements did” (Hydet 1). This shows that Shakespeare put pieces of propaganda into Macbeth as well. “As in several of his history plays, Shakespeare obviously manipulated the details he read in Holinshed to suit his own literary purposes” (Hydet 1). Many of the plays that Shakespeare had wrote, he had used propaganda. Shakespeare has a history of using propaganda, which increases his likeliness of using it in Richard