Did Richard III Have His Nephews Killed?
The reign of Richard III is something of a paradox. His rule was brief and he lost his crown to a usurper, allowing the House of York to die with him. Yet few English kings have been the subject of such continuous debate, and none have spawned such fervent denigration, or such enthusiastic support. Much of the debate fuelling pro- and anti-Richardians has been whether or not Richard had his two young nephews, Edward V and Richard of York, murdered. Unfortunately to date it has been a debate mired in speculation. Writes V. B. Lamb: 'No conclusive proof has ever come to light which could provide a solution that did not rest solely in speculation. The possibilities are endless, but all remain at best quite unsupported theories' (89). Indeed, the possibilities have seemed endless. There have been myriad theories, ranging from the plausible to the completely inane. People commenting on the matter range from Sir Thomas More to William Shakespeare to the current Duke of Gloucester. Some of these theories will be discussed in this paper. I will draw on ideas both contemporaneous and current, pro and con, along with my own insights, in an attempt to engage the sources in conversation and hopefully provide the reader with a more clear and accurate idea of Richard III and his actions (or lack thereof).
Some questions are important to keep in mind when assessing the culpability of Richard. Does he seem a man capable of such a heinous act as infanticide, and his own nephews at that? Assuming he does, did the political situation make it prudent for him to do so? Or were there others who stood to gain more by their deaths?
Before these questions can be answered, some context is needed. The Engl...
... middle of paper ...
...ot exist; he is therefore an innocent man.
Bibliography
Gillingham, John. "Introduction: Interpreting Richard III." Richard III: A Medieval
Kingship. Ed. John Gillingham. London: Collins and Brown Ltd, 1993.
Hammond, P.W. "The Reputation of Richard III." Richard III: A Medieval Kingship.
Ed. John Gillingham. London: Collins and Brown Ltd, 1993.
Hammond, P.W. and Sutton, Anne F. Richard III: The Road to Bosworth Field.
London: Constable and Company Ltd, 1985.
Horrox, Rosemary. Richard III: A Study of Service. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1989.
Lamb, V.B. The Betrayal of Richard III: An Introduction to the Controversy.
Revised Ed. Stroud: Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1990.
Richmond, Colin. "1483: The Year of Decision (or Taking the Throne)." Richard III:
A Medieval Kingship. Ed. John Gillingham. London: Collins and Brown Ltd,
1993.
Richard III's Usurpation and His Downfall Richards rule was always unstable due to his unlawful usurpation to the throne and his part as far as the public was concerned in the death of the two princes. As a result right from the start he didn't have the trust or support from his country. As soon as he became King people were already plotting against him. After he was crowned he travelled the country trying to raise support by refusing the generous gifts offered to him by various cities. However unknown to him a rebellion was been planned in the South.
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
Richard did not manage to recover from the usurpation of Edward and after allegedly murdering the two Princes in the tower his reputation had fallen greatly. He had lost a lot of respect from nobles and from the populus. Killing the Princes could be seen as one of the major factors of his downfall. It was common place in monarchical families to have brothers and sisters "put out of the picture", but even in these primitive times, the murder of innocent children was a taboo.
“I am determined to prove a villain / and hate the idle pleasures of these days. / Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous, / by drunken prophecies, libels and dreams.” Richard III, the evil Duke of Gloucester, is fighting a bloody road to the crown in Shakespeare's dramatic play. Stopped by nothing and with brilliant intelligence, Richard fights his way to the king’s position, clothing his villany with “old odd ends stolen out of holy writ.” With no one to fully trust, Richard breaks many hearts by killing all people in his way, and becomes the unstoppable villain. He hides behind a shield of kindness and care, but when he is alone, his real soul comes alive. Sending murderers, or killing people himself, he has no mercy. Manipulating Lady Anne to marry him and promising Buckingham rewards for his deeds, he knows what he is doing, and won’t stop until the crown lies at his feet.
Frederick Douglass was a great man who stood up against slavery no matter the consequences. He has an inspiring legacy. He saw a chance that he could help make a better world and he took that chance. Imagine what the world would be like if Frederick Douglass had not taken a stand in history.
Meanwhile the Earl of Gloucester is also dismayed by a recent turn of events in his household. His illegitimate son Edmund has brought to his attention evidence that Edgar, Gloucester’s legitimate heir has conspired to kill him. The evidence is false; however, as it Edmund who is conspiring to obtain his brother’s birthright.
Frederick Douglass was arguably the most impacting abolitionist in the time surrounding the civil war. This individual began as a mere slave who sought to learn and enhance himself towards a better future. He went through many brutal phases in which he would be beaten, along with many other slaves. This caused him to one day escape and become one of the most important abolitionist who helped to stop slavery. He was a true inspiration to all people, whether you were black or white. As the first black person to be a government official, Frederick Douglass’s background history truly enhanced how he became one of the primary leaders of the abolitionist movement.
This contributes to a very villainous role. Richard begins his journey to the throne. He manipulates Lady Anne. into marrying him, even though she knows that he murdered her first. husband.
But he pits the experience of human volition against natural processes in saying that swinging does not keep the branches down. Naturally, children don’t swing with the intention of imposing their volition upon a branch; rather, Frost is creating a metaphorical tension between the implications of human will and the balance of nature, which is commonly regarded as static. Although nature is static, the ...
Shakespeare Richard III was a traitor, a murderer, a tyrant, and a hypocrite. The leading characteristics of his mind are scorn, sarcasm, and an overwhelming contempt. It appears that the contempt for his victims rather than active hatred or cruelty was the motive for murdering them. Upon meeting him he sounds the keynote to his whole character. " I, that am curtailed of this proportion, cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deform'd, unfinish'd sent before my time Into this word scarce half made up"( 1.1.20-23)
Frederick Douglass novel, The Narrative of Frederick Douglass establishes his humanity and right to be treated as the equal of any other, slavery is a constant attack upon the body and mind of slave can result in a destructively circumscribed identity. Frederick Douglass was one of America’s most renowned authors, orators, and abolitionists and the nineteenth century’s most influential black leader. He was a man whose lifelong struggles for liberty and the rights of others had became a big part of American history. He became one of first fugitive slaves to speak out publicly against slavery. “ Throughout his childhood on the plantation,witnessed many acts of cruelty,ranging from unjust beatings to unwarranted & unpunished murder of slaves by white owners of their overseers” (Douglass). Douglass was subjected to strict discipline and endless work” (Douglass). Douglass before the age
From the outset of the play, it is obvious that Richard subscribes to the majority of the Machiavellian principles. Certainly, he is not ashamed or afraid to plot heinous murder, and he does so with an ever-present false front. "I do mistake my person all this while,"1 he muses, plotting Anne's death minutes after having won her hand. He will not even entertain the ideas in public, demanding they "Dive...down to [his] soul."2 He knows that he must be cunning and soulless to succeed in his tasks. Richard also knows it is essential to guard against the hatred of the populace, as Machiavelli warned.
Richard had weakened since he had become king and was no longer ruthless as he had no reason to be ruthless. He had got what he wanted and was pleased with himself. He thought he was invincible, and he was too confident, which cost him his life. If he had been more careful, he would have been aware of the danger that lied before him. But, he did use some similar techniques in both the scenes.
Nature is beautiful and can stand for many things. Birches are beautiful, tall, thin trees that can not hold that much stress and weight. “But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay. Ice-storms do that.”, Robert Frost explains how the weather takes part, comparing the the ice-storms to stress. Robert Frost also explains the life cycle through nature when he says “As the breeze rises, and turn many-coloured as the stir cracks and crazes their enamel” and also when he says “And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more.