The Evil of Richard the Third
analytical Essay
956 words
The Evil of Richard III
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)
The first scene of the play begins with a soliloquy, which emphasizes Richard's physical isolation as he appears alone as he speaks to is audience. The idea of physical isolation is heightened by his references to his deformity such as "rudely stamped ....Cheated of feature by dissembling Nature, deformed unfinished". "( 1.1.21-22). This deformity would be an outward indication to his audience of the disharmony from Nature and viciousness of his spirit. As he hated "the idle pleasure of these days" and speaks of his plots to sent one brother against another, Richard seems socially apart from the figures around him, and perhaps regarded as an outsider or ostracized because of his deformity. His separation his family is emphasized when he says "Dive, thoughts down to my soul"(1.1.41) when he sees his brother approaching. He is unable to share his thought with his own family as he is plotting against them. Thus, we are given hints of his physical, social and spiritual isolation which is developed throughout the play. But despite these hints, he still refers to himself as part of the House of York, shown in the repeated use of "Our"
The task which Shakespeare undertook was to mold the hateful constitution of Richard's Moral; character. Richard had to contend with the prejudices arising from his bodily deformity which was considered an indication of the depravity and wickedness of his nature. Richard's ambitious nature, his elastic intellect, and his want of faith in goodness conspire to produce his tendency to despise and degrade every surrounding being and object, even as his own person. He is never sincere except when he is about to commit a murder.
"therefore, since I can not prove a lover, To entertain these fair well spoken days, I am determined to be a villain".As a villain Richard must be heartless, he can not let his emotions interfere with his actions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how richard iii was a traitor, murderer, tyrant, and hypocrite. his contempt for his victims was the motive for murdering them.
- Analyzes how richard's physical isolation is heightened by his references to his deformity, which indicates the disharmony from nature and viciousness of his spirit.
- Analyzes how shakespeare molds richard's moral character into a hateful constitution. his ambitious nature, his elastic intellect, and his want of faith in goodness conspire to produce his tendency to despise and degrade every surrounding being.
- Explains how richard devised a brutal stratagem to ascend the english throne.
- Analyzes how richard sets his plan to ascend to the throne into action by locking up his brother george, duke of clarence, in the tower.
- Analyzes how shakespeare harps throughout the play on richard's prenatal existence and the circumstances of his early years to create the impression that richard is intrinsically evil.
- Analyzes how richard is a scourge who has been cursed from conception. his hypocrisy is one of the most prominent and shocking vices in richard.
- Analyzes how shakespeare portrayed the dominating sins in the play as perjury and murder-sins against the moral order.
- Analyzes how richard succeeded as a villain and had the perfect scapegoat, the duke of buckingham, who was hard-working, honest and loyal to the end.
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- Providentialism In King Richard IIIanalytical essayThe content and construction of texts are inexorably influenced by the plethora of social, cultural, and historical factors relative to a composer’s context. Context thus becomes the principle medium for deciphering the complex and often didactic meanings within texts. Through the comparative study of Shakespeare’s historical tragedy King Richard III and Al Pacino’s postmodern docudrama Looking For Richard, both texts explore the various connections explored through the protagonist Richard with respective societal influence affecting their portrayal. Shakespeare’s text strongly conveys a sense of providentialism which was influential by the Tudor monarchy whilst Al Pacino thorough the implement of modern day media portrays these influences to a secular, postmodern audience.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's historical tragedy king richard iii and al pacino’s postmodern docudrama looking for richard explore the various connections explored through the protagonist richard with respective societal influence affecting their portrayal.
- Analyzes how the deformity of richard's arm and back symbolically imply a sense of villainy through shakespeare’s context.
- Analyzes how pacino portrays richard's usurpation of power through the textual authority of the play from shakespeare as a modern medium.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's text portrays the tension between the highly structured and pre-set theory of determinism and the newly discovered interest of humanists.
- Analyzes how pacino's docudrama was composed for a secular, postmodern audience, unconcerned with the historical notions of determinism.
- Analyzes how the distinctive contexts between shakespeare's historical tragedy king richard iii and al pacino’s postmodern docudrama looking for richard inevitably affect their portrayal of ideas.
708 wordsRead More - Biblical Figures and Ideals in Shakespeare's Richard IIanalytical essayAlthough not as advanced in its stagecraft as many of Shakespeare's other plays, the intricate web of metaphor and poetry in Richard II makes it perhaps the most meaningful and intense of the historical plays. Richard is not the sniveling villain a lesser playwright might have made him, but a philosopher and a poet whose ideas of majesty have been c...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's richard ii is a series of quietly dignified ruminations on the nature of majesty. the outrage felt by richard and his fellow royalists is not due to modern sense of personal loss.
- Analyzes how the intricate web of metaphor and poetry in richard ii makes it perhaps the most meaningful and intense of the historical plays.
- Analyzes how shakespeare utilizes both the actual language in the play and the events that take place on stage to create a vast and moving religious parallel. the poetry of richard ii serves to bolster this parallel to unignorable heights.
- Analyzes how the vision of blood spilling onto the soil of england, from act one to act five, appears again and again until it culminates in the death of richard, the king.
- Analyzes how the horror of blood on the soil stems back to the biblical tale of cain and abel. the famous old testament story is alluded to directly in richard ii.
- Analyzes how bullingbrook accuses mowbray of murdering the duke of gloucester, and suggests richard's involvement in the death.
- Analyzes how richard, as king of england, mismanages the country, murders those who stand in his way, and exclaims to the soil that he does "thee favors with my royal hands."
- Analyzes how john of gaunt warns richard of england's sickness and the inevitable consequences when he says, "thy death-bed is no lesser than thy land."
- Analyzes how the pitiful murder of pitiable richard takes place before the audience. exton, richard's murderer, becomes cain at the end of the play.
- Analyzes how richard's blood is shed to help restore england to health. while alive and in power, richard did little to aid his country or his brothers, but in death serves them quite well.
- Analyzes how herschel baker states that king richard speaks in tropes that state, restate, and amplify the major motifs of the action in ways almost symphonic. the sun symbolizes the rising and falling action and helps elucidate the biblical themes within the play.
- Analyzes how king richard returns from ireland to find henry bullingbrook making claims to english lands. his self-image is so strongly engaged in his royal title that he is the sun of england.
- Explains that richard is yet the king, the light of his country, and believes so in his anointed power that anyone who dares face it will skulk back to the ranks of mere night marauders.
- Analyzes how richard's metaphors change dramatically to make bullingbrook the sun; he mourns the passing of his night to his fair day and unconvincingly asks god to send him many years of sunshine days.
- Analyzes how shakespeare makes an interesting religious parallel with richard falling and henry ascending. richard is the christ-figure who is sacrificed for mankind.
- Analyzes how bullingbrook divides the character of christ in the play and adds an interesting dynamic to the sun imagery. richard is not only the falling sun, he is the fallen son.
- Analyzes how bullingbrook's ascension to the throne makes him the new light of england, similar to christ taking the place of the sun and illuminating the world.
- Analyzes how the relationships explored in richard ii are helpful in elucidating the religious parallel. the father-son relationship is perhaps the most important one in the play.
- Analyzes how henry bullingbrook's return to england is based on the misuse of the belongings of another important "father" in the play.
- Explains that there are three major father-son dramas in the play, two that play out with physical characters and serve to represent and foreshadow the most important one, the one between god and his chosen steward, king richard.
- Analyzes the integral relationship between john of gaunt and his son, henry, wherein his duty as a statesman and servant of his country requires that he advise the king to punish henry.
- Analyzes the father-son drama between lord aumerle and his father, the duke of york, when york discovers his son's plan to mutiny against the crown.
- Analyzes how king richard firmly believes that the breath of worldly men cannot depose the deputy elected by the lord. he asks his turn-coat subjects to "show us the hand of god that hath dismissed us from our stewardship."
- Opines that while earthly betrayal may facilitate man's downfall, it is god who sacrifices man to better serve his grand creation, the world.
- Analyzes how gaunt asserts that more men's ends are marked than their lives before, and that the setting sun and music at the close, as the last taste of sweets, is sweetest last.
- Analyzes how richard's reaction to music may be incriminating evidence of his insanity, but it is likely that either there is really music for the king to respond to or that he himself knows it not really there.
- Analyzes how richard is imprisoned in a castle and can hear music in his cell or the groom, who enters presently, is providing this serenade.
- Analyzes how shakespeare created richard ii, a complex and intriguing character with rich religious implications. the sympathy of the reader slowly attaches itself to the fallen king, while henry bullingbrook redeems the land.
- Analyzes how richard ii is a play about betrayal, dignity, sacrifice, and redemption. the biblical figures and ideals enrich the play, allowing it to speak to its readers no matter their location in time and space.
4165 wordsRead More - The Portrayal of Socially Destructive and Over-Ambitious Richard, in Shakespeare's Richard IIIanalytical essayRichard, the main character of the Shakespeare’s play, Richard III is portrayed as socially destructive and politically over-ambitious. His destructive potential is depicted by the way he relates with the other protagonists in the play and also by what he confesses as his intentions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how richard, the main character of the shakespeare's play, is portrayed as socially destructive and politically over-ambitious.
- Analyzes how the character of richard is depicted as amiss in thomas more's account of king richard.
- Analyzes how shakespeare portrays richard as an evil character, unreliable as a son, brother, godfather, friend, and even worse as king.
- Analyzes how shakespeare introduces to us a character who is evil according to the moral judgement of the moment. he does not respect the social values and norms.
2911 wordsRead More - A Hero, a King, and a Daemonanalytical essayGifted with the darkest attributes intertwined in his imperfect characteristics, Shakespeare’s Richard III displays his anti-hero traits afflicted with thorns of villains: “Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous / By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams” (I.i.32-33). Richard possesses the idealism and ambition of a heroic figure that is destined to great achievements and power; however, as one who believes that “the end justifies the means”, Richard rejects moral value and tradition as he is willing to do anything to accomplish his goal to the crown. The society, even his family and closest friends, repudiate him as a deformed outcast. Nevertheless, he cheers for himself as the champion and irredeemable villain by turning entirely to revenge of taking self-served power. By distinguishing virtue ethics to take revenge on the human society that alienates him and centering his life on self-advancement towards kingship, Richard is the literary archetype of an anti-hero.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's richard iii displays his anti-hero traits afflicted with thorns of villains. he possesses the idealism and ambition of a heroic figure that is destined to great achievements and power.
- Analyzes how richard's disdain for humane beliefs and customs labels him as a demon of indiscipline and rebellion. he sees virtues as contrary to his power-thirsty nature and aim.
- Analyzes how the manipulative richard is shunned by society, and his deformity is a factor to his inner corruption of loneliness and self-love
- Analyzes how richard celebrates his misshapen body by becoming a self-centered individual.
- Analyzes how richard, a corrupted, yet charming character, is the hateful protagonist and soul of shakespeare's richard iii. he fulfills his promised objective with guiltless sins, which lack moral ethics and tradition.
1163 wordsRead More - But, of course, they are vastly different plays. The key difference is the psychological portrait of the hero. In Richard III there is an amalgam of different theatrical depictions of evil and that the predominant one was the Vice-Machiavel, the Devil incarnate, who is presented in such a way that we are not encouraged to probe very much into his motivation, his psychological response to events as they unfold, and his disintegration. We do have some clear hints at a possible psychological source for Richard's conduct (the opening soliloquy points to his deformity and his inability to love), but I suggested that these are more symbols of his evil than their cause. This approach to Richard's character allows us to develop in more detail an appreciation for how much the effects of this play depend upon Richard's theatricality, on his outward behaviour (which he invites us to admire in a shared understanding of how clever he is in comparison with everyone else), rather than on any inward complexity.
In this essay, the author
- Compares macbeth to richard iii in that it's more complex than the first half of the play, which features the disintegration of his world.
- Opines that macbeth is a profoundly religious play, but it does not deliver an explicitly christian message.
- Analyzes how shakesperae's play macbeth follows a standard conventional form: the rise and fall of the great man.
- Compares the vision of evil in shakespeare's play macbeth with that in richard iii. the witches are a permanent threat to individuals and the human community.
- Opines that polanski's interpretation of macbeth shows the fragile nature of social institutions. the witches are still around and have not been dealt with.
- Describes shakespeare, william, richard iii, and macbeth in the norton shakespeare.
1426 wordsRead More - Comparison of King Richard III and Looking for Richardanalytical essayShakespeare constructs King Richard III to perform his contextual agenda, or to perpetrate political propaganda in the light of a historical power struggle, mirroring the political concerns of his era through his adaptation and selection of source material. Shakespeare’s influences include Thomas More’s The History of King Richard the Third, both constructing a certain historical perspective of the play. The negative perspective of Richard III’s character is a perpetuation of established Tudor history, where Vergil constructed a history intermixed with Tudor history, and More’s connection to John Morton affected the villainous image of the tyrannous king. This negative image is accentuated through the antithesis of Richards treachery in juxtaposition of Richmond’s devotion, exemplified in the parallelism of ‘God and Saint George! Richmond and victory.’ The need to legitimize Elizabeth’s reign influenced Shakespeare’s portra...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's king richard iii (1592) and al pacino’s looking for richard (1996) allow for a greater understanding of composers' respective contexts and intended agendas through the lens of their own societal values.
- Analyzes how shakespeare constructs king richard iii to perform his contextual agenda or perpetrate political propaganda in the light of a historical power struggle.
- Analyzes how pacino's film looking for richard reflects the values of its society as he attempts to create a shakesperean play more accessible to the twentieth century audience.
- Analyzes how shakespeare portrays richard's supreme oratory skill and aptitude for manipulating others, demonstrating the political and moral values of the play’s elizabethan era.
- Analyzes how pacino portrays richard iii's manipulation of his image, highlighting disparate values and concerns of the contemporary era in comparison to the elizabethan age.
- Compares al pacino and william shakespeare's texts to illustrate cultural agendas and present varying interpretations of the same story.
1514 wordsRead More - The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Teyanalytical essay...e was also writing in Tudor England and seemed to have openly dislike Richard III. In other portions of his writing he describes Richard as an unattractive deformed man who was born with a full set of teeth. He writes that he had a “sour countenance , which seemed to savour of mischief, and utter evidently craft and deceit.”
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how josephine tey's novel the daughter of time argues that 40 million school books can't be wrong, but the traditional view of richard iii is credible by thomas more and given authenticity by william shakespeare.
- Analyzes how the inspector collects history books that he believes will give him insight into richard iii and his horrible crime.
- Analyzes how grant becomes anxious to find information on the king and his nephews. his coworker seargent williams brings him tanner’s constitutional history, which he believes won’t be helpful, and the rose of raby, a historical fiction novel
- Analyzes how grant is constantly told that the most respected and accurate historical document on richard iii is thomas more's. the revelation disgusts and inspires grant.
- Analyzes how grant learns that thomas more got his information about richard from henry vii's archbishop of canterbury, john morton, and the accounts of richard that followed were built on that.
- Analyzes how henry vii, whose claim to the throne was tenuous, never raised the idea of richard's involvement in his nephews' murders.
- Analyzes how grant and carradine liken the common belief of the murdered nephews to the boston massacre and the supposed shooting down of strikers by military troops in wales.
- Analyzes how alan receives a telegram from carradine telling him that the latin chronicle at croyland abbey notes there was rumor about the boys being dead, and is written before richard's death.
- Analyzes how the case against richard iii seems to be losing more and more weight with grant especially when carradine learns that the queen comes out of sanctuary after edward's death and acts as if nothing has happened.
- Analyzes how carradine discovers the fates of each of the heirs, except for the boy princes. john, an illegitimate child of richard, is executed on suspicion of having received an invitation to ireland.
- Opines that alan grant feels historians have no talent for the likeliness of any situation. it is not likely that elizabeth woodville would have behaved as she did if the princes were still alive.
- Analyzes how carradine recaps the logic that reflects henry's guilt over the supposed guilt of richard iii.
- Analyzes how grant's investigation reveals a lot about historical inquiry and the jobs of historians and researchers.
- Analyzes how tey's the daughter of time pokes holes in respected texts concerning the princes in the tower which makes it difficult to accept that richard iii murdered the boys.
- Analyzes dominic mancini, an italian writer who visited england, but left england years before the events that he writes of. he accuses the king of murdering his nephews after the boys were "withdrawn into the inner apartments of the tower proper."
- Analyzes how polydore vergil's account of richard iii and henry vii is more credible because he was an english historian.
- Analyzes how sir thomas more's account of richard iii is the most accurate and respected authority on the king, but his objectivity can be questioned because he was also writing in tudor england and seemed to openly dislike richard.
- Cites mancini's "the usurpation of richard iii", sir thomas more, and tey, the daughter of time.
1524 wordsRead More - The Rise and Fall of Richard the Thirdanalytical essay	Much debate and controversy surround the rise and fall of Richard the Third. It is hard to ignore such subjects due to the bonds and hidden reasons that many of the authors of the middle ages had towards Richard. In keeping an objective approach towards Richard III, the study of his rise and fall will be taken in the perspective of his royal acts and administration of England. Public sentiment over such things as the scandal surrounding the princes did have an effect over the rule of Richard, but there are many other underlying aspects that could have extended Richards rule, and changed the way history looks back on him.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that richard was named protector of the prince and the country in edward's will because edward was in his minority.
- Analyzes how richard gained public support for his part in fighting scotland and used this support in his next step of a move for the throne
- Analyzes how richard iii pushed for royal benevolence, financial reform, and a line of succession to ensure the stability of england when he died. he realized the influence of the rising middle class throughout england.
- Opines that the rise and fall of richard the third is based on his royal acts and administration of england.
- Analyzes how richard positioned himself to claim the throne as if he had no intentions in the first place.
- Analyzes how richard was determined to bring england to the forefront of world power, but he also realized that england needed time to heal from the situation they were in.
2543 wordsRead More - Shakespeare’s Richard II Essay: The Rape of a Nationanalytical essayThe first section of his monologue deals explicitly with identifying the nature of Richard's vices. Gaunt alludes to Richard's character by employing several brief end-stopped aphorisms that rely heavily on metaphors of self-destruction. This staccato like ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how john of gaunt's "other eden" monologue delves into the perilous nature of unfettered autocracy.
- Analyzes how gaunt's fluid style brings unity to his central symbolic image, england as a mother to her kings.
- Analyzes how gaunt implies that england exists as a kind of blessed sanctuary for man on earth.
- Analyzes how gaunt's speech persuades the audience that richard has broken the purity of the bond with his mother by failing to cherish the sanctity of england and her people.
- Explains defoe, daniel, bartlett's familiar quotations, and shakespeare, william. richard ii. the norton shakespeare.
1426 wordsRead More - Richard III: Monster or Myth?analytical essayAll in all, to my way of thinking, Richard's actions and behaviour were the subject of attention and analysis and were presented, after his death, as those of a wicked and immoral tyrant. However, despite the Tudor's attempts to load charges on Richard III, historians now take a balanced approach to avoid either side of the pendulum as the available evidence is not enough to corroborate their claims. His portrait may have been due to his enemy’s plot to call him an inhumanly cruel and wicked person; a ruthless despot, who only longed to achieve his aim–to become King of England.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that richard iii's depiction of a deformed human being is based on the tudor myth.
- Analyzes how henry vi was an unsuitable king for a violent society. the lancastrians claimed the throne and the yorkists took over.
- Opines that richard's actions and behaviour were the subject of attention and analysis and were presented, after his death, as those of a wicked and immoral tyrant.
- Analyzes how william shakespeare's portrayal of king richard iii depicts a monster: murderous, brutal, unscrupulous and without conscience.
- Analyzes how shakespeare used the tradition of the morality play to portray richard iii as a demonical incarnation.
- Explains that richard iii was inhumanly, cold-hearted and merciless, which noticeably accounts for the physical description and portrait.
1481 wordsRead More