Chintan Thakore Ms. Naegele English II Honors 12 September 2014 Looking for Richard A Film by Al Pacino: Viewer’s Guide and Lesson Plan Activity 1 Part A. Before viewing Al Pacino’s film Looking for Richard, take some time to measure your attitudes and those of your friends and family about Shakespeare. For your own answers, use Column A below. Enter number 1 if you strongly agree with the statement, 2 if you agree somewhat, 3 if you disagree somewhat, and 4 if you strongly disagree. Then ask two family members or friends what they think and record their responses in Columns B and C. Finally, after you have finished viewing and discussing the film, fill in Column D, noting the differences between your “before” and “after” responses. Statement A B C D 1. I would not enjoy watching a Shakespearean play. 2 1 1 2. That’s old stuff; Shakespeare has no relevance to life today. 4 3 3 3. Shakespeare’s tragedies can’t be fully understood without the use of notes and “translations.” 3 2 4 4. Shakespeare should be required reading for high school and college students. 3 2 2 5. People’s problems and behaviors change significantly from one century to another. 2 1 2 6. Shakespeare’s plays were meant for the upper-class intellectuals of the time. 1 2 3 7. People can’t appreciate Shakespeare because the language his characters use it so different from our own. 2 2 1 Part B. Many people have heard of Shakespeare, but how much do they really know about him and his play? In Looking
Both William Shakespeare’s play “Richard III” and Al Pacino’s docudrama “Looking for Richard” explore the timeless themes of Richards’s pursuit of power and the impacts of his villainous and evil nature. Shakespeare’s Elizabethan context is far different from the humanist and secular context of Pacino. Shakespeare highlights the importance of the church and the divine right to rule of monarchs within Richards’s pursuit of power and downfall; this is not relevant within Pacino’s contemporary times. Hence Pacino employs this key theme to reframe the play's focus from divine rule to political power whilst still exploring Richards’s achievement of this power. Through his portrayal of King Richard, Shakespeare creates a character meant to be hated by his audience who were familiar with the Tudor myth.
I will show understanding of the plot, character and themes and Shakesperes use of language and dramatic devices within the play.
I chose this book because (respond in at least 2 sentences): I chose this book because it has a deep story. After seeing what happened in the movie and reading the book it is so sad to see what happens and how things come out to be.|
Moreover, Richard’s multifaceted nature in his determination to attain power is further accentuated through the striking metaphor “And thus I clothe my naked villainy …And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.”, which Shakespeare employs to represent Richard as an embodiment of absolute evil and amorality. Hence, the Shakespearean audience becomes aware of the destruction of Richard’s moral compass as he sacrifices the value of honesty in his ambitious plan to gain power and engage in sacrilegious acts to create his own fate. Comparatively, Pacino reshapes the downfall of Richard as a result of his ambition for power to reflect the secular perspective of free will and aspiration. As such, Pacino’s reimagining of the opening soliloquy with a mid shot of Pacino leaning over the sick King Edward effectively encapsulates the control Richard possesses, which allows him to deceive the king and maneuver his way
Others also say that there was little evidence left behind about his childhood and later his career as a playwright and poet in London (Goode 9-10). Many scholars that studied Shakespeare?s plays found evidence that whoever wrote the plays must have been the best educated man of his time with knowledge on horsemanship, biology, falconry, astronomy, law, botany, several languages like Italian, French, and Latin, and many other subjects that a common man without much formal education would not poses (Lardner 7).
To understand the complexity of the lineage of the English monarchy, it is imperative to make a connection between present values and those of the past. While contemporary society demonstrate an appreciation of William Shakespeare’s play King Richard III (1851) it is not one of his plays they can readily connect with. Al Pacino’s docu-drama, Looking for Richard, (henceforth Looking for...) (1996) attempts to bridge that gap through intertextual connections. Both composers elucidate their respective contexts through their exploration of the English monarch, King Richard III, through their representation of the Elizabethan struggle for power and Pacino’s attempts to connect the post-modern world to the 16th century. Pacino attempts to transform the Elizabethan play in light of
This same theme of power is evident throughout Al Pacino ‘Looking for Richard’ as he wants to establish himself as the definitive American Shakespeare actor and achieve greatness. I say this because all throughout history American actors have been too afraid to act Shakespeare as it has traditionally been English done, but Pacino strives to prove this wrong.
The pursuit of individual recognition in the form of power and authority remains intrinsic in texts despite the change in contexts. This is evident in William Shakespeare’s 16th century play, King Richard III and Al Pacino’s 19th century docu-drama, Looking for Richard. Both texts explore that the pursuit of individual recognition can be initiated by an individual’s flaw in character caused by the corruption of their sense of morality in order to gain power. This is depicted through the malicious and treacherous nature of the central character, Richard in both texts. There are central ideas conveyed in these texts, including the nature of authority, the acquisition of power and the significant impact determinism plays in one’s decisions and actions. However, due to the difference in cultural context, Pacino reshapes these values to make Shakespeare accessible to a modern day audience. As a result, Pacino sequentially follows the plot of King Richard III in order to emphasise the relevance of Shakespeare’s plays in a modern society. Pacino addresses this through an emphasis on film techniques instead of dramatic techniques. Therefore, it is evident that the comparative study of these texts allows the responder to appreciate the connection between contexts and values, allowing the responder to reflect upon their own society’s concerns.
William Shakespeare is a name familiar to nearly every English-speaking person. He is known as a poet, playwright and actor, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. While many people might know a thing or two about Shakespeare, does anyone stop to think about what the world was like around him? What kind of trials and tribulations did the people of that Era have to face? What type of people did Shakespearian productions attract?
Discuss how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic techniques for character development in Act 2 Scene 2 of Measure for Measure.
What do you know about Shakespeare and his works before this unit? What do you know now about Shakespeare and his works having finished this unit?
d. Shakespeare writings are required in schools to learn about what he had done the way he entertain people.
Shakespeare was a great writer, but there are some questions regarding his work as a play writer. When his plays were not published until after his death, some questions were raised about whether Shakespeare was the one who really wrote them. As an example, “Who else could have written his plays? How could Shakespeare describe certain scenery’s of places in his plays that he had never been to or seen? Was Shakespeare educated enough to write them himself? This research essay will cover some of the questions asked about Shakespeare’s work as a play writer.
William Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright of all times but one of the most famous English writers. Not only was he a talented playwright but he lived a very pivotal life; some say it 's due to his 37 plays and 154 sonnets credited to him. His remarkable talent with the English language has inspired many writers and playwrights. However, over the years there has been much speculation about Shakespeare 's life regarding his religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sources of collaboration, his true vision of how his plays should be performed, and the background to his plays and sonnets.
This essay is meant to inform others about a man named William Shakespeare, but who is he? A quote from notablebiogrphies.com states, “The English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare was a popular dramatist.” This means Shakespeare wrote many dramatic plays that were popular within the 1500’s and sent a relatable message to many age ranges. Biography.com states, “All that can be deduced is that, in his 20 years as a playwright, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict.” Although William