Richard IIi As A Historic Play

This derives from the play as a recount of historical events with a known outcome and a medium for propaganda in support of the monarchy, an avid determinist. Nevertheless, the aforementioned tension is prevalent throughout and epitomised by the paradoxical pun ‘I am determined to prove a villain’. Uttered with a tone of poise and self-assuredness, the term ‘determined’ implies a conscious statement of purpose and a preordained villainy. Thus Richard is aligned with the stock character of the Vice, an instrument of predestination, and the innovative Machiavel, an advocator of humanism. Despite this, the ultimate decline of Richard is consequential of the reign of determinism. The directly antithetic correctio ‘I am a villain. Yet I lie, I am not’ yields an implicit self-doubt and acknowledgment of an inability to fulfil his humanist purpose. Providentialism thus displays precedence over self-determination. This is in direct contrast to Pacino’s docudrama, composed for a secular modern American audience disengaged with traditional notions of determinism. A greatly diminished and altered portrayal of Margaret, the primary instrument of determinism in the play, is expressive of this. Pacino devalues her curses by reducing her to a ‘sort of ghost of the past’. A frenzied montage of informative discourse and the activity of the play complete with

* Shakespeare shows the journey in Richard III of Richard himself on his dark quest to becoming king by both using his literary skills and performance to attain what he wants, ultimately being power.

The texts King Richard III and Looking for Richard both accept the centrality of power and the yearning for it, as a central plot driver and an assumed part of the human condition. However, each presents a different perspective as to the nature of power; its origins and morality.

Through exploring connections between Shakespeare’s Richard III and Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard the values of the era are often a product of the context of the text. However, through studying the theatricality of man and the pursuit of power, it is clear these notions transcend time and context. Shakespeare valued the way an actor could act within a play and theatre was valued in this context. Shakespeare also demonstrated how Richard pursued political power, whilst Shakespeare himself

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

that thus deem’. ‘as the fame runs’. His work is a literary exercise in the dramatic

The conflicts within the play were revealed through hand gestures, facial emotions, and war. These conflicts were developed by suspicion of Richard III. The character who suspected the most, I think, was Elizabeth. People within the ability to be crowned ruler were dying ‘unexpectedly,” and Richard just continued to build up in the rank of the crown, therefore tension developed. The tension over the reign was resolved when Richard III died. He caused tension within the play by planning the death of a multitude of people, such as his own brother, Elizabeth’s husband, Elizabeth’s brother, and Hastings.

The Effectiveness of William Shakespeare's Use of Supernatural in the Final Act of Richard III

land in the north of England after both the Earl and Anne died. He was

“…every tale condemns me for a villain…” Shakespeare’s play Richard III illustrates how, by using the beliefs of his audience, he could portray the dangers of an unyielding lust for power through the portrayal of the manipulative character Richard, whose evil leads to the downfall of this “…bloody king…” Al Pacino’s docu-drama Looking for Richard is an interpretation of Richard III that presents Richard’s unbridled ambition in a project which recasts this tragedy’s ideas into a modern American political and psychoanalytical context. Shakespeare wrote Richard III to promote the Tudor Myth by presenting Richard as a tyrant whose rise and fall from kingship were largely due to his unbridled lust for power. Society’s perceptions of the way the

Shakespeare adapts these tenants to construct a power thirsty character. Consequently, while the London elite was introduced to these ideals, Shakespeare shaped the overall plot of the play to exemplify the discussed the power quest introduced by Machiavelli. This results in Richard’s actions that lead him to kill his brother and manipulate his family into getting the throne.

however it was not and he had to face him in battle. "My lord he doth

Shakespeare uses foreshadowing in Richard III, to show the reader the fate of each characters. For every character we see some type of foreshadowing that predicts their future. We see foreshadowing in Margaret’s curses, Anne’s curses, Richard and Richmond’s dreams, and the prophetic dream of Clarence.

Throughout all great works of literature, the authors try to include a theme or center point to base their writing on. Within the plot there can be found many similar references and coinciding points to be discovered among the lines the author writes. Richard III is a play written by the great playwright, poet, and storyteller, William Shakespeare. He was a man who wrote many popular stories known today as some of the greatest works of literary art ever read. He lived throughout the late 16th century into the early 17th century, a time where he produced many plays that were appreciated by the masses and even some royalty. Richard III, one of his popular works, is rife with political criticisms while simultaneously veiled by comedic coverage full of metaphoric insults.