Title: Richard III
Genre: Historical Play
Year: 1591
Pages: 180
Origin: read on a Kindle during September 2012
Nod Rating: 5 nods out of 5
‘A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!’
These are the enduring words from Shakespeare’s Richard III; the desperate, villainous king searching in vain for his salvation. As all viewers and readers know fully well, Richard’s plan to take the throne by wicked and corrupt deeds is foiled by the triumph of the Earl of Richmond. The young earl ends the division and begins healing the scars between the houses of York and Lancaster and their Wars of the Roses. Richmond brought forth a new dynasty: the Tudors. The very same Tudor family who a hundred years later – in the guise of Elizabeth, Richmond’s granddaughter - would influence Shakespeare to write this tale in a particularly favourable light. Richard, the last of the Plantagenets is painted the villain, and the new king is seen as virtuous and defending poor old England from wrong.
Of course, fiction and fact can – at times – be wildly contrasting forces. Yet throughout history we have seen the art of fiction overcome fact: the tale of Richard III, is perhaps one such example. The naked seizure of power is truth, but the motive and the outcomes have become overshadowed. In this manner, it has been played out again and again, from the Jacobin globe theatre, through the Victorian era, to the cinematic interpretations of Laurence Oliver (pictured above) and – perhaps most intriguingly – a fascist England in which the masterful Ian McKellan plays the doomed character.
For those readers out there who tuned into this blog during 2011, the background to Richard’s rise is portrayed in Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy: his father, the Duke of York, makes a claim – perceived as a rightful claim – to the throne of England, intending to overthrow the weak king, Henry VI. The Duke is killed in battle, with the throne eventually becoming the property of Richard’s older brother, Edward IV. The wars between rival houses appear to be at an end, when Edward’s IV unexpected death provides the cause for a tumultuous period in history. Edward’s sons vanish (with the mystery of their fate continuing to this day), with Richard taking the throne; only to isolate all of those around him. His defeat to Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth ends his two year reign.
Shakespeare deals with Richard’s bloody rise to the top and the climax finish of the battle. Richard is portrayed as a scheming plotter, marrying those who might advance his position; killing his brother (the Duke of Clarence) who might stand in his way; offing rivals – once former friends - who might oppose him (such Lord Hastings and the Duke of Buckingham). The murder of the nephews – the ill-fated princes in the tower – are described by Richard’s henchman: ‘The most arch deed a piteous massacre that ever yet this land was guilty of.’ Queen Margaret describes the rising body count to those around her:
‘I had an Edward, till a Richard kill’d him; I had a Henry, till a Richard kill’d him: Thou hadst an Edward, till a Richard kill’d him; Thou hadst a Richard, till a Richard kill’d him.’It is the females of the play who see Richard for who is really is, with Queen Margaret playing the role of Cassandra in predicting future discontent. Anne deems him a ‘villain, thou knowest nor law of God nor man: No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity’; with the former queen (wife of the killed Henry VI) calls him ‘a murderous villain’; and his very own mother calls out:
‘Thou elvish-mark’d, abortive, rooting hog! Thou that wast seal’d in thy nativity the slave of nature and the son of hell! Thou slander of thy heavy mother’s womb! Thou loathed issue of thy father’s loins! Thou rag of honour!’Later in the play, his mother continues with her description of her son:
‘From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept a hell-hound that doth hunt us all to death: That dog, that had his teeth before his eyes, To worry lambs and lap their gentle blood’.In such a manner, Richard truly plays the role of ‘hell’s black intelligencer’. But in contrast to everyone else, Richard sees it as his right to claim the throne and lead England back to prosperous days: ‘the world is grown so bad that wrens make pretty where eagles dare not perch’. More interestingly, is Shakespeare’s depiction of Richard as a man capable of comic flourishes, especially so in his – somewhat – endearing asides as he allows the viewer/reader into his schemes. Having met the young princes, he tells the audience: ‘So wise so young, they say, do never long live’; and having flattered and wooed Queen Elizabeth and kissed her before she leaves the stage, he curses out: ‘Relenting fool, and shallow, changing woman!’ It is the part set out in Richard’s opening, famous soliloquy: ‘And seem a saint when most I play the devil.’
However, not even his ambition and thirst for power can guide Richard to ultimate success. His actions of lies and deceit force his followers to flee, one by one; the victims of growing paranoia and insanity. Shakespearian convention is followed (alongside predictions and ominous dreams) in the shape of ghosts who return to haunt Richard on the night before the Battle of Bosworth. The young princes return to call upon Richard: ‘Dream on thy cousins smothered in the Tower. Let us be lead within they bosom, Richard. And weigh thee down to ruin, shame, and death! Thy nephews’ souls bid thee despair and die!’ Whilst they point to their potential saviour, the Earl of Richmond, to ‘beget a happy race of kings! Edward’s unhappy sons do bid thee flourish.’
Alone and without hope, Richard descends to schizophrenic ranting – again, another blessed stable of Shakespeare’s titular characters. It further showcases Richard’s complex role:
‘The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. What, do I fear myself? There’s none else by. Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I. Is there a murderer here? No; yes, I am. Then fly. What, from myself? Great reason why. Lest I revenge. What, myself upon myself! Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good that I myself have done unto myself? O, no! Alas, I rather hate myself for hateful deeds committed by myself! I am a villain: yet I lie, I am not.'Continuing with his lonesome conclusion:
‘My conscience hath a thousand several tongues. And every tongue brings in a several tale. And every tale condemns me for a villain. Perjury, perjury, in the high’st degree. Murder, stern murder, in the dir’st degree. All several sins, all us’d in each degree. Throng to the bar, crying all “Guilty! Guilty!” I shall despair. There is no creature loves me; And if I die no soul will pity me.’The victory of the Earl of Richmond at the play’s finale (the same man formerly dismissed by Richard as ‘a little peevish boy’) puts right the wrongs of Richard’s reign. The defeat of Richard, and indeed the entire play, has been labelled as through and through case of Tudor propaganda. Perhaps Shakespeare – bankrolled by Tudor blood – was aware of such an accusation. There are hints throughout the play, but none more so than in Queen Margaret’s words to Elizabeth about her position to Richard: ‘Think that thy babes were sweeter than they were, And he that slew them fouler than he is’.
‘Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this son of York’ are the immortal words of the play’s opening. A play that confirms all of the powers of Shakespeare’s ability to write dialogue, to plot out action, and to thrill and entertain his audience. It is amongst the most popular of his canon; and the Worm makes the case that it is amongst the strongest of his catalogue. If you have not seen or read it during the past four hundred twenty-one years, then you have much to catch up on.
Read it here:
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/script-text-richard-iii.htm
Read the reviews for Henry VI: Parts One, Two & Three here:
http://4eyedbookworm.blogspot.com/2011/08/hnery-iv-part-one-william-shakespeare.html
http://4eyedbookworm.blogspot.com/2011/11/henry-vi-part-two-william-shakespeare.html
http://4eyedbookworm.blogspot.com/2011/12/henry-vi-part-three-william-shakespeare.html
