Richard III: Haters Gonna Hate
Comments(3) Compare and contrast; a great literary tool that is often the foundation for any student. A love hate relationship in itself and a tool that brings sighs and frowns and various other sound effects upon reaching the ear. However, when your name is William Shakespeare, you can do whatever you like.
The opening monologue of Richard III is far off from the royal and triumphant processions at the start of both A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Titus Andronicus. The physical setting as well as the tone shifts drastically, evil intent is instantly thrown out into the open, there’s no talk of a play, marriage and a new king, that’s child’s play. Richard’s opening words, “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York” are probably some of the most famous lines right behind “To be or not to be”. His speech echoes that of veteran, scarred from war and educated through blood shed. “Grim-visaged War hath smoothed his wrinkled front, and now, instead of mounting barbed steeds to fright the souls of fearful adversaries, he capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber to the lascivious pleasing of a lute.” He only thinks of furthering his own position, he’s cocky but he’s wise beyond his years. He is but a soldier and not a lover. “But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks nor made to court an amorous looking glass; I, that am rudely stamped, and want love’s majesty to strut before a wanton ambling nymph.” I love this about Richard. He’s your stone cold killer warrior, not one of those lovey-dovey characters, he’s a manly man. He’s also ridiculously conniving, at least to those who don’t understand. A lot of people hate him for declaring himself the villain, but what’s so wrong in wanting to elevate yourself to happiness when you’ve given your all for the crown and have no one to love or love you and on top of all that, you are a cripple? “Unless to spy my shadow in the sun and descant on mine own deformity. And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain.”
What’s wrong with cheering for the little guy who’s trying to make it? I think too often we read Richard III and want to root against him, but why not root for him? This is just my little bit…
Pertaining to the saying that Richard is somewhat a manly man, I have to disagree.
Seeing in the light of Richard has a physical disability, but still a great orator, then a successor to the throne, he has to overcome quite a bit of obstacles. With all these maybe I too have to classify him as a manly man. Though such small a part of Richard in the play is what considered by many critics might be the defect of play, the character is not fully developed since in one part he is mentioned as a disabled character, yet in most of play, we couldn’t find a hint that he is obese with disability.
Yet in every turn , he is the villain and manipulator, he manages to eliminate whatever present to him as the obstacles to become king, at any cost.
In this sense, he is a complete opposite of person who is in a position of authority, so much so, I like to label him and his actions as completely opposite of man, maybe womanly?
Margaret–The Wicked Witch
Well I must say, as a mother i did start to sympathize…but realized, she wasn’t an angel either! She is just as treacherous and evil as most of these characters.
Her character is being portrayed as the witch of the play–well…SHe is! Throughout the play she is “believed” to “cast spells” on people because of her discontent within society. Her unhappiness–mainly stemmed from the events which takes place in her life; namely Richard’s family bumping her husband (Henry VI) off the throne, and Richard killing her son. As a result, she becomes a widow whose livelihood depends on the Richards (Richard & his family). She went from being the Queen to becoming an outcast. this new status fuels her misery and brings her to a dark place where she and she feels that the only way she can avenge the deaths of her loved ones is through Hex spells.
What she apparently had forgotten is that during her glory days as a Queen she had Richard’s brother (Rutland) killed, but it didn’t end there… Margaret took a handkerchief dipped in Rutland’s blood and waved it around in Richard’s father’s face.