Shakespear's Richard is capable of presenting many different faces to the outside world. He shows people what they want to see and is able to reflect people back onto themselves. This is the charm allows him to manipulate people and the situations.
"The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror./ It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing./ It receives but does not keep."- Chuang Tzu. For the majority of this play, Richard the Third is the embodiment of this quote. He has no regrets and does not show any remorse for the terrible things he does. Yet he is revered and becomes king. How? Richard is capable of presenting different faces to the outside world. He shows people what they want to see. He is able to reflect people back onto themselves; he is a mirror. This is the charm that allows him to manipulate the people and the situations he is around.
At the end of scene 1.2, Richard wants to look at himself in the mirror after Lady Anne takes his ring. He is surprised by the fact that he has successfully wooed her. He has killed her husband and her husband's father. Richard has always seen himself as being deformed, and has blamed the fact that society looks down on him upon that physical feature. When Anne's and Richard's conversation began she referred to him as the devil, as a "Villain, thou know'st nor law of God nor man." (1.2.70). Yet, Anne starts to see something else when she looks at Richard. When she looks at him, I believe she sees a piece of herself. She states "With all my heart, and much it joys me, too,/ to see you are become so penitent-"(1.222-223). Richard is not remorseful, but because that quality is within Lady Anne and it is what she wants to see in Richard, he projects regret.
Clarence is a loyal man and tires to displace that quality onto Richard. When one of the murderers that are sent by Richard to kill Clarence says, "Your brother Goucester hates you, (1.4.235)" Clarence replies "Oh, no, he loves me, and he holds me dear (1.4.236)." The murderer goes on to disparage Richard and Clarence quickly defends him, "Oh, do not slander him, for he is kind (1.4.244)." Clarence is the one who is kind. And because Richard is like a mirror he cannot be seen through. Clarence only sees himself in Richard.
At the end of the play, the "false looking glass" that Richard has been called has been focused onto himself. It is the moment in the play in which he reveals his own self-doubt, conscience, and regret for his actions. Seized by fear he asks himself "What do I fear? Myself? There's none else by." (5.3.182). Trying to calm his fear he reminds himself that he is alone and is therefore safe. But he is overcome with renewed horror when he recognizes that he himself is the most frightening person he could be left alone with.
Richard asks, "Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am." He accepts that he is a mass-murderer. Frightened by this he tells himself to run away, be he realizes that he cannot escape from himself. "My conscience hath a thousand several tongues,and every tongue brings in a several tale, and every tale condemns me for a villain." (5.3.193-195). Richard finally sees himself as the villain he has become, and for that he hates himself.
He sees through the mirror that he has presented to the rest of the world and sees the man behind glass. He sees all his faults and insecurities. The fact that he can finally see himself for the monster that he is, I think leads to his downfall. While he was able to reflect others' personalities, he was capable of anything. He could manipulate anyone and anything. But now that he is confronted with his true nature, he can only show the face of the villain that he is.
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