Essay | The Man in the Mirror

"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...
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