Student Essay on Richard III Context

Richard III Context

Summary:   This essay shows how the context of Richard III influences the language ideas.

Shakespeare's Richard III was written in mid-Renaissance England during the golden age of Queen Elizabeth i. Elizabeth was the last monarch of the House of Tudor and, realising her family's weak claim to the throne sought to justify Henry VII's actions. Henry, Earl of Richmond led the army that deposed the last of the Yorkist kings, Richard III. The play can be seen as Tudor propaganda, particularly scathing towards Richard III and a line of other nobility associated with the reign of Edward and the accession of Richard. The play also has strong traces of Renaissance-humanism shown through the investigation into individuals and the fitness of some to rule. Shakespeare uses Richard to investigate the nature of evil and power, issues that are of interest to both Elizabethan and contemporary audiences. Demonstrating the intermediary stage in the transition from medieval to modern thinking, Shakespeare also questions the divine order of life and personal responsibility for one's actions. Shakespeare used dramatic devices and language devices common to the time period and the preceding it to create dramatic tension. Language features were used effectively to demonstrate the wrong doings and evil persona that was Richard III. The Elizabethan context had an impact on the aims and intentions of the play, while Renaissance-Humanism dominated the themes.

The events of Richard III occurred during the closing stages of the Wars of the Roses, were compacted to create dramatic tension. The House of Lancaster had lost their influence, Queen Margaret was exiled to France and with her the last vestiges of her power. The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars that plagued England from 1455-85. The civil wars were precipitated by the Duke of York's (father of Edward IV and Richard III) claim that the Lancastrian house usurped the throne that rightfully belonged to York, and that their strongest claimant was insane, thus incapable to rule. The House of York drew much support from the North and was well-established Edward IV held 2 male heirs in addition to 2 brothers and a nephew of royal blood. The Earl of Richmond, King Henry VII founder of the House of Tudor held a universally weaker claim to the throne, leading to the common claim of usurper and the need to justify their royal lineage.

The Elizabethan context of the play shows why a pro-Tudor portrayal was necessary. The House of Tudor had held the throne for over a century; an uneasy century plagued with internal struggle as the Tudor introduction of the Church of England fought for dominance with Catholicism. Combined with claims that the House of Tudor should never have ascended to the throne, a strong statement was needed showing that Tudor times were infinitely better then the alternative. Queen Elizabeth I was a patron and lover of Shakespeare's plays and, being well educated would have noted any anti-Tudor implications within Richard III. The sources Shakespeare used, particularly Sir Thomas More's 'History' were, likewise, blatantly pro-Tudor, although some questions have been raised about their reliability. As Elizabethan propaganda, Richard III, the only viable alternative to Tudor rule is shown to have broken practically every social custom, law and God's divine rules.

Renaissance-Humanism was dominant within literary circles from 1400-1650 and marks the waypoint from simple medieval piety to complex modern scientific thought. The Renaissance was inspired by the revival of classical culture and texts, traces of which can be found within the play. Classical influences that came through the Renaissance include the use of half-lined stichomythia and similarities to Seneca's tragedies. Richard III features medieval themes, such as supernatural events, physiognomy, the need to appear devout and characteristics of vices from old morality plays. This contrasts with the personal independence and responsibility that Shakespeare bestows upon Richard's victims. Renaissance-Humanism gives another title to Richard; that of the Machiavellian, an amoral, but gifted prince.

Shakespeare uses act I to taint any favourable impressions of Richard and uses his monologues to prove him the ultimate Machiavellian. Barring a few moments of weakness towards the end of the play, Richard is portrays as repulsive and deliberately sinister. This is consistent with the accounts of Hall and More, whose histories were the primary sources that developed Shakespeare's view. Both of these men were pro-Tudor; More being under the patronage of the former Bishop of Ely turned Cardinal under Henry VII.

From the start, Act I, Scene I, Richard's monologue exaggerates a deformity credited to him by neither historian. In fact More, who is perhaps Richard's greatest contribute, commends Richard's skills as a soldier and great warrior; a feat near impossible for a hunchback. Physiognomy was dominant through medieval society; anyone that had deformities was cursed by God and inherently evil. Shakespeare introduced this deformity to Richard to establish immediately that Richard was not a trustworthy individual. Richard's opening soliloquy works to set a tone with the use of darker words such as spy rather then see. Richard takes the audience into his confidence at the start and tells them all that he is determined to be a villain, Act I, Scene I, lines 28-30 "since I cannot prove a lover to entertain this fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain." At this stage plotting the death of his brother, an act often attributed to Queen Elizabeth and her supporters. Richard and his brother George, Duke of Clarence, blame Queen Elizabeth and her supporters for convincing the King to send Clarence to the Tower; Shakespeare points out the flaws of factionalism that would have disrupted any Yorkist King, avoided by Henry VII. Shakespeare influences the initial opinions developed about Richard as barbaric by giving him pride for an unforgivable act. By the end of the scene Richard has outlined his entire evil plan to gain the throne, one where he breaks societies morals and laws countless times and even more unthinkable crimes.

In Act I, Scene II, Richard woos Lady Anne to be his Duchess for her considerable wealth and the custody she would hold over Clarence's children. Anne is capable of great curses, such as those that she hurls upon first seeing Richard along the funeral route, however ends up submissive and blinded as he defends himself from all her charges under the circumstances. By turning up at the funeral of one that she loved to tell her that his crimes were those of passion. Senecan stichomythia conveys a high pace and heightens the emotional intensity of the scene; during the quick exchange Anne is overwhelmed by Richard's willingness and accepts his proposal, a rash decision. After Anne's departure Richard gloats of his success, "Was ever a woman in this humour woo'd? Was ever a woman in this human won"? He goes on to show all the wrong doings he has done and she has weakly forgotten.

Mirroring this scene is Richard's attempt to have Queen Elizabeth represent his love to her daughter, which appears from the start to be doomed to failure. Elizabeth Woodville shows a sharp wit to match Richard and a determination to allow her to withstand a shaken Richard. Elizabeth's conviction grows and once Richard claims "from thy soul I love thy daughter" makes a mockery of the conversation, interpreting Richard as saying apart from my soul I am in love with your daughter, interpreting from as excluding his soul. Elizabeth shows her mockery of the conversation by pointing out that "from thy soul's love didst thou lover her brothers, and from my heart's love I do thank thee for it." Apart from his soul Richard 'loved' the Princes in the tower and apart from the soul he ordered their death. Elizabeth shows that she placed no meaning in this conversation saying she thanked Richard for loving them such. Stichomythia is also used constantly throughout the scene to create tension. By the end Elizabeth tired of the conversation falsely resigns her case to Richard, who claims victory. At the start of the play Richard woos Anne with ease and an indignant confidence and success, by the end of the play the weight of his crimes begin to affect Richard who has lost his resolve

The victims of Richard, starting with Clarence, are at least partially responsible for the situations that they find themselves in, tying in with the renaissance-humanist idea of personal accountability. Clarence placed all of his trust in one man and failed to point out that the G of Edward's prophecies could have been Gloucester. Rivers, Grey and Vaughn who were responsible for their situation, not standing up for Clarence or opposing Richard fully while Edward still held the throne and they were in favour. Lord Hastings, symbolic of England's moral decay, celebrated in the death of enemies and greatly misjudged his own standing. Hastings failed to gauge his own position or heed warnings from his friend to withdraw for the time. Hastings is most accountable for his own demise because of the warnings he received from Stanley and "Three times today my foot-cloth horse did stumble, and started when he looked upon the tower, as loath to bear me to the slaughterhouse." Lady Anne, his own wife had the chance to slay Richard, yet still chose to marry him who she knew was evil. Buckingham's actions were out of self-interest; Richard could never have taken the throne without his help. Had he not tried to advance his position while Richard was in a vile mood, or even raised an army in opposition to Richard, he may have expected some pardon for his support. Barring the princes in the tower, Richard's victims could have prevented the situations that they found themselves in.

The ghosts and the second soliloquy, where Richard awakes from his torturous dream shows the effect that his crimes and being King have had on his character. The ghosts that haunt Richard have traces of medieval superstition of the supernatural. The ghosts are an appeal Richard's conscience and comfort to Richmond. The ghost of Buckingham says, "God and good angels fight on Richmond's side", tying in to the notion of divine retribution, that Richard will be punished for his sins. The ghosts, most of who were related to the House of York's support of Richmond further the view justifying the need for Richmond. The consciences and judging Richard has links to the old morality plays, especially when considering Richard calls himself vice. In the second soliloquy Richard admits, "I am a villain", however he treats this not with joy at the achievement, but with horror at his atrocities. He realises the evils that he has done and as the ghosts called, they weigh heavy on him during the battle, leading to his defeat.

The role of religion was a contentious issue during the Renaissance and during the reign of the House of Tudor. At the end of Act I, Scene III, Richard says to the audience, "thus I clothe my naked villainy with odd old ends stolen forth of Holy Writ and seems a saint, when most I play the devil." Richard realises that a King must either be a holy man, or at least appear to be devout. In Act III, Scene VII, when Buckingham leads the people of London in calls for Richard to claim the throne, Richard organises for him to appear devout, in the presence of 2 bishops; he at first turned them away under the pretence of prayer. In the same scene Richard and Buckingham deceived the populace in their performance. Richard was to appear reluctant to claim the throne, denying them twice in their charade before accepting the throne in order to protect his royal line. In so doing he managed to convert those who were appalled at the thought of the Duke of Gloucester on the throne into supporters.

Shakespeare's greatest invention was the introduction of Margaret from exile; she adds dramatic effect and strengthens themes as a nemesis of Richard. Brooks argued that Richard saw similarities between women under Richard and those within defeated Troy; likening the dowager Duchess of York to Hecuba, Anne to Polyxena, Elizabeth and Andromache and Margaret and Helen, both outsiders yet still victims. Margaret's greatest duty to the play, however, is her prophecies and curses; she rambles about those that killed her family and preached punishment and judgement and death upon those who prevailed upon the death of her son Edward. All of her prophecies come true.

In exploring a king's fitness to rule Shakespeare includes the scenes with the commoners, the chief point that they raise is whether a child should be allowed to be king. The pessimistic third citizen claimed, "Woe to the land that's governed by a child." The kingdom should not be ruled by a child unless they have good uncles to advise them, as was the case with Henry VI. Two citizens draw that the case is the same, however the third citizen notes the Woodville's arrogance and the danger of Gloucester, before agreeing that with a certain measure of control all will be well, however unlikely it may be.

Richard makes a better Machiavellian then Vice. Although he shows the qualities of a vice and some of their behavioural traits, such as clever puns he later shows a conscience and even remorse. The vice was the personification of pure evil and the morality plays did not have the middle ground that was available to the Machiavellian. For Richard, the ends justified the means, Richard had his eye on the throne and stopped at nothing to get there.