Explain How Richard Succeeds in Seducing Lady Anne in Act 1 Scene 1 of Richard III.

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Michael Cunningham        Page         5/2/2007

Explain How Richard Succeeds in Seducing

Lady Anne in Act 1 Scene 1 of Richard III

Shakespeare wrote Richard III as a tragedy by using his own interpretation of Richard, choosing his words, thoughts and opinions carefully as at the time of Shakespeare writing this play Queen Elizabeth had employed Francis Walshingham as the head of the Secret Service. Francis then recruited espionage agents to listen to the conversations that were spoken by the public. Richard’s character was written as though anyone of his family or friends could have been an agent of the Secret Service as he would hide his true feelings and thoughts whenever anyone came on stage even though he had just told the entire audience his intentions at the very start of the play,

“Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here Clarence comes.”

These actions were also present at the time of the plays being written.

In the soliloquy at the start of act 1 scene 1 Richard tells the audience what he intends to do throughout the play, and that is to become Anne’s husband and father,

“Is to become her husband and her father.”

By this, Richard means that to make amends for killing Anne's husband and father-in-law he will marry her. That was one reason for marrying Anne but Richard has at least one more.

“As for another secret close intent”

That could be to strengthen his right to the throne or just for the fun of a challenge. Or maybe he has two other reasons and that both of them are true. The language used at the end of act 1 scene 1 is written in verse, also when Richard calls Anne a “wench” and uses a well-known proverb

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“But yet I run before my horse to market”

It is almost as though Richard has discarded royal heritage and become an average civilian.

The action of the play from the previous scene is continuous as Anne follows the corpse of Henry VI, her father-in-law, as he is carried to St. Paul’s Cathedral. As the pallbearers put the corpse of Henry and Anne walks over and starts to lament his death.

“Whilst I awhile obsequiously lament”

While Anne is lamenting, she mentions her dead husband, Edward

“Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtered son,”

Also during this speech, ...

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