The Course of Justice . The Role of Women in William Shakespeares, King Richard III

Queen Elizabeth, is another strong woman who is willing to speak against the evil that she sees stirring and growing.  At first, Elizabeth merely dislikes Richard.  She does not suspect him to be the “foul devil” (I, ii, 49) that the audience has been informed that he is.  After being reduced to a bitter shadow of her former glorious self, “neither mother, wife, nor England’s queen” (I, iii, 209), Elizabeth develops and intense hatred towards Richard and the evil he possesses.  When Elizabeth’s husband dies and her son is to become king under the guidance of Richard, Elizabeth predicts that soon “insulting tyranny [will] being” (II, iv 51).  Most mothers would at least attempt to imagine their son has a living chance, however, Elizabeth feels the need to speak the truth.  It is not that she refuses to believe in hope; it is that she is preparing for the brewing storm by bracing herself and her family.  Elizabeth is so fiercely realistic because when she first understands what is to come, she plans on protecting her family by dodging approaching threats.  As the play progresses, Elizabeth looses the vast majority of her family and becomes even more resentful and bitter.  She gives up all hope on evading the wrath of Richard, and is aware that there is no hope in defeating him with so few allies and such little power.  In this time of sadness and desperation, Elizabeth turns to Margaret.  Elizabeth once regarded Margaret as being nothing but a “hateful wither’d hag” (I, iii, 214).  The fact that she now turns to her for guidance proves the extent to which Elizabeth will go to, to bringing about justice a cast away evil.  Knowing that Margaret can competently plague people with blasphemy, Elizabeth begs her “to help [her] curse” (80).  The eloquent and well versed queen wants morals to be upheld so badly that she is willing to sink to a level that she scoffed at in her former brilliance.  Elizabeth’s finale stand against Richard and the evil he embodies ultimately ends the War of the Roses.  After Richard begs her to “prepare [her daughter’s] ears to hear a wooer’s tale” (IV, iv, 327), Elizabeth betrays him, she stands for innocence and compassion and refuses to prepare her daughter’s ear if it means that she will receive an undoubtedly short lifetime filled with despair. Instead, Elizabeth aids in her daughter’s marriage to Richmond.  The young Yorkist marrying the Lancastrian would end the feud between the two families and strengthen their hold on the throne.  Elizabeth’s strong moral ground and refusal to accept evil ultimately brings peace and a new, happier era.                

Even Richard’s own mother wishes to witness his demise because of the havoc and destruction he has brought to their family.  Mothers are known to love and accept their children regardless the circumstance, however, this thankfully does not hold for Richard’s relationship with the Duchess.  The Duchess tells Richard that he “camest on earth to make the earth [her] hell” (IV, iv, 166).  The Duchess openly expresses her regret that she released a demon from hell onto an unsuspecting earth.  She is so disappointed in him because she attempted to prevent him from becoming the villain he desired to be, however, he turned into nothing but a “false glass” (II, ii, 53); a mirror that does no give an accurate representation of the mother she truly is, a deceptive and defective object.  Not only does the Duchess feel shame and sorrow that her son turned out so “tetchy and wayward” (IV, iv, 171), for this is the last thing any mother wants, she is furious that her son would destroy so much of his own blood.  Richard has gone so far, he has inspired a desire for revenge in his own mother.  The last time the audience sees the Duchess, she openly admits how disgusted she is in Richard.  She becomes one of the few people who detest him openly and she does so in the name of humanity and resistance.  In her last line to her son, the Duchess tells him that “shame serves [his] life and doth [his] death attend” (195).  She wants her son to die so that others, including herself, can live  better lives free from the menacing and depressing shadow of a tyrant king.  The Duchess values morals and justice over family ties because her son valued power and self over everything else.

Of all the women who are pillars of resistance and morality, for various reasons, Queen Margaret appears to be the strongest and most effective.  Everything that the woman wails and prays for can be encapsulated into her words to Queen Elizabeth telling her that “the course of justice whirl'd about/ And left (her) but a very prey to time" (IV, iv, 105-106).  She essentially promises that time will ensure that the justice they desire will eventual occur.  It is much like our current saying relating to karam – “what goes around comes around”.  They simply must bid their time, call upon the supernatural forces that administer justice and continue to loathe their enemies and justice will be bestowed upon the deserving.  Though Margaret is portrayed as being a bitter and resentful old woman who views the world as a dark and despairing place, the morals she does support are held very dear to her.  One of the reasons she detests the world is because everyone she cares for and loves were brutally torn away from its realm.  She blames the Yorkists, but most of all Richard, for the suffering she has had to endure.  As a result she is “hungry for revenge” (IV, iv, 61).  Though Margaret seems too cold to have morals, she evidently believes in justice and is unwaveringly loyal.  She also yearns that she will be granted revenge for her fallen beloveds.  She pertains strength that other woman lack in the play.  Take Anne for example, she is incredibly fickle, forgets about her husband rapidly after his death and re-marries his murderer.  Margaret on the other hand constantly laments her deceased husband and family.  When Margaret’s hostile demeanor is viewed as a strong sense of loyalty and justice, she appears even more courageous and ethic.  Though all the women do a create deal of cursing, Margaret does it the most frequently and is by far the most proficient.  Not only can Margaret utter curses well, but her curses also have the unnerving tendency to occur.  Many men over the course of the plays, when faced with death, realize that “Margaret’s curse is fall’n upon [their] heads” (III, iii, 16).  With this terrifying realization, the men usually die.  This leads one to wonder whether Margaret is simply good at foreseeing the consequences of her ‘victims’ actions or whether she is channeling a higher power knowing that she alone, a fragile and loathed old woman, cannot deliver true justice and get her revenge.  Regardless, Margaret’s infamous curses are reckoned to deliver moral lessons and cause resistance more than any other force in the play.  Of all the characters in the play, Margaret is the one who speaks up for what she feels passionately about the most.  She is simply not driven by fear like so many others.  Instead, she focuses on envisioning the demise of all those who crosses her.  Yes, this makes her a hostile and hated, but is this worse than being a naïve and oblivious?  From the beginning she is dubbed a “hateful wither’d hag” (I, iii, 214), it can thus be assumed she is clearly detested by all.  Nevertheless, she is the only character who realizes that Richard is “a murderous villain” (I, iii, 134) straight from the start, declares this in front of him and all of his acquaintances and stand by her story for the entirety of the play.  All the while, she shows no signs of remorse or fear.  Margaret is the character that embodies the essence of morality and resistance more than all others for the entire course of the play.          

William Shakespeare, in his play King Richard III, makes it evident that the women are meant to voice good ethics and opposition against foreseen evil.  This can be seen in Anne’s loathing of her husband and her acceptance of the consequences she has earned by giving him more power.  Elizabeth constantly searches for a way to protect those she loves form approaching evil also is a fine example.  Even Richard’s own mother despises him because he has no morals and cannot be stopped from wreaking havoc.  Most importantly, there is Margaret, whose unwavering morals and longing to barricade the path of those who made her life miserable, dominates her life and makes her a courageous and fearless woman.  Though woman in Richard the Third’s time were consider inferior to men, the women in Shakespeare’s play are the ones who rise up against evil and ensure that the course of justice is set into motion.