'In his depiction of Richard III Shakespeare has created much more than a simple theatrical villain' Discuss

'In his depiction of Richard III Shakespeare has created much more than a simple theatrical villain' Discuss In Shakespeare's Richard III, Richard is undoubtedly a monstrous villain set out to seize the throne of England for himself in any way possible. He does this by ruthlessly killing people in line for, or even anything to do with, the throne. Shakespeare, however, albeit historically inaccurate, has created a man much more than what meets the eye. Behind his physical deformities lies a man of extreme intelligence and wit, who is very shrewd and crafty. He is a villain, but much more than an average villain. He is a deeply malicious monster yet significantly wise and perceptive. He gains the throne not simply by butchery but by intelligence and exploiting the weaknesses of those around him. The play tells us lots more about him. The opening speech made by Richard, probably one of the most famous speeches, informs us initially of the background to the play and sets the scene. It is a soliloquy - a speech delivered by a character alone on the stage to the audience. The opening four lines, containing at the start one of the two most well known lines in plays, tell us that the War of Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York is now over, and that Richard's house (the House of York) has prevailed and triumphed as the ruling house of England: Now is the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'His honour rooted in dishonour stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true' (Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine). Richard III

'His honour rooted in dishonour stood, And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true' (Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine). From the very opening of the play Richard III, Richard establishes himself as a synonym for villainy. And that is the general impression we assume when considering the disposition of Richard III, a ruthless, villainous tyrant who felt the only means in which to achieve ones ends was to use hostility, force and injustice. It would be so easy to condemn Richard for his tyrannical, Machiavellian ways, for after all, all the history we know of Richard is malevolent. Yet the portrayal of this mis-understood protagonist in the text Richard III has been edited to make the audience averse towards Richard III, by the playwright, William Shakespeare. Richard III manipulates the Court of York the same way that William Shakespeare manipulates history. Shakespeare vilifies Richard III in order to glorify Richmond, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Shakespeare re-writes history to, takes events out of chronological sequences to make Richard's transgressions seem more iniquitous. Although technically a history, Richard III is considered a tragedy, as it consists of a tragic structure, showing the ride and fall of a single protagonist. In his opening soliloquy, Richard says he is 'determinéd to prove a villain' (I.I.30), and the play develops this ambiguous statement into an

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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This excerpt is taken from the very first act of Shakespeare's play 'Richard III', and it exemplifies just how, throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays the king as a vile and despicable character.

"Cheated of feature by dissembling Nature, Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before my time Into this breathing world, scarce half made up And that so lamely and unfashionable That dogs bark at me as I halt by them; Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace, Have no delight to pass away the time, Unless to spy my shadow in the sun And descant on mine own deformity: And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determin'd to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days." This excerpt is taken from the very first act of Shakespeare's play 'Richard III', and it exemplifies just how, throughout the play, Shakespeare portrays the king as a vile and despicable character. This image of Richard has captured the imaginations of many and there is no doubt that he had been vilified and castigated across numerous generations: condemned as the evil villain who contrived to have his brother drowned in a butt of wine and his nephews smothered in the Tower of London. However, is this impression of King Richard really valid? Can this picture, painted in words by a man who wrote them over one hundred years after Richard's death, be the definitive account of the person and character of this frequently reviled king? To answer these questions one must look beyond Shakespeare's brilliantly written prose and search for true examples

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How effectively did the Scots respond to Edward I's historical arguments for English superiority over Britain?

David Stevens Tutor: Dr. Roger Mason How effectively did the Scots respond to Edward I's historical arguments for English superiority over Britain? The concept of superiority and even overlordship over the rest of the British Isles and its peoples played a central role in the formation of a sense of English identity and the formation of England as a defined social and political unit. The writings of Gerald of Wales and William of Malmesbury described the other peoples inhabiting Britain and Ireland as uncivilised barbarians and these influential ideas, strengthened with the experiences of the population with the other peoples, and the English financial and institutional superiority, provided the basis for expansion and what can be described as the first wave of English imperialism. It was not until the reign of King Edward I of England, however, that there was a monarch with the legal, political and military talent, and perhaps more importantly the determination to realise the natural English right to rule Britain. He enjoyed much success in Wales and qualified success in Ireland, but was aware that Scotland was always a different proposition, particularly because of its special relationship with the papacy. When the succession crisis arose therefore, with the death of King Alexander III and the

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  • Level: GCSE
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'In plot, in imagery, in structure, Richard II offers us little thatis not already present or implicit in Edward II. 'Assess Shakespeare's debt to Marlowe in this play.

'In plot, in imagery, in structure, Richard II offers us little that is not already present or implicit in Edward II.' Assess Shakespeare's debt to Marlowe in this play. It was the very nature of the Renaissance writers to use as their subjects base a story or myth that had already been told. Renaissance means 're-birth' and their idea of creativity did not include originality, to show their skill was to take a plot that had already been told either by history, a predecessor or their contemporaries and to rework it and in doing so surpass it. "The object of history for many Renaissance writers was to learn the mistakes of the past in order to avoid them in the future." (Smith, viii). Our modern idea, received from the Romantics, of having to have originality to be able to create a best-seller was not what the Renaissance was about at all, in fact it was the opposite. The Renaissance period was about reliving what their ancestors had already achieved and being able to learn from their mistakes and advances. To be accused of having massive debt to a writer was neither uncommon nor frowned upon, and so to say Shakespeare's Richard II is indebted to Marlowe's Edward II is no slander on Shakespeare, it would only be slander if it was said that Shakespeare used an immaculate play and destroyed it in trying to rework it. However, the circumstances that are unusual in this case is

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'In his depiction of Richard III Shakespeare has created much more than a simple theatrical villain.' Discuss

RICHARD III 'IN HIS DEPICTION OF RICHARD SHAKESPEARE HAS CREATED MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE THEATRICAL VILLAIN.' DISCUSS Richard is a cruel, corrupt, manipulative, ruthless murderer; as well as a master of deception. However he is not just a trunk of the most evil qualities. Outwardly he appears to be a deformed monster, yet he is as cunning and determined as the cruellest of villains, his rhetoric is beautifully agile and his wit is of the darkest kind, yet he remains greatly entertaining. The manner in which he achieves his goal is quite superb, reaching the throne not purely by butchery but also exploiting the weaknesses of those around him. Richard is a tyrant brought up in a background of betrayal and civil unrest; however, what makes Shakespeare's portrait so entertaining is Richard's humour and wit. Richard III is a multifaceted study of political aspiration and corruption. The majority of Shakespeare's information about Richard III came from Holinshed's Chronicle, first published in 1578 in it Richard is described as many things. He was described as being witty however Holinshed also described him as weak, '...in bodie and prowesse'. This shows where Shakespeare obtained the image of Richard being deformed. Holinshed also described Richard as being. ' malicious, wrathfull and enuious'. Therefore we cannot blame Shakespeare for the image that he grafts on Richard,

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Is it right to describe Edward the Confessor as a failure?

History Coursework Essay Is it right to describe that Edward the Confessor as a failure? There were many problems in Edward's reign from 1042-1066. Stafford argues that some of his problems had no obvious solutions. Some historians argue that Edward was not a failure, as he was able to maintain a good relationship with the Godwines. He was also able to solve the problem of not having enough supporters and was able to defend his kingdom in case of any invasion in England. According to Barlow, Edward was also able to maintain peace within his kingdom in the latter part of the reign. This view is supported by ASC and the Vita. However, other historians argue that Edward was a failure as he was unable to deal on the long term with the power of the Godwines and was unable to solve the problem of the succession. Edward's failure is shown with the succession issue as both the Norman sources and English sources have in agreement that Edward did not have a consistent policy on the succession. Some historians argue that Edward should not be described as a failure. This was shown, as he was able to defend England in case of any invasion from other countries. This view is agreed by Barlow1 who describes Edward defending England and Denmark making an alliance with Swein against Magnus of Norway. Barlow says that "Edward always took command whenever possible of an invasion."

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Richard III by William Shakespeare - “How genuine was the relationship between Richard and Buckingham?”

Richard III by William Shakespeare "How genuine was the relationship between Richard and Buckingham?" This essay is to assess how authentic the friendship between the cunning Richard and the apt and able Buckingham, discussing whether they were ever truly friends or whether they were just using each other to get what they wanted. Throughout their so-called "friendship", Richard and Buckingham stood by each other through thick and thin on the course of Richard's rise to the throne. Unfortunately, once Richard realised that he had got as much as he could out of Buckingham, he disposed of him, although they worked closely together and Buckingham did everything possible to help Richard's ascent to be King of England, he reached a certain point of remorse when he was asked to murder the two young princes, one of which was heir to the throne. Before we note of Richards and Buckingham's friendship kindling only a few scenes in from the beginning of the play, the audience already know of Richard's sinister plans due to his opening soliloquy, advanced dominantly where he admits his motives to becoming King of England. The first scene where it is apparent that Richard and Buckingham seem to be on the same wave-length and assisting each other is that of Act I Scene III. We, as the audience, have previously learnt of Richard's powerful determination to get what he wants as he has

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Shakespeare's presentation of the character of Richard III

Shakespeare's presentation of the character of Richard III If an actor wants to star as Richard III in a play he must first know all there is to know about the character of Richard III. For example Richard's behaviour, the way he thinks and reacts, these are all aspects of Richard's character. The actor must know these because Shakespeare gave very few stage directions in his plays, therefore if an actor wants to make an impressionable performance he must understand the way Richard's character, to understand this one must look at how Shakespeare was trying to portray the character of Richard III. The first soliloquy is split into three parts. The first part deals with his clever word play 'our bruisèd arms hung up for monuments' which is a fancy way of saying we no longer use our weaponry. Another example of his word play would be when he uses 'man' to address Brackenbury. Brackenbury uses 'your grace' implying some sort of respect towards the person being addressed but Richard uses 'man', which is mocking or at least degrading as Brackenbury is being referred to as a common man. Not only this but a few lines further down Richard puns on the word 'nought', meaning nothing, with the word 'naught', meaning to have sex with. Therefore mocking Brackenbury again as Richard is implying Brackenbury's sexual exploits. These examples clearly show how much control Richard

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Richard III Manipulates the Court of York in the same way that Shakespeare Manipulates History. Discuss the links between the playwright and protagonist.

Richard III Manipulates the Court of York in the same way that Shakespeare Manipulates History. Discuss the links between the playwright and protagonist. Richard may be portrayed as an evil, vile, lying murderer but he actually has many aspects in common with the man who shaped him into this revolting state of mind, Shakespeare himself. Shakespeare's Richard III is one of the only written documents we have describing this misapprehended king and Shakespeare was born many years after his death so he had no possible way of knowing what happened first hand. All evidence points to Shakespeare's ideas being total fiction just as the Richard he describes lies and slanders to the courts. When we first meet Richard he instantly begins a soliloquy to the audience who are captivated with resentment for him as they are the people included in his plots and plans and are powerless to impede them. Right from the start he establishes himself as a synonym for evil. He portrays to the audience about his physical deformity with pleasure, which we later see is a metaphor for his psychological state of mind. Being 'Cheated of feature by dissembling nature' (Act I Scene 1 line 19) he uses it to mask his evil and rationalize his becoming a villain. He feigns upset and disappointment that people hate him solely because of his malformation and routinely feel sympathy for him. 'Because I cannot

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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