In Act 1, what strategies does Richard use to set his plots in motion and why are they so effective? Discuss whether Richard's actions reveal him to be

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Mithun Rama  10dha  English coursework  miss. Christie

In Act 1, what strategies does Richard use to set his plots in motion and why are they so effective? Discuss whether Richard’s actions reveal him to be “totally evil” or the “undisputed hero of the play”.

To begin with, this essay will summarise Act 1 by pointing out the main factors. There are three main factors in Act 1, which are firstly, the opening soliloquy, secondly, the wooing of Lady Anne, and finally, Richard and Clarence.

Richard is appealing because he is an expert actor and trickster. Whilst he is outlining his plots, he is always in charge of himself, and extremely aware of how to play every scene to his advantage. His dishonesty and deception are daring and irresistible to the audience. He is skilled at playing the concerned family man, taking his brother, Clarence and then he becomes the Protector of his nephews.

Richard’s ultimate plan is to be King, to reach this goal; he must conduct acts of tyranny because he has no right to be King (the Divine Right of Kingship).

In the opening soliloquy, Richard lays out his plots and thinks about how he can get Clarence imprisoned and killed. During the wooing of Lady Anne, first of all she is reluctant to give into Richard, however after a while of Richard wooing her, she gives in to him.  

And, throughout the conversation between Richard and Clarence, Richard is seen to be a Machiavellian character. Richard wants to get rid of his other brother, the Duke of Clarence, who has a closer claim to the throne as the older heir. Richard instigates a plot to get the two brothers to be against each other between the king and Clarence, which result in Clarence being imprisoned in the Tower of London. Later, two murderers are sent by Richard execute him.

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Richard's opening soliloquy frames much of the play and reveals a great deal about the personality of Richard's character. The opening remarks are very logical in their progression: because Richard is deformed, he cannot be loved; because he cannot be loved, he must be a villain; because he must be a villain, he will strive for the throne. This logical progression is of course anything but logical. However, it hides the fact that for Richard, the deformity is merely an excuse to play the Machiavellian character, a role which he enjoys.

This soliloquy functions as a kind ...

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