The idea of being 'a lover' in Shakespearean drama has its own conventions. Discuss with regard to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'Richard III'.

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ENGL/THEA 208     SHAKESPEARE 2007

ESSAY ONE ~ DUE MON 3RD SEPT

CHARLOTTE FRENCH    ID 300075543

TUTORIAL ~ GEOFF MILES   TUES 4-5

WORD COUNT ~ 1546 INCL QUOTES


The idea of being ‘a lover’ in Shakespearean drama has its own conventions. This lies within the differing conventions of the genres of Shakespearean plays, and the differing part a character has to play within the plot in a different play. In the cases of The Tragedy of King Richard the Third (Richard III)  and  A Midsummer Night’s Dream, being a tragedy and a comedy respectively the central characters and their purposes differ significantly. On one hand, Richard is the evil protagonist whose intense desire and love for power drives the plot, and on the other hand Hermia and Lysander seem to have no significant role other than as lovers around which the plot unfolds.

Passage A from Richard III, (4. 4. 273.1-55, Norton) documents part of a conversation between Richard and his brother King Edward IV’s widow Queen Elizabeth. Richard is asking that Queen Elizabeth convince her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, to marry him. Richard is the Princess’s uncle, and he is responsible for the deaths of Princess Elizabeth’s brothers and some of her uncles.

Richard originally wants Queen Elizabeth to tell the Princess he “did all this for love of her” (Shakespeare, Richard III, 4. 4. 273.1). The way that Richard goes about playing the part of the lover in this conversation is completely in character. Richard is the “manipulative protagonist” (Sparknotes, 2) of the play, as well as being its major villain. He has an open allegiance with evil, and is “determined to prove a villain” (R III, 1. 1. 30). Richard does not play the part of the lover in a sincere way, but it is still convincing, in a sense, due to his charismatic nature.

Richard does not ‘woo’ Princess Elizabeth, but wants to manipulate Queen Elizabeth into doing it for him. His first statement, his attempt at romance, that he “did all this for love of her” (R III, 4. 4. 273.1) falls short with Queen Elizabeth. He fails to understand the depth of emotional effect his actions have caused. He does not realise that a simple shallow claim of love cannot conquer the phenomenal hurt. He does not understand love, so he plays the part of the lover rather unusually.

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Richard goes on to catalogue the reasons why a marriage between him and Princess Elizabeth would be advantageous. He takes inspiration from his own thirst and love for power, and plays on the assumption that Queen Elizabeth is focussed on nothing but retaining her ties to the throne of England: “If I did take the kingdom from your sons, / To make amends I’ll give it to your daughter.” (R III, 4. 4. 273.7-8).

He assumes that Queen Elizabeth’s grief is because she has lost the chance to be mother to the King. He does not recognise her grief ...

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