Richard III’s Disability: Limitations and Impotence In the world of Richard III, King Richard’s disability stands testament to his detestable, villainous character, emblematic of the Tudor era notions of disability. In the article, “Enabling Richard: The Rhetoric of Disability in Richard III”, author Katherine Williams states, “Although Richard's body appears singularly deficient among the other characters in the play, he relies upon the multiple significations of his deformities as a technology of performance to aid his bid for power, not impede it.” [1] This idea of Richard using his disability to his advantage is flawed. His ‘deformities’ do not ‘aid his bid’ in any way, but rather remain a constant obstacle on his journey to ultimate power and respect, continuously hindering his political goals, stunting growth of character and never allowing him to experience the notion of being ‘normal’. This is particularly evident in the final act of the play, after a visit from the three ghosts, Richard contemplates his actions and reflects on what he has become. Williams suggests that Richard perceives his hatred as his fuel for passionate revenge, but it is the anxious yearning for acceptance which he instead misinterprets.
The protagonist of Shakespeare’s Richard 111 incontrovertibly commits acts of evil throughout the play: the deaths of Clarence, Hastings, Rivers, and of course the -Princes. However, to judge Richard simply as a villain ignores the full complications of his character and the implications of the society in his actions. Richard lives in a time of moral anarchy and social upheaval; the war of the roses causes Richard to grow up in a world where morals and conscience are cast aside for wealth and power. Other than the greed Richard has for, and the enjoyment that Richard gets from chasing the throne, Richard’s main reason for the throne is because he cannot “play the lover”, and this is born so much from his deformity as the society around him. Ultimately it cannot be said that Richard is not a villain, but it would be ignorant and indeed naïve to suggest that his rise and fall were explicitly of his own inherently evil fashioning.
The immoral attitudes practiced by the aristocratic society show that the achievement of the dream only leads to bad moral values. The aristocrats’ purposeless lives show that reaching the top of the American Dream only leads to an aftermath of meaningless lives. Gatsby’s attempt and failure of entering the elite upper-class questions the validity of the dream which clearly states of anyone becoming anything in life. The American Dream’s promise of ultimate enrichment and prosperity is contradicted through The Great Gatsby as it questions and establishes the dream as a mere delusion. These elements portrayed within the novel resemble how unattainable the aspiration is and reveal the essential boundaries around it.
Explore how Shakespeare dramatises Richard III attitudes towards women. Shakespeare’s Richard, Duke of Gloucester is multifarious personality, with his ambition to gain the crown of England driving his actions throughout the play. Richard is a viciously self-interested man, seemingly uncaring about the pain that his plotting causes others. Richard III follows Richards rise to power and the trail of betrayal, mistrust and destruction he leaves in his wake. A key theme throughout is the struggle for power between Richard and the women of the play.
It also shows that having some power is not enough in that it generally creates desire for more power. Lord Acton theorized in 1887 “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” which displays the nature power has to corrupt and outlines once one has a large amount of power they are liable to additional corruption. Once one has power the need to protect that power is created resulting in the inability to enjoy and use power positively but brings forth paranoid, fearful and defensive position in attempt to maintain the one’s power.. It is through the characterization of Macbeth that Shakespeare has enabled the reader to explore the tendency power has to corrupt one absolutely when driven by an emergence of underlying primitive urges, unconstrained by acceptable moral conduct. Written by William Shakespeare in the 1600’s, Macbeth illustrates the ability power has to corrupt and provides a complex understanding of the human race and their obsession for power.
Iago noticeably dominates this passage; his comments slip from general conversation to sharp, cynical comments with regards to women. The comments could be seen as blasé, not on closer inspection highlight an underlying emotion and drive. Iago is possibly one of Shakespeare’s most heinous villains due to his apparent lack of any motivation for his actions within the play. Perhaps it is because Iago never clearly voices his motivation that makes the character so shocking, he is willing to take revenge on anyone and he lacks any real moral judgement. Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo and even Emilia all fall victims to his ill will, sometimes down to the slightest provocation and the character obviously enjoys bringing pain and damage to those who fall foul of him.
It is only after Iago poisons Othello’s mind that Desdemona loses power over her husband. Desdemona is at the mercy of Iago’s schemes, but her helplessness is not the result of her role as a woman. She is rarely influenced by Iago, and as she exhibits in Act II, Scene I, Desdemona publically disapproves of Iago’s treatment of Emilia. Even though Desdemona eventually falls victim to Iago as he successfully turns “her virtue into pitch” in Othello’s eyes, she does not allow Iago to maneuver her as one of his puppets as he does
Hamlet is “tortured by the Crassness of the world he sees and by the crudities of the action demanded of him” states F.Richard while critiquing Hamlet. The titular character of the play, Hamlet, is indecisive and goes through a variety of problems in his quest for revenge. He is supported or schemed against by a variety of characters, many of whom act as a character foil to Hamlet. A foil is used as a parallel and contrasts the main character, letting us better see his various traits, reasoning behind decisions or important differences. In Hamlet, his prominent character trait of indecisiveness and other traits are revealed and better seen when compared and contrasted to the rest of the cast.
When Benedick says he does not like the dish, he is being disrespectful not only to Beatrice but to the people of the time. He also states that no woman will be let in to his perfectness until the woman is perfect herself. Benedick loves teasing people but will not accept the fact that people tease him. Shakespeare illustrates benedick in more detail which allows the audience to understand what type of character
In act I of Othello - Iago, began his plan to make Othello lose faith in his wife. Roderigo is like Iago’s purse, because Roderigo likes Desdemona and wants to know more about her so he gives him whatever he needs because he fears that Iago has not been telling him enough about Desdemona. Roderigo finally realises that Iago has no loyalty to anyone, and that he is only out to benefit himself. He is the outsider in this situation. Cassio is simply a handsome, virile man and this makes Othello jealous.