King Buckingham In William Shakespeare's Demonic Prince
Shakespeare 's Demonic Prince
Grant B. Mindle
University
of North Texas
Richard.
Why Buckingham, I say I would be king.
Buckingham. Why, so you are, my thrice-renowned lord.
Richard.
Ha! Am I king? (IV. ii. 12-14) '
Shakespeare 's Richard III is the story of a man icle of a tyrant who tries to "clothe [his] naked
who would
be king, a chron setting "the mur
villainy"
without a
by
Henry VI, III. ii. 193). A murderer a consummate a "subtle, false and treach is perfectly, splendidly, and delightfully wicked (cf.
school"
derous Machiavel to
(I. iii. 335; 3
"liar,"
pity,"
"touch
of
erous"
villain, Richard
Disc, 1.27). His best conspiracies are conceived
Machiavelli, exploiting the …show more content…
287;
see also
Strong,
pp.
213-14). He is truly
uno
solo, but
an uno
solo who by virtue of his isolation dominates every scene whether or not he is physically present (the phrase is Machiavelli 's, see Disc, 1.9). As it is, Rich lines.14 ard appears in 14 of the play 's 25 scenes, delivering 32 per cent of its
His birth is unnatural,
his
war
against
nature
and
his
misshapen
body
the
for
original provocation
(I.i.20-27; Il.iv. 127-28; IV.iv.49; 3 Henry VI,
Ill.ii. 153-62) (Strong, pp. 194-95; cf. Disc, 1.1-3 on the insufficiency of nature). In Richard 's case, nature dissembled by providing him with a body incommensurate with his spirit. Sent into the world "scarce half made
up"
(Soulless? Cf. Strauss, p. 31), Richard finds himself surrounded by men or more generally, appearances especially women for whom the body everything. "Men in general judge more by their eyes than by their hands.
Everyone
taken in one by
but the
their
own
how
sees
the
you
appear, few touch
what you
are;
.
.
.
For the
and
are
.
.
.
vulgar are
thing, and in the world there is …show more content…
182-85; cial tears,/ And frame my face to all to mask his "deep in
Richard III, I.iii. 47-53). Armed with "honey to that
which grieves
occasions"
words"
tent,"
Richard knows how to
(I. iii. 3 37; IV.i. 79). His
it
were
seem
saint
a
for Richard 's (and Machiavelli 's?)
not
he
most
when
ugliness and reputation
the devil
plays
handicaps
for villainy
example might seem
which
insuper
nothing to him because he knows it is not virtue, but virtii, the appearance of virtue, that matters (II. ii. 27-28; III.v.29; cf. Prince, ch. 15). are able
"Names"
"name-calling"
integral to the
George,
Edward
Clarence, is arrested because his name begins with
(Prince of Wales), Henry VI, Clarence, Edward V, and Richard (Duke of
York) are murdered, and Anne and the younger Elizabeth are courted and mar are and
of
because their
surname might give
to the throne. Queen
claim
bites,"
.
useful
he fawns, he to Richard. He is the first to
.
fering,
.
and
lay
her own, is to "take heed of yonder
no arms she can call
is ignored, because
Grant B. Mindle
University
of North Texas
Richard.
Why Buckingham, I say I would be king.
Buckingham. Why, so you are, my thrice-renowned lord.
Richard.
Ha! Am I king? (IV. ii. 12-14) '
Shakespeare 's Richard III is the story of a man icle of a tyrant who tries to "clothe [his] naked
who would
be king, a chron setting "the mur
villainy"
without a
by
Henry VI, III. ii. 193). A murderer a consummate a "subtle, false and treach is perfectly, splendidly, and delightfully wicked (cf.
school"
derous Machiavel to
(I. iii. 335; 3
"liar,"
pity,"
"touch
of
erous"
villain, Richard
Disc, 1.27). His best conspiracies are conceived
Machiavelli, exploiting the …show more content…
287;
see also
Strong,
pp.
213-14). He is truly
uno
solo, but
an uno
solo who by virtue of his isolation dominates every scene whether or not he is physically present (the phrase is Machiavelli 's, see Disc, 1.9). As it is, Rich lines.14 ard appears in 14 of the play 's 25 scenes, delivering 32 per cent of its
His birth is unnatural,
his
war
against
nature
and
his
misshapen
body
the
for
original provocation
(I.i.20-27; Il.iv. 127-28; IV.iv.49; 3 Henry VI,
Ill.ii. 153-62) (Strong, pp. 194-95; cf. Disc, 1.1-3 on the insufficiency of nature). In Richard 's case, nature dissembled by providing him with a body incommensurate with his spirit. Sent into the world "scarce half made
up"
(Soulless? Cf. Strauss, p. 31), Richard finds himself surrounded by men or more generally, appearances especially women for whom the body everything. "Men in general judge more by their eyes than by their hands.
Everyone
taken in one by
but the
their
own
how
sees
the
you
appear, few touch
what you
are;
.
.
.
For the
and
are
.
.
.
vulgar are
thing, and in the world there is …show more content…
182-85; cial tears,/ And frame my face to all to mask his "deep in
Richard III, I.iii. 47-53). Armed with "honey to that
which grieves
occasions"
words"
tent,"
Richard knows how to
(I. iii. 3 37; IV.i. 79). His
it
were
seem
saint
a
for Richard 's (and Machiavelli 's?)
not
he
most
when
ugliness and reputation
the devil
plays
handicaps
for villainy
example might seem
which
insuper
nothing to him because he knows it is not virtue, but virtii, the appearance of virtue, that matters (II. ii. 27-28; III.v.29; cf. Prince, ch. 15). are able
"Names"
"name-calling"
integral to the
George,
Edward
Clarence, is arrested because his name begins with
(Prince of Wales), Henry VI, Clarence, Edward V, and Richard (Duke of
York) are murdered, and Anne and the younger Elizabeth are courted and mar are and
of
because their
surname might give
to the throne. Queen
claim
bites,"
.
useful
he fawns, he to Richard. He is the first to
.
fering,
.
and
lay
her own, is to "take heed of yonder
no arms she can call
is ignored, because