Richard iii
Literature - Drama
Essay
Question: In Richard III Shakespeare prresents to his audience a villain not a tragic hero to what extent do you agree.
Richard III is categorised as one of the best historical plays written by William Shakespeare where Richard III is no doubt a fascinating character and an entertaining villain. In this play Shakespeare moulds Richard into the main character that he is. Malicious, power-hungry, and bitter about his physical deformity, Richard begins to aspire secretly to the throne and decides to kill anyone he has to in order to become king of England. However the success of this play is not only because of Richard III as a villain but also as a tragic hero. Richard is in every way the dominant character of the play that bears his name, to the extent that he is both the protagonist of the story and its major villain. Richard III is an intense exploration of the psychology of evil, and that exploration is centered on Richard’s mind. Critics sometimes compare Richard to the medieval character, Vice, who was a flat and one-sided embodiment of evil. Even though Richard III is a character who commits many terrible actions, and critics view him as being a villain instead of a tragic hero, he certainly meets the requirements of a tragic hero. Richard III acknowledges that he is not a villain in his opening soliloquy, which establishes the framework to view Richard as a tragic hero. In his opening speech, Richard III says that he is “determined to prove a villain” (1.1.30). It is of utmost importance to note the wording in this phrase. He says that he would prove to be a villain since he cannot be a lover. Therefore, Richard III is not inherently evil—he is not a villain at the start of the play otherwise, there would be no reason for him to plan how to “prove” to be villain. Instead of being a villain, Richard III is a tragic hero whose tragic flaw is his desire to transform himself into a “villain” in the action sense of the term,
Essay
Question: In Richard III Shakespeare prresents to his audience a villain not a tragic hero to what extent do you agree.
Richard III is categorised as one of the best historical plays written by William Shakespeare where Richard III is no doubt a fascinating character and an entertaining villain. In this play Shakespeare moulds Richard into the main character that he is. Malicious, power-hungry, and bitter about his physical deformity, Richard begins to aspire secretly to the throne and decides to kill anyone he has to in order to become king of England. However the success of this play is not only because of Richard III as a villain but also as a tragic hero. Richard is in every way the dominant character of the play that bears his name, to the extent that he is both the protagonist of the story and its major villain. Richard III is an intense exploration of the psychology of evil, and that exploration is centered on Richard’s mind. Critics sometimes compare Richard to the medieval character, Vice, who was a flat and one-sided embodiment of evil. Even though Richard III is a character who commits many terrible actions, and critics view him as being a villain instead of a tragic hero, he certainly meets the requirements of a tragic hero. Richard III acknowledges that he is not a villain in his opening soliloquy, which establishes the framework to view Richard as a tragic hero. In his opening speech, Richard III says that he is “determined to prove a villain” (1.1.30). It is of utmost importance to note the wording in this phrase. He says that he would prove to be a villain since he cannot be a lover. Therefore, Richard III is not inherently evil—he is not a villain at the start of the play otherwise, there would be no reason for him to plan how to “prove” to be villain. Instead of being a villain, Richard III is a tragic hero whose tragic flaw is his desire to transform himself into a “villain” in the action sense of the term,