Richard the Third
Module A
When considered together the texts in module a provide us with rich insights into human condition. IN what ways is the complexity of human experience explored in comparing the two texts you have studied in this modules.
Human condition is defined as the positive and negative aspects of existence as a human being. In Shakespeare’s ‘King Richard III’, human condition is shown throughout the play through the words of the characters, but most noticeable is through antagonist Richard and how he is power-hungry, also Shakespeare’s need to perpetuate the Tudor Myth. While in ‘Looking for Richard’ Al Pacino’s 1996 docu-drama human condition is shown through Al Pacino and the reasons as to why he wanted to create Looking For Richard, these reasons include wanting to revive Shakespeare and also to bring Shakespeare and Richard the Third to a Modern audience, as Pacino states, ‘It has always been a dream of mine to communicate how I feel about Shakespeare to other people… and taking this one play Richard the third analysing it approaching it from different angles,… we could communicate both our passion for it our understanding that we’ve come to and in doing that communicate a Shakespeare that is about how we feel and think today’.
Shakespeare portrays Richard’s cunningness through his soliloquies and asides as they show his deceptive nature. Richard’s way of speaking, whilst is revealed to be ingenious, as he is shown to use intelligent word play, he is ultimately cast as the Machiavellian character from the beginning of the play “determined to play a villain”. Richard always blames his appearance for the immoral acts he commits ‘deformed, unfinished, set before my time’, this shows Richards negative nature and foremost his negative human condition. Richard’s Machiavellian nature climax’s when his brother Clarence is sent to the tower to be murdered. Any feelings of sympathy towards Richard from his first soliloquy are completely abolished when he talks to
When considered together the texts in module a provide us with rich insights into human condition. IN what ways is the complexity of human experience explored in comparing the two texts you have studied in this modules.
Human condition is defined as the positive and negative aspects of existence as a human being. In Shakespeare’s ‘King Richard III’, human condition is shown throughout the play through the words of the characters, but most noticeable is through antagonist Richard and how he is power-hungry, also Shakespeare’s need to perpetuate the Tudor Myth. While in ‘Looking for Richard’ Al Pacino’s 1996 docu-drama human condition is shown through Al Pacino and the reasons as to why he wanted to create Looking For Richard, these reasons include wanting to revive Shakespeare and also to bring Shakespeare and Richard the Third to a Modern audience, as Pacino states, ‘It has always been a dream of mine to communicate how I feel about Shakespeare to other people… and taking this one play Richard the third analysing it approaching it from different angles,… we could communicate both our passion for it our understanding that we’ve come to and in doing that communicate a Shakespeare that is about how we feel and think today’.
Shakespeare portrays Richard’s cunningness through his soliloquies and asides as they show his deceptive nature. Richard’s way of speaking, whilst is revealed to be ingenious, as he is shown to use intelligent word play, he is ultimately cast as the Machiavellian character from the beginning of the play “determined to play a villain”. Richard always blames his appearance for the immoral acts he commits ‘deformed, unfinished, set before my time’, this shows Richards negative nature and foremost his negative human condition. Richard’s Machiavellian nature climax’s when his brother Clarence is sent to the tower to be murdered. Any feelings of sympathy towards Richard from his first soliloquy are completely abolished when he talks to