Digital Copy: Richard III (ePub)
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Excerpt
Introduction
Richard III is unique in Shakespeare’s catalog as it served dual purposes in its time. A predictably tragic history in which good necessarily overcomes evil, Richard III also served to support what has come to be known as the “Tudor Myth,” and sanctioned the legitimacy of the Tudor reign. Written in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, the play celebrates her grandfather, Henry VII, who defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, and effectively ended the reign of the Plantagenets.
The play still serves as a confirmation that treachery leads to failure and as an illustration of the grotesque nature of true evil. In fact, many contemporary film and stage versions, including Ian McKellan’s portrayal in the 1995 film, and Kevin Spacey’s interpretation in the 2012 stage production allude to Nazis and fascism as a means of further confirming the true and deeply present evil of the title character.
Although the play is more than 400 years old, it offers students and fans a unique glimpse into the structure of power and a persistently relevant view of the personal ambition present in all political structures.
Richard III is unique in Shakespeare’s catalog as it served dual purposes in its time. A predictably tragic history in which good necessarily overcomes evil, Richard III also served to support what has come to be known as the “Tudor Myth,” and sanctioned the legitimacy of the Tudor reign. Written in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, the play celebrates her grandfather, Henry VII, who defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, and effectively ended the reign of the Plantagenets.
The play still serves as a confirmation that treachery leads to failure and as an illustration of the grotesque nature of true evil. In fact, many contemporary film and stage versions, including Ian McKellan’s portrayal in the 1995 film, and Kevin Spacey’s interpretation in the 2012 stage production allude to Nazis and fascism as a means of further confirming the true and deeply present evil of the title character.
Although the play is more than 400 years old, it offers students and fans a unique glimpse into the structure of power and a persistently relevant view of the personal ambition present in all political structures.