"Cliff Notes - Richard 3" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

Buckingham then addresses the public, praising Richard and instigating the rumor that the late King Edward's children are illegitimate. Although the crowd is unmoved, city officials are convinced that only Richard can prevent civil disorder. A delegation arrives at his residence and, through Buckingham, pleads with him to accept the crown. He "reluctantly" does so after pretending to have no interest in becoming king.

Once Richard is on the throne, he must secure his position. He first tries to have Buckingham eliminate the legal heirs (the young boys in the Tower), but Buckingham hesitates. So Richard arranges for their murder himself. He now reveals his next move: he will get rid of his wife and solidify his power by marrying his niece, the daughter of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth.

Buckingham is in disfavor and flees. Shortly afterward, Richard's problems begin to intensify. There are stirrings from France, where the Lancastrian heir, Henry, Earl of Richmond, is in exile. Buckingham has raised an army and is marching against the king. Richard must take up arms against these enemies.

But first he attempts to win Queen Elizabeth to his side in his plan to marry her daughter. Her defenses are eventually worn down and she appears to give her consent to the marriage.

Meanwhile the forces against Richard are mounting. But Buckingham has been defeated and is eventually captured and executed.

Richmond lands in England and establishes a position at Bosworth Field, near Richard's army. The two camps settle in to prepare for battle the next day. During the night, Richard receives the news of desertions among his allies, but his troops still outnumber the enemy three to one. Richmond is informed that Queen Elizabeth has approved of his marriage to her daughter, which upsets Richard's plans.

At night, the ghosts of Richard's victims appear in both commanders' dreams. Richard is shaken by the vision of his own tyranny but vows to carry on his fight. Richmond is encouraged by the good wishes of Richard's victims.

Both leaders address their troops, exhorting them to fight bravely. Richmond stresses the security of the country, while Richard condemns his enemies as a band of vagabonds and exiles.

During the battle, Richard fights bravely, but is slain by Richmond. The victor, Richmond, declares an amnesty and vows to unite the two families through his marriage. He will establish the peace which has been denied to England for so many years.


^^^^^^^^^^RICHARD III: RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER (LATER, RICHARD III)

Shakespeare based his portrait of Richard on information found in the histories written by Edward Hall (Union of Two Noble and Illustre Houses of Lancaster and York), Raphael Holinshed (Chronicles), and Sir Thomas More. Drawing on historical data, Shakespeare created a dramatic character from one of the most unusual figures in the 15th-century Wars of the Roses. Richard III was England's last king to die in battle. His most notorious phase was the period just prior to his gaining power, followed by that of his rapid downfall in the Battle of Bosworth Field.

Holinshed's histories gave a biased description of Richard, stressing his supposed physical deformity and depicting him as arrogant, hypocritical, cruel, and ambitious. At a glance, it may appear that Shakespeare accepted this view since there is little to refute it in Richard III. You should realize, however, that many historians have criticized this portrait of Richard as being not only unfair, but untrue. As early as Sir George Buck's writings in the 17th century, many historians have insisted that Richard was actually a warm, courageous, and outstanding king. When you read Shakespeare's play, keep in mind that the playwright was obviously attempting to make the Tudors look good, at the expense of Richard and his ancestors.

To serve his own dramatic needs, Shakespeare refined and embellished the available historical material. His Richard becomes a fully developed character who is both the victim of circumstances and the commander of his own destiny. This conflict is the force that most critics feel gives the play its special energy and fascination. A Richard who merely parades his way through a series of wicked deeds and then pays for his crimes in the end would never hold an audience's attention. Shakespeare's Richard, on stage for most of the play, is never less than interesting and usually quite compelling.

Shakespeare takes you inside the character and gives you a chance to see the motivation behind the acts. Richard tells you in his own words what he will do and why. But you can also judge him through his actions and reactions to a variety of characters, as well as in other people's words about him. Right up until the last moment of his life on stage, you are given every opportunity to assess Richard. Even the most controversial charges against him are presented in detail. You are shown that most horrible of his crimes, according to rumor and Elizabethan historical records--the murder of the young princes in the Tower. But you are also exposed to Richard's wit, his psychological understanding of others, and the evil record of Richard's "victims." You are even invited to consider how much Richard himself may be a victim--of his nature, of his circumstances, of his deformed body, and of the past in general.

The playwright's greatest challenge was to inspire a response to the notorious Richard. You can measure his success by your own reactions. How do you feel about Richard's powers of persuasion after he has successfully wooed Lady Anne? How do you react to the string of nasty names he is called--"Foul Devil," "Lump of foul deformity," "Bottled spider," "Cacodemon," "Poisonous bunch-backed toad?" He may brush them aside, but can they be ignored?

Shakespeare did not offer a real defense of Richard, but instead considered the forces motivating him. Richard himself tells you that he represents Vice, a stock personification of evil in earlier forms of drama. In the so-called medieval "mystery" or "miracle" plays, Vice was the traditional representative of the devil. His function was to entrap people into sin by charm, wit, and double-dealing. Clearly Richard enjoys his own cleverness. You may even find yourself smiling and nodding in approval as he performs his devilish pranks and outwits his victims.

When Richard is slain by Richmond at the play's end, a certain sense of loss, even regret, is often felt. This raises the question of why Richard III is not considered a tragedy. After all, Shakespeare entitled the play, The Tragedy of Richard III. But is Richard really a tragic figure? To deserve this label, Richard would have had to change within the framework of the play and suffer a fall from greatness. Most readers agree that he never really undergoes any change and that his downfall is a well-deserved punishment for his personal crimes.

At his most fragile moment, when he awakens from his terrifying dream in the final act--aware of what he has done and exposed at his most naked self--you may feel some sympathy. But within seconds, he is up to his old tricks, playing the villain with no further motivation than his own wickedness.

By the play's end, you will be able to decide how well Shakespeare succeeded in creating a portrait that no amount of accurate and objective historical research has ever been able to displace.

^^^^^^^^^^RICHARD III: QUEEN MARGARET

The widow of Henry VI, the former Lancaster ruler overthrown by the York family, is historically inaccurate insofar as her being in England when the play's events take place. She had already been exiled to France after Henry VI's execution and remained there until her death. But Shakespeare chose to ignore this, taking "poetic license" to plant her right in the middle of Richard's quest for power. Here she serves a useful function as a purveyor of truths and prophecies. A once powerful foe, she has been reduced to a shadow of her former self, wandering half-mad and constantly weeping over her lost cause. But as with most Elizabethan fools and madmen, this gives her a capacity for "second-sight." Through her curses and visions, she predicts the doom that will occur to individual characters and the entire York dynasty. The attempts to dispute her arguments, along with the ignoring of her curses and predictions, are two elements which charge the play with tension as it moves toward its conclusion.

For Richard, Margaret is a towering figure of divine punishment, or Nemesis (the ancient Greek concept of retribution). She haunts him constantly. As she repeatedly demands her revenge, the air will be filled with electric tension. She provides Richard with his greatest challenge: Can he ignore her curses and will he survive her prophecies?

^^^^^^^^^^RICHARD III: DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM

Of all Richard's victims, Buckingham is the most foolhardy from the start when he ignores Margaret's warnings about Richard's evil nature and the curse that will fall on all who serve him. He also boldly asks for God's punishment, in the event that he should be false to Edward IV and his family.