Perhaps this is unimaginative and obvious, but I can never
help but think of Richard III and Macbeth as…well, kind of the same play.
In the best way.
Both have villains/anti-heroes/terrible men that drive the
action and are our protagonists of the story. This can give us a rather
uncomfortable experience, as we are made to feel complicit in their horrible
decisions and actions. Richard III
does that part particularly well. Macbeth has soliloquies of course, including
one of my favorites of all time, but to me, he doesn’t address the audience as
directly or as often as Richard seems to. (I haven’t actually counted lines or
compared them side by side, but it seems that way.) This makes Richard III unique, even though it does
share a lot with Macbeth and others.
In fact, this is how the play opens: Richard speaking
directly to us in a fairly lengthy and remarkable soliloquy. Everything moves
forward from there.
(Pause for a quick note on a pet peeve of mine: the opening
lines are frequently misread/misunderstood. It is not saying that the winter of
our discontent is NOW. It is saying that the winter of our discontent has now
been turned into glorious summer. See the difference?)
As an audience, I think we’re made to think that Richard has
nothing that is redeemable about him. There are, of course, real, practical,
political reasons why Shakespeare would have wanted to send that message. It
amazes me that he was able to take something that was rooted in politics and
practicality and turn it into something that works artistically on so many
levels.
Richard is among the Bard’s most impressive creations, and
certainly among his most disturbing. The thought that he would so callously kill
his own nephews (a.k.a. ordering their deaths) is horrific.
Politically, this is a fascinating study of the kind of
chaos that allows tyranny to take root. It definitely raises questions
regarding legitimacy, the corrupting nature of power and ambition, the use of manipulation,
and more.
It should be clear: Richard in this play is not a nice or
good person. But with everything added up against him, I can’t help but feel a
bit sorry for the guy.
Poor Richard III. So maligned and vilified for so long.
Oh well. At least his play is great. Maybe he finds some consolation in that.
