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Richard III

Richard III

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  • Create Date：2021-07-26 09:54:04
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  • Author：William Shakespeare
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Summary

Richard III is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays on the stage and has been adapted successfully for film。 This new and innovative edition recognizes the play's pre-eminence as a performance work: a perspective that informs every aspect of the editing。 Challenging traditional practice， the text is based on the 1597 Quarto which， brings us closest to the play as it would have been staged in Shakespeare's theater。 The introduction， which is illustrated， explores the long performance history from Shakespeare's time to the present。 The commentary gives detailed explanation of matters of language， staging， text， and historical and cultural contexts， providing coverage that is both carefully balanced and alert to nuance of meaning。 Documentation of the extensive textual variants is organized for maximum clarity: the readings of the Folio and the Quarto are presented in separate sections， andmore specific information is given at the back of the book。 Appendices also include selected passages from the main source and a special index of actors and other theatrical personnel。

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe。 Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship， providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features， including expert introductions by leading authorities， voluminous notes to clarify the text， up-to-date bibliographies for further study， and much more。

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Reviews

marsara ，

so i’m reviewing some of the school books i’ve read this year and richard the third is one of them。 personally this wasn’t my favorite book mostly because of how hard it was to follow and i definitely had to reread some lines in order to understand but a plus of this whole experience of this book was watching the movie w/benedict cumberbatch as richard III and i think the movie did a pretty good job with visually explaining what was happening in the play even though it left out some events from so i’m reviewing some of the school books i’ve read this year and richard the third is one of them。 personally this wasn’t my favorite book mostly because of how hard it was to follow and i definitely had to reread some lines in order to understand but a plus of this whole experience of this book was watching the movie w/benedict cumberbatch as richard III and i think the movie did a pretty good job with visually explaining what was happening in the play even though it left out some events from the book。 overall i really would only recommend this if you can understand the “shakespearean” way of words。 。。。more

Braden ，

I don't know much about Shakespeare himself。 I don't know how his style changed throughout the years or how much he improved。 That is why it is so fun to go through the collection and maybe form some opinions myself。 Richard III is one of his longest plays， but so far it feels like one of the tightest。 Richard's presence is in every scene， even if he's not physically there。 To call Richard III a compelling character is like saying Jeff Bezos is rich。 It just doesn't cut it。 Richard has got to be I don't know much about Shakespeare himself。 I don't know how his style changed throughout the years or how much he improved。 That is why it is so fun to go through the collection and maybe form some opinions myself。 Richard III is one of his longest plays， but so far it feels like one of the tightest。 Richard's presence is in every scene， even if he's not physically there。 To call Richard III a compelling character is like saying Jeff Bezos is rich。 It just doesn't cut it。 Richard has got to be one of the greatest protagonists ever created。 Also， Renfri from the short story "The Lesser Evil" in Sapkowski's "The Last Wish" is basically the exact same character as Richard III。 He is a prime example of the nature vs nurture question。 You understand where he's coming from （especially if you've read the previous Henry trilogy）， and I felt for him。 And then there's a point where he becomes irredeemable。 I'll be honest: The last act actually made me feel a little teary-eyed。 Richard's dreams， and his realization that he is alone despite his large army， was written so well。 I feel like I could talk all day about why it was so amazing and perfect and every other almost useless-sounding adjective but IT'S TRUE OKAY。 Two scenes were unforgettable: 1。 The two murderers almost being convinced by the Duke of Clarence to not kill him。 2。 Richard III waking up after his dreams and realizing he is alone。Favorite quote:“What do I fear？ Myself？ There’s none else by。Richard loves Richard; that is， I and I。Is there a murderer here？ No。 Yes， I am。Then fly！ What， from myself？ Great reason why:Lest I revenge。 What， myself upon myself？Alack， I love myself。 Wherefore？ For any goodThat I myself have done unto myself？O， no！ Alas， I rather hate myselfFor hateful deeds committed by myself。I am a villain。 Yet I lie。 I am not。Fool， of thyself speak well。 Fool， do not flatter:My conscience hath a thousand several tongues，And every tongue brings in a several tale，And every tale condemns me for a villain。Perjury， perjury， in the highest degree;Murder， stern murder， in the direst degree;All several sins， all used in each degree，Throng to the bar， crying all， “Guilty！ guilty！”I shall despair。 There is no creature loves me，And if I die no soul will pity me。And wherefore should they， since that I myselfFind in myself no pity to myself？” 。。。more

claire ，

as a piece of historical fiction， this was very entertaining。 but the historian in my heart blames this for the centuries of richard iii’s defamation and thus cannot give it a higher rating :）

Marta ，

Richard III is the most villanous villain Shakespeare ever wrote， and that’s saying something when your competition is Macbeth。 He is murderous， ruthless， lying and changeable; but can sweet-talk when needed - in fact he woos not one but two brides whose husband/brother he has murdered; and changes the mind of those women who curse him with well-deserved hate and sharp wit。 The women in this play are the ones that stand up for our conscience， with which Richard conveniently dispenses:“Conscience Richard III is the most villanous villain Shakespeare ever wrote， and that’s saying something when your competition is Macbeth。 He is murderous， ruthless， lying and changeable; but can sweet-talk when needed - in fact he woos not one but two brides whose husband/brother he has murdered; and changes the mind of those women who curse him with well-deserved hate and sharp wit。 The women in this play are the ones that stand up for our conscience， with which Richard conveniently dispenses:“Conscience is but a word that cowards use”。 The hook of the play is Richard’s complete awareness of his villany - he cheekily opens the play with a soliloquoy announcing that “ I am determinèd to prove a villain”。 Later he pats himself on the back for his most egregious machinations。 On asking Anne to marry him at the funeral of her husband， who。 he killed: “ Was ever woman in this humor wooed？ Was ever woman in this humor won？ I’ll have her， but I will not keep her long。” Indeed， being the wife of a villain is no healt insurance - poor Anne is dead by Act 4 - along with a host of other victims， including the two young princes， to the elder of whom the crown rightfully belongs。There are lots of great scenes: the wooing of Anne， Queen Margaret’s curses on everyone， Queen Elizabeth masterful dodging of Richard’s entreaties; the parade of ghosts at the end that tell two very different stories to Richard and Richmond （the future Henry VII）。 I was surprised to find that this play also has some famous quotes。 It begins with “ Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this son of York”， and ends with Richard dying， shouting “My kingdom for a horse！”I had a problem reading this， not because it was not good， but it does require effort like all reading of Shakespeare， and I was not in the mood for effort reading。 But whenever I was reading it， I was completely engaged - a true drama and a classic， devilishly well written villain。 。。。more

R。 O'Neill ，

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH THIS WAS AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

marley ，

You gotta love a classic villain 👌🏻

Skylar ，

5 stars。

Sara G ，

This play was written during Queen Elizabeth I's reign。 She was the granddaughter of the Earl of Richmond， later Henry VI， the guy who defeated Richard III at Bosworth。 I know people complain about the historical accuracy （or lack thereof） in this play， but really， who in this time period would want to depict Richard III as anything BUT a supervillain？ There are so many good lines in this play and I particularly loved the verbal battle between Richard and Anne Neville。 Richard III as depicted he This play was written during Queen Elizabeth I's reign。 She was the granddaughter of the Earl of Richmond， later Henry VI， the guy who defeated Richard III at Bosworth。 I know people complain about the historical accuracy （or lack thereof） in this play， but really， who in this time period would want to depict Richard III as anything BUT a supervillain？ There are so many good lines in this play and I particularly loved the verbal battle between Richard and Anne Neville。 Richard III as depicted here is an iconic self-serving sociopathic character and I'm glad I finally sat down to read the whole play。 。。。more

Daniel Chaikin ，

Now is the winter of our discontent（view spoiler）[Made glorious summer by this sun of York;And all the clouds that lour'd upon our houseIn the deep bosom of the ocean buried。Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings，Our dreadful marches to delightful measures。Grim-visaged war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;And now， instead of mounting barbed steedsTo fright the souls of fearful adversaries，He capers nimbly Now is the winter of our discontent（view spoiler）[Made glorious summer by this sun of York;And all the clouds that lour'd upon our houseIn the deep bosom of the ocean buried。Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths;Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings，Our dreadful marches to delightful measures。Grim-visaged war hath smooth'd his wrinkled front;And now， instead of mounting barbed steedsTo fright the souls of fearful adversaries，He capers nimbly in a lady's chamberTo the lascivious pleasing of a lute。But I， that am not shaped for sportive tricks，Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;I， that am rudely stamp'd， and want love's majestyTo strut before a wanton ambling nymph;I， that am curtail'd of this fair proportion，Cheated of feature by dissembling nature，Deformed， unfinish'd， sent before my timeInto this breathing world， scarce half made up，And that so lamely and unfashionableThat dogs bark at me as I halt by them;Why， I， in this weak piping time of peace，Have no delight to pass away the time，Unless to spy my shadow in the sunAnd descant on mine own deformity:And therefore， since I cannot prove a lover，To entertain these fair well-spoken days，I am determined to prove a villainAnd hate the idle pleasures of these days。 （hide spoiler）] （spoiler extends opening monologue。） One of the great joys of casually reading through Shakespeare is having a personal experience of discovery like this play was。 With one of the best openings， maybe the best opening of his plays， and one of his best written monologues， Richard III rants to us， privately exposing his demons and intelligence， and laying out his ruthless practical but flawed mindset。 He doesn't stop there， meeting other characters， wooing （successfully！！） the widow of prince whose murder he himself took a hand in。 And between each scene， alone on the stage， he has a wry comment for us alone。 I wrote on Litsy， "Our murdering villain confides in us， opening his empty heart， generating a real stage-audience bond。 Act I is riveting and funny and wonderful and this is easily one of my favorites from our #shakespearereadalong"。Causally stumbled across sources insist this was breakthrough play for Shakespeare， and it just makes so much sense。 Three entertaining， but imperfect and plot-hobbled histories of Henry VI predate this。 Plays that can be appreciated。 But this opening is a wow， really on a different level。 Maybe too powerful， as Richard III， loser to Tudor founder Henry VII at Bosworth Field in 1485， murderer of Edward VI's young sons and heirs （and another brother's younger children）， is forever villainized by the impression left by this play。 The real Richard was a sharp character， committed to England， undermined by ex-queen Margaret's family （key members of whom he also murdered）， and eventually entangled in a losing power struggle。 He was a villainized loser， his grave lost until it was found under a parking lot in 2012。 This dark play is designed to be fun on the stage。 A well done Richard III should take over the show and， quite frankly， be funny。 He's just so much more clever than everyone else。 And he is always acting， except when confiding to us， and for a scrooge-like dream sequence with a collection of entertaining ghosts。 It's a performance of a performance， transparent only to us。 Lost in his shadow are some terrific female roles， his own mother lamenting his character， the queen， once Lady Gray， who is his sister-in-law， and the ex-queen， widow of Henry VI， Margaret， who does her own bit of scene stealing （and yet commonly gets edited out。） This is also one of Shakespeare's longest plays。 Editors must work with it for any performance。 But there aren't really any unnecessary parts。 Remove some lines， and part of the impact is missing。 As I said on Litsy， easily one of my favorite Shakespeare plays， and certainly my favorite of the English histories。 -----------------------------------------------26。 Richard III by William ShakespeareOriginally Performed: 1592format: 255-pages Signet Classic acquired: May 11read: May 22 – June 22time reading: 10:12， 2。4 mpprating: 5locations: 1480’s Englandabout the author: April 23， 1564 – April 23， 1616EditingMark Eccles – editor – 1965， 1988， 1998Sylvan Barnet – Series Editor – 1965， 1988， 1998SourcesSir Thomas More – from The History of King Richard the Third （written 1513-14， published 1557）Raphael Holinshed – from Chronicles of England， Scotland， and Ireland， second edition （1587）CommentariesCharles Lamb – Letter to Robert Lloyd （1801？） – from an essay called Cooke’s Richard the Third （1802？） – from On the Tragedies of Shakespeare， Considered with Reference to Their Fitness for Stage Representation （1811）A。 P。 Rossiter – Angel with Horns: The Unity of Richard III （1961）Robert Ornstein – Richard III - from A Kingdom for a Stage: The Achievement of Shakespeare's History Plays （1972）Coppelia Kahn – “Myself Alone”， Richard III and the Dissolution of Masculine Identity – from Man's Estate: Masculine Identity in Shakespeare （1981）Mark Eccles – Richard III on Stage and Screen["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more

Eugenea Pollock ，

The Chautauqua class on this wound up today—a rapid-fire marathon。 I learned things that I did not know， and enjoyed a repetition of many that I did。 It was time well spent。

Mimi ，

Finally finished this one！Interesting to see how many movies and TV shows copy this play from the 1600s！"A horse， a horse， my kingdom for a horse！"（I had no idea that was from Shakespeare！ So cool to read it in context。） Finally finished this one！Interesting to see how many movies and TV shows copy this play from the 1600s！"A horse， a horse， my kingdom for a horse！"（I had no idea that was from Shakespeare！ So cool to read it in context。） 。。。more

Lucinda Elliot ，

Probably one of my least favourite of Shakespeare's history plays。I see that he had to make the Earl of Richmond a liberator， and Richard III a tyrant， or risk a spot of torture in the tower。 There are many vivid speeches and pieces of brilliant writing， for instance， Edward IV's regret over sentencing his brother George to death。It just doesn't appeal to me， frankly。 Many enjoy the 'pantomime villain' character of Richard III。 However， I found his victims and their fates to be portrayed too viv Probably one of my least favourite of Shakespeare's history plays。I see that he had to make the Earl of Richmond a liberator， and Richard III a tyrant， or risk a spot of torture in the tower。 There are many vivid speeches and pieces of brilliant writing， for instance， Edward IV's regret over sentencing his brother George to death。It just doesn't appeal to me， frankly。 Many enjoy the 'pantomime villain' character of Richard III。 However， I found his victims and their fates to be portrayed too vividly for it to be possible to read it light heartedly。 It does seem to be a fascinating very early depiction of a psychopath （a murderous one; of course， most psychopaths aren't violent）。I did feel sorry for Richard III at the end， when he said that nobody loved him or would mourn his death and he couldn't feel sorry for himself; villains lacking in self-pity are always more symapthetic。 。。。more

Beth Huddleston ，

What a villainous character！

Jane Loik ，

I am not a big fan of Shakespeare's historical plays in general， but this one is the best of his 8 plays。 It gives me Game of Thrones vibes and I enjoyed watching it immensely。 I am not a big fan of Shakespeare's historical plays in general， but this one is the best of his 8 plays。 It gives me Game of Thrones vibes and I enjoyed watching it immensely。 。。。more

j ，

i had to read this for school earlier this year and i absolutely hated it

Yasmin Halliwell Fraser Bower ，

Great play！ I love political intrigues and betrayals， Richard is so power thirsty and two-faced that it makes the whole story interesting。I particularly enjoyed the dialogues when Richard was trying to seduce Lady Ana and when he accepts the crown， all innocence， like oh this is a suprise LOL 4 stars！

Eliane Arrow ，

TL;DR - Northern takes over the kingdom。 It doesn't go very well。 Local bard writes puff piece。 Profit？？You know， as a die hard Richardian， I should hate this。 But hot damn I love cunning evil Richard！ I love watching him pulling the whole courts strings。 He's been ignored and unloved his whole life and revenge is sweet！ I'm here for Richard！ Although a lot of it is based on misinformation and Richard was actually a good as any king could possibly be for the two years he was was king。 Stupid Ric TL;DR - Northern takes over the kingdom。 It doesn't go very well。 Local bard writes puff piece。 Profit？？You know， as a die hard Richardian， I should hate this。 But hot damn I love cunning evil Richard！ I love watching him pulling the whole courts strings。 He's been ignored and unloved his whole life and revenge is sweet！ I'm here for Richard！ Although a lot of it is based on misinformation and Richard was actually a good as any king could possibly be for the two years he was was king。 Stupid Richmond。。。 Stupid horse。。。。The most interesting thing about this play in retrospect is the huge presence of women。 There's a lot of conversations between Margret， Elizabeth， Anne and Richard's mother。 I don't know if R3 qualifies for the Bechdel test but it feels like it should， if that makes sense。 They all talk to each other about the king and how Richard will ruin the kingdom。 Margret is very interesting because all of her curse come true。 And so do Anne's！ In a way I think you could consider Margret-Elizabeth-Anne a proto form of the witches in Macbeth， but in the reverse。 Great play， wish is wasn't an ego piece for Elizabeth I。 4 Stars！ 。。。more

James F ，

This is reviewing two editions with some extra matter。William Shakespeare， The Tragedy of Richard the Third [1592 or 1593; Mark Eccles， ed。， Signet Classic ed。， 1964] 256 pagesTaylor Littleton and Robert R。 Rea， edd。， To Prove a Villain: The Case of King Richard III [1964] 206 pagesBoth of these books contain the text of Shakespeare's play， which I will be seeing performed next month in Cedar City。 It was Shakespeare's first real popular success， and a sort of sequel to his trilogy of plays abou This is reviewing two editions with some extra matter。William Shakespeare， The Tragedy of Richard the Third [1592 or 1593; Mark Eccles， ed。， Signet Classic ed。， 1964] 256 pagesTaylor Littleton and Robert R。 Rea， edd。， To Prove a Villain: The Case of King Richard III [1964] 206 pagesBoth of these books contain the text of Shakespeare's play， which I will be seeing performed next month in Cedar City。 It was Shakespeare's first real popular success， and a sort of sequel to his trilogy of plays about Henry VI。The Signet edition has a short excerpt from Thomas More's The History of King Richard III and a longer series of excerpts from Holinshed's Chronicles; the Littleton-Rea book has a long excerpt from More and a shorter one from Holinshed。 More and Holinshed， Shakespeare's sources， are about the same since the latter is virtually a reprint of the former for the period in question。 The Signet edition also has some short excerpts from Charles Lamb， as well as a chapter from Lily B。 Campbell， Shakespeare's "Histories": Mirrors of Elizabethan Policy and A。P。 Rossiter's article "Angel with Horns: The Unity of Richard III"， both from 1947。 The Littleton-Rea book is more concerned with the historical Richard III and contains excerpts from an anonymous "Praise of King Richard III"， Polydore Vergil's English History， The Chronicle of the Abbey of Croyland， A Mirror for Magistrates， and Sir Francis Bacon's History of the Reign of King Henry VII; and from the two "rehabilitations" of Richard， Horace Walpole's "Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third" and Clements R。 Markham's "Richard III， A Doubtful Verdict Reviewed" as well as a middle-of-the-road article， A。R。 Meyers' "The Character of Richard III"。 Somewhat bizarrely， it also reprints an entire novel， Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time， which simply repeats Markham's arguments verbatim although written fifty years later， with no mention of any of the refutations of that book or any later evidence。 。。。more

Isaiah ，

I guess I really don't like royal nonsense。 No wonder Game of Thrones is so boring to me。 I guess I really don't like royal nonsense。 No wonder Game of Thrones is so boring to me。 。。。more

Melissa ，

I was way behind starting this one， but once I got going I couldn’t put it down …the banter， the curses， the soliloquies… the women in this one were a powerhouse in their turmoil and pain （even as they had almost no real power） and some of their comebacks when they have nothing left to lose because they have already lost everything were powerful…。when all you have left is your biting tongue， sting well。

Mike Futcher ，

An unambiguous hatchet job on the historical personage of King Richard III （rightly or wrongly）， this is one of Shakespeare's straightest plays， with all the advantages and disadvantages that suggests。 For advantages， you could mention its leanness and simplicity: a 'star vehicle' for the Machiavellian villain Richard， around whom the play orbits， in which he offs all his rivals in pursuit of the English throne。 One of the most convoluted wars in history is condensed and simplified and dramatize An unambiguous hatchet job on the historical personage of King Richard III （rightly or wrongly）， this is one of Shakespeare's straightest plays， with all the advantages and disadvantages that suggests。 For advantages， you could mention its leanness and simplicity: a 'star vehicle' for the Machiavellian villain Richard， around whom the play orbits， in which he offs all his rivals in pursuit of the English throne。 One of the most convoluted wars in history is condensed and simplified and dramatized; if this is to the detriment of academic history， it at least keeps the time alive in our minds， and this is no small thing。 The play is easy to follow in its sweep， even if some of the supporting characters can become muddled （a good annotated version is recommended， to keep it all in check）。But this lean division into heroes and villains means the power of the play doesn't stay for too long past the final 'Exeunt'， when – freed from the intoxicating presence of Richard's villainy – we find we have lacked the meat to sink our teeth into。 One of Shakespeare's strengths in his whole body of work is his moral ambiguity: in his tragedies like Macbeth and King Lear， in his other historical plays like Henry V， and even in his more wicked comedies like The Merchant of Venice。 Allowing for the fact that Richard III is one of the Bard's earlier plays， I cannot help but see it as a proto-Macbeth， in which a ruthless and ambitious nobleman commits outrages in wrongful pursuit of a crown， before his ghosts come back to haunt him （literally， in both cases） and he gets his comeuppance on the field of battle。But the political context of Macbeth was less perilous for Shakespeare， with the new King James's heritage to Duncan being so far removed that the playwright could attribute some moral fibre and ambiguity to the character of Macbeth， enhancing the tragedy of his climb and his fall。 Richard， by contrast， is defeated by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth: any attempt by Shakespeare to place him in a positive light – simply for dramatic tension – would be dangerous， for it would question the legitimacy of the Tudor line of succession at a time when Henry's granddaughter Elizabeth was on the throne。 Consequently， we get no tragedy from Richard's story – the closest we get is his famous 'my kingdom for a horse' scene。 Richard III remains firmly bound by the strictures of propaganda and the historical play， never allowed – through no fault of the author – to become a true tragedy。 And with modern historians willing to rehabilitate Richard， it loses some utility as a historical play too。Richard III should not be relegated to a lowly status， as merely an example of Tudor propaganda， for it is too good for that – but the blood of a modern audience would be quickened more by a daring line or two showing sympathy for Richard than they will be by another episode of his cartoonish villainy。 But then， if Shakespeare had provided such lines， he might not have kept his head on his shoulders long enough to write those later plays， which deftly display the moral ambiguity I thirsted for here。 。。。more

Serafina Pevensie ，

Basically the opposite of King Richard's villain origin story （a。k。a。 the development and eventual failure of his plan to rule the country）。 A general paraphrase of the play would consist in Richard pretending to be good and then whispering his evil intentions to the reader/audience。 As in the Henry VI plays， there's an awful lot of stabbing and betraying and killing potential contenders but I think that's a recurring theme in these historical plays about the race to the throne。 I have to admit， Basically the opposite of King Richard's villain origin story （a。k。a。 the development and eventual failure of his plan to rule the country）。 A general paraphrase of the play would consist in Richard pretending to be good and then whispering his evil intentions to the reader/audience。 As in the Henry VI plays， there's an awful lot of stabbing and betraying and killing potential contenders but I think that's a recurring theme in these historical plays about the race to the throne。 I have to admit， though， that I liked the female part of the play and I didn't expect it to be as central as it was。 。。。more

Carol Arce ，

In 1532， Machiavelli asked in his treatise， The Prince， whether it was more efficacious for a ruler to be loved or feared。 Shakespeare's Richard III answers that question with a resounding "feared，" and the more feared the better。 This is my second reading of Richard III， after the passage of more years than I care to remember， and still， the extent to which Richard is willing to go to become king took my breath away。 Though all the villainy attributed to him by Shakespeare may not be historical In 1532， Machiavelli asked in his treatise， The Prince， whether it was more efficacious for a ruler to be loved or feared。 Shakespeare's Richard III answers that question with a resounding "feared，" and the more feared the better。 This is my second reading of Richard III， after the passage of more years than I care to remember， and still， the extent to which Richard is willing to go to become king took my breath away。 Though all the villainy attributed to him by Shakespeare may not be historically accurate， today Shakespeare would get "fact-checked" right off Facebook and banned from Twitter， he uses it to rouse the audience's indignation and anger to a fever pitch。 By the time Richmond， the grandfather of the reigning monarch， Elizabeth I， slays the beast that is Shakespeare's Richard III， audiences must have been leaping for joy and crying tears of relief。 That's what drama is supposed to do， and that's why Shakespeare is Shakespeare。 。。。more

Daniil M。 ，

Vastly historically inaccurate！

Navidno70 ，

اسبی، اسبی، همه پادشاهی ام به اسبی！

Dave Harmon ，

Well I'd be lying if I said I hated it。 And kind of neat to read Shakespeare's version of events that inspired Game of Thrones。 Well I'd be lying if I said I hated it。 And kind of neat to read Shakespeare's version of events that inspired Game of Thrones。 。。。more

Saba ，

تو جهانی به خون آلودی و انجامت نیز چنین خواهد بود。زندگی‌ات به رسوایی گذشت و مرگت نیز قرین رسوایی خواهد بود‌。

Ash ，

Richard does evil stuff， sure， but it gets pretty predictable after the first three acts。

Morgan ，

Damn this play is dark！！ Very exciting though to read。

Felipe Oquendo ，

“Ricardo III” é uma peça histórica de Shakespeare que se passa na chamada “Guerra das Rosas”， o conflito civil – e interfamiliar – travado entre Lancasters e Yorks， os dois ramos reais da casa Plantageneta， fundada por Guilherme， O Conquistador， após ter unificado os reinos da Inglaterra partindo da Normandia。Na ordem cronológica， Ricardo III ocorre após as três partes de Henrique VI e antes da peça Henrique VIII， de forma que provavelmente o leitor deverá， de duas uma: ou ter lido/assistido às “Ricardo III” é uma peça histórica de Shakespeare que se passa na chamada “Guerra das Rosas”， o conflito civil – e interfamiliar – travado entre Lancasters e Yorks， os dois ramos reais da casa Plantageneta， fundada por Guilherme， O Conquistador， após ter unificado os reinos da Inglaterra partindo da Normandia。Na ordem cronológica， Ricardo III ocorre após as três partes de Henrique VI e antes da peça Henrique VIII， de forma que provavelmente o leitor deverá， de duas uma: ou ter lido/assistido às peças anteriores， que começam com Ricardo II， ou fazer consultas para entender quem são as personagens e a relação entre elas。O caráter histórico da peça também explica algumas medidas inartísticas， tais como o aparecimento de personagens novos no final da peça e a compressão de muitos anos entre cenas， sem indicação clara ao público。Apesar desses desafios do gênero， Shakespeare não capitula dos seus deveres de dramaturgo para se basear confortavelmente apenas no caráter histórico da peça。 Isso lhe teria garantido um sucesso fácil na Londres elizabetana， onde o povo deveria conhecer bem a História， mas não daria à peça o caráter universal e perene que ela tem。Diz John Gardner， em “The Art of Fiction”， que toda boa história começa ou com uma saída da personagem em busca de algo ou com a chegada de um forasteiro。 A orientação， é claro， tem em mira os romances e contos， porém poderia muito bem estender-se à dramaturgia。Ocorre que o incidente incitante de Ricardo III não é nem a chegada de um forasteiro nem a saída em busca de um tesouro: a ação se passa integralmente em Londres e a chegada de alguém de fora só faz diferença no último dos cinco atos。O que move Ricardo III é o próprio Ricardo de Gloucester e seu desejo de tornar-se Rei。Aqui vale a pena abrir um parêntese para fornecer alguns dados históricos sobre a família de Ricardo。Ele tinha três irmãos， dois dos quais são citados na peça: O Duque de Clarence e Eduardo IV， rei da Inglaterra。 Ricardo， Clarence e Eduardo lutaram contra Henrique VI e seu filho， Eduardo de Westminster， da casa de Lancaster。 De todos， Ricardo era o melhor lutador e o melhor general， tendo conseguido as mais impressionantes vitórias da chamada Guerra das Rosas。Não se sabe bem quando Ricardo passou a acalentar desejos de ser rei， mas o certo é que， ao saber que Eduardo IV， após uma vida de dissipações e esbórnia， está às portas da morte， ele remove sem dó nem piedade os dois obstáculos a sua ascensão ao trono: seu irmão Clarence， fazendo-o ficar em maus lençóis com o supersticioso e doente rei e matando-o na prisão， e， após a morte do irmão coroado， seus filhos， que acusa de serem ilegítimos， fruto de casos extraconjugais da esposa de Eduardo IV， e que também manda matar sem maiores empecilhos de consciência。Portanto em Ricardo III não é nem o forasteiro que chega na cidade， nem o cidadão que sai em busca de um tesouro que movem a história: é a pura ambição sem freios morais de um psicopata （avant la lettre， é claro） em busca de um poder para o qual não foi destinado。 Shakespeare funda， portanto， seu drama quase que inteiramente na personalidade de Ricardo III， nas suas ideias e em seus atos excepcionais。Para o sucesso dessa empreitada ousada， porém， é necessário que o dramaturgo torne o protagonista， aqui anti-herói， uma personagem extremamente interessante， o que obviamente o Bardo alcança com êxito。 Os elementos que tornam a personagem Ricardo de Gloucester tão interessantes são， a meu ver:Em primeiro lugar， a motivação cambinante， ou melhor， a falta de motivação externa de sua busca pelo poder。Em segundo lugar está sua crueldade， que se intensifica ao tornar-se charmoso e perspicaz perante outras personagens que nada sabem， com todo o efeito do impacto da cena decorrente de a plateia/ leitor verem constantemente as duas faces de Ricardo e terem acesso a seus pensamentos mais íntimos， revelados em monólogo。 O terceiro elemento do carisma de Ricardo III está em seu próprio charme e perspicácia que， colocados contra o fundo de suas verdadeiras intenções a que somente nós temos acesso， gera uma dubiedade， ou subtexto， para cada cena， preenchendo-as de um humor negro e de uma hipocrisia tão enorme， tão evidente， tão cara de pau， que chega a ser estranhamente cativante， tudo isso sendo abandonado， é claro， quando as maquinações de Ricardo vêm à tona no final e todos os discursos passam a ser unívocos。Um exemplar da mistura desses elementos é dado logo no monólogo inicial， em que Ricardo， ainda Duque de Gloucester， expõe motivos evidentemente bizarros e de ocasião para as atrocidades que pretende e consegue cometer:“GLOCESTERO Inverno do nosso descontentamento volveu-se em esplendoroso Estio com este sol de Iorque; e todas as nuvens que obscureciam a nossa casa， foram amontoar-se no profundo seio do oceano。 Coroas vitoriosas cingem-nos a fronte; as nossas armas morsegadas pendem dos monumentos; os alarmes tristes foram substituídos por alegres reuniões， e as nossas marchas guerreiras ei-las transformadas em danças buliçosas。 A carrancuda guerra desenrugou a face e， em vez de montar cavalos bardados que infundem pavor no ânimo do inimigo， caracoleia ágil no aposento das mulheres， entregando-se ao prazer das lutas amorosas。 Mas eu que não nasci para estas cavalarias nem para cortejar um espelho amável ; eu， que sou de têmpera rude， e privado da graça dos amantes para me pavonear diante duma ninfa de porte lascivo; eu， que sou meiminho， e que fui pela falaz natureza privado de toda a formosura， disformado， inacabado， vindo ao mundo antes de termo， e apenas semifeito ; ou tão monstruoso e tão pouco à moda que até os cães ladram quando me vêem passar， não tenho mais prazer， neste tempo de paz podre， que não seja o de contemplar a minha sombra ao sol e comentar as próprias imperfeições。 Portanto， já que não posso tornar-me o amante destas bem falantes damas， estou decidido a comportar-me como um vilão e a odiar os frívolos prazeres destes tempos。 Por meio de tramas， insinuações peçonhentas， profecias de bêbedos， acusações e mentiras， resolvi suscitar um ódio mortal entre o meu irmão Clarence e o Rei。 Se o rei Eduardo é tão leal e justo como eu sou velhaco， falso， pérfido， Clarence será hoje rigorosamente encarcerado， se não mente a profecia que diz que G será o assassino dos herdeiros de Eduardo。 Pensamentos， ocultai-vos no fundo da minha alma。 Aí vem Clarence。”Tais motivações， mesmo reveladas no segredo do monólogo， são evidentemente falsas ou insuficientes。 A mudança constante de motivações， aliás， leva um espectador/leitor moderno a concluir que Ricardo era o tipo acabado do psicopata: só queria mesmo era subir， não importando as consequências。O uso dos monólogos de Ricardo como janelas para suas verdadeiras intenções cruéis e até mesmo caóticas é manejado com grande mestria por Shakespeare。 Veja-se a crueldade de Ricardo estabelecida logo após o ato espantoso de seduzir a viúva do príncipe que ele mesmo， Duque de Gloucester， havia matado:“Terá jamais havido corte deste modo feita a alguma mulher？ Conseguiu-se jamais mulher desta maneira ？ Possuí-la-ei， mas não a manterei muito tempo 。 Matei-lhe o esposo e o pai， e conquisto-a na ocasião em que o mais implacável dos ódios lhe agita o coração ！ quando a boca lhe vomita maldições ！ quando as lágrimas lhe afogam os olhos ！ quando tenho por testemunha o cadáver ensanguentado de quem lhe excitava o ódio ！ quando tenho contra mim Deus， a consciência dela e aquele caixão ！ E sem ter um amigo a advogar-me a causa， nem aliados senão o Inferno e os meus olhares fingidos ！ E conquisto-a ！ O universo contra o nada ！ Será :possível que ela já se esquecesse do valente príncipe Eduardo， seu senhor， que， furioso， eu apunhalei em Tewsbury não há ainda três meses ？ De todos os fidalgos o mais amante， o mais formoso ！ o produto duma natureza que estava em maré de prodigalidade ; j ovem， valente， talentoso e de sangue real ！”Fica claro que o verdadeiro prazer de Ricardo não advém da conquista de Ana Nelville， mas do fato de que ela sucumbiu ao mal em circunstâncias excepcionais， quando tudo a levava a rejeitar Ricardo。Os monólogos de Ricardo me lembram os de Iago， o que sugere uma semelhança entre ambos os vilões， que têm em comum o fato de manipularem todos a seu redor com vistas a seus objetivos。 Iago， porém， por mais pérfido que seja， ainda alude a um sentimento de vingança: seja ele fundado em alguma injúria real cometida por Otelo ou apenas num fato banal exagerado por seu amor-próprio ferido， sua conversão em vilão se dá por um fato externo， há no fundo e no início uma resposta。 Em Ricardo não há nada disso: ele se move somente pela miragem do poder。A vacuidade dessa miragem e o abismo para o qual caminha são mostrados pela sábia contradição entre seus desejos e as ponderações de outros personagens， como se vê nessas passagens da Rainha Margarida e de Brakenbury:“Rainha MargaridaOxalá que a serpente da tua consciência te devore o coração！ Que enquanto viveres tomes os teus amigos por traidores， e os traidores por teus melhores amigos！ Que o sono nunca te feche os olhos perversos， senão quando horríveis pesadelos te possam apavorar com um inferno de demónios horrorosos。”“BrakenburyOs 。príncipes não têm mais glória que não seja a de títulos vãos; são honras exteriores para penas interiores。 Muitas vezes， ideias imaginárias valem-lhes um mundo de cuidados incessantes; assim， entre os títulos deles e um nome obscuro não há outra diferença senão o ruído da fama！”A figura do Duque de Gloucester é tão vultosa que o ponto de virada para sua sorte não vem propriamente de elementos externos， mas da mordida de sua própria consciência， tal como predito pela Rainha Margarida – ainda que se trate， aqui， de uma consciência tão mirrada que mais parece um velho calculista apanhado num equívoco devido ao esquecimento natural da idade:“É preciso que eu despose a filha de meu irmão ; sem isso o meu reino tem a fragilidade do vidro。 Matar os irmãos e desposá-la ！ Que resultará de tudo isso ？ Ora adeus ！ Estou de tal modo atolado no sangue que um crime atrai outro。 As lágrimas de piedade não convêm a estes olhos。”Segundo Aristóteles， a hábil disposição de potências no enredo， que levam a um desfecho que， sem ser necessário， pareça verossímil， é a fonte do prazer próprio às narrativas: uma qualidade que o estagirita chama de energeia。 Dessa forma， causa prazer o reconhecimento das advertências das personagens nas consequências dos atos de Ricardo。 Sua consciência suprimida vem à tona com enorme poder:“Sou um miserável！ Minto ！ Não sou miserável！ Pedaço de asno， fala bem de ti！ Louco， não te elogies！ A minha consciência tem milhares de línguas， cada língua narra uma história e cada história condena-me como miserável！ O perjúrio， perjuro no último grau！ O assassínio， assassínio odioso no maior grau de ferocidade; todos os crimes， cometidos em todos os graus， aparecem no tribunal， e dizem-me em altos brados : Culpado ！ culpado ！ Desespero ！ Não há uma alma que me ame！ Se eu morrer， não haverá uma alma que tenha dó de mim！ Por que teriam dó？ Eu próprio não tive dó de mim！ Parecia-me que as almas de todos os que matei vinham à tenda ameaçar a cabeça de Ricardo com a vingança de amanhã！”A batalha de Ricardo com sua consciência， porém， não gera o fruto esperado: num ato de liberdade terrível ele a rejeita de uma vez e para sempre。 E morre， e com ele todos os Plantagenetas， abrindo caminho para a dinastia Tudor:“A consciência é apenas uma palavra de que os cobardes se valem; palavra inventada para manter os fortes em respeito。 Sejam os nossos braços a consciência e a espada a nossa lei。”Disse no início deste arrazoado que a máxima de John Gardner sobre as grandes narrativas não se encaixa aqui。 Talvez， porém， essa máxima se salve， caso consideremos que o estranho que chegou é o demônio do poder， a má idéia que entrou na cidadela da consciência de Gloucester， ou que quem saiu em busca de um tesouro foi o próprio Ricardo: não saiu fisicamente de uma cidade， mas colocou-se fora dos muros das leis familiares e nobiliárquicas universais， derramando o sangue de seus parentes e mentindo para conseguir o que queria。 A aceitarmos essa tese， Ricardo III seria não só uma bela peça bem escrita， como também um marco na história da literatura， uma das primeiras obras a realçar mais o subjetivo do que objetivo – talvez ainda mais do que Hamlet。Se as tragédias e dramas históricos de Shakespeare são um repertório de todas as motivações políticas possíveis， Ricardo III representa a mais cruel e a mais comum de todas: o puro amor do poder。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Richard III

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Richard III&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Richard III&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0