S5 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH.

PAPER 2 25/JULY/2021
SECTION A: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Richard 111

INTRODUCTION

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA
Elizabethan drama refers to all plays written during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 in the period
between 1558-1603 and her successor James 1 who ruled between 1603-1625.When we speak of
Elizabethan drama, we refer primarily to the works of William Shakespeare although we include works
of other dramatists like Marlowe and Webster.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

PERSONAL LIFE

He was an English playwright, poet and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English
language and the world’s greatest dramatist. Born to John and Mary Shakespeare in 1564, he married
Anne Hathaway and had three children by her. He is well known for writing 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three
long narrative poems and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living
language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. They also continue to be
studied and reinterpreted.

PLAYS

Unlike classical plays which deal with man’s helplessness in the hands of the gods, Shakespearean plays
mostly explore human conditions, nature and behaviour. He blends elements of great goodness and
great evil in the same play and sometimes even in the same character. Most audiences relate to this
realistic presentation of human nature since humans have, since time immemorial, struggled with the
same forces of good and evil. This, therefore, is why his plays have been and still are very popular.

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CATEGORIES/GENRES

His plays have over time been categorized into the following, owing to their various characteristics;

TRAGEDIES e.g. HISTORIES COMEDIES PROBLEM PLAYS

-Hamlet -King john -Twelfth Night -All’s well that ends
-King Lear -Edward 111 T-he merchant of well
-Othello -Henry V1 Venice -Measure for measure
-Julius Caesar -Richard 111 -Much ado about -Troilus and Cressida
nothing
-The taming of the
shrew

NB; Shakespeare usually broke the norm by going against what was previously done by classical and
neo-classical playwrights who religiously followed the tree unities of time, place and action. His plays
were therefore a blend of characteristics from various genres and as such some plays may be listed
under tragedies yet have features of comedy etc. Romeo and Juliet for instance is both a romance and a
tragedy, Much Ado about Nothing is a tragi-comedy while Richard 111 is both a historical and tragic play.

Since the syllabus restricts us to the Histories and in particular Richard 111, let us now draw our
attention to the Shakespearean Histories

HISTORIES

Despite their name, Shakespearean histories are not historically accurate. While they are set in medieval
England and explored class systems of that time, Shakespeare was not trying to depict the past
authentically. He used historical events as a base but developed his own plot based on prejudices and
social commentaries of his time.

Audiences therefore went into the theatres not to get historical knowledge of the protagonist like
Richard 111 but to enjoy the twists and turns incorporated into his actual life by Shakespeare.

These histories are only about English Monarchs (royals). Four of these plays i.e. Richard 11, the two
plays of Henry 1V and Henry V are called the Henriad, containing events during the 100 years of wars
(1377-1453). Meanwhile, Richard 111 and three plays of Henry V1 explore events during the wars of the
roses.

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RICHARD 111

The play is believed to have been written around 1593 depicting the ascension to power and
subsequent short reign of Richard 111 of England.

TITLE

The play is eponymously named after its protagonist Richard, duke of Gloucester who has helped his
brother Edward 1V seize the English throne. With Edward on his deathbed, Richard clears his own path
to the crown through murder and deceit, ruling briefly as Richard 111 until he is killed.

The choice of his name as the title of the play shows his main role in controlling the central conflict of
the play. He is used by the playwright to develop the plot, themes, other characters, lessons, mood,
atmosphere etc.

RICHARD AS ANTI-HERO AND PROTAGONIST.

Richard is the protagonist of the play which bears his name. The story is told entirely from his
perspective and he is the dominant figure throughout the play. He is the anti-hero because he possesses
no obvious heroic qualities such as goodness and idealism but shows bravery and possibility of
goodness. He is, at least at the beginning of the play, a character for whom audiences feel empathy
since he uses his rhetorical abilities to win the trust not only of other characters within the play but also
the audience.

We come to feel that he has been mistreated because of his deformities and rather lowly position in the
York family. We are therefore impressed and overwhelmed, just like many other characters in the first

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two acts of the play, by the sheer force of his personality and intellect, so much so that we ignore or
forgive the brutality of his early actions.

RICHARD AS VILLAIN AND ANTAGONIST

While he possesses some admirable qualities, his actions especially during the second half of the play
are undeniably evil. He develops into a villain despite his qualities as an anti-hero at the end of the play.
In spite of his intellectual abilities, charm and psychological damage, Richard is a villainous character.
Perhaps the greatest and most powerful villain Shakespeare ever presented.

Richard can be considered as the antagonist of the play because he ultimately brings his own downfall
and ruin. When he becomes King, he no longer tries to disguise his murderous intentions, explain or
justify them to the audience. His truly evil intentions are made readily clear and everyone in the play
and in the audience, turns against him which leads to his ultimate downfall and death.

CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAGEDIES AND HISTORIES IN RICHARD 111

As earlier mentioned, Shakespeare did not conform to the conventions of earlier writers and therefore
blended his plays. In Richard 111, we see the following Characteristics of Shakespearean tragedies and
histories;

1. Tragedies hold the view that the fall of the tragic hero must be the fall of a man from a high to a
low degree. In Richard 111, we see the king falling from all his splendor, ready to exchange a
kingdom he has mercilessly killed for, for a horse. His fall gives the play its most popular quote;
‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!’
2. Shakespearean tragic heroes are generally men of high station (which closely relates to the fact
that histories are about the monarchs/royals) suffer because of some flaw (hamartia) in their
character. Richard suffers because of his determination to ‘prove a villain’ as a result of his
deformity and the verbal abuse directed towards him, which plant seeds of bitterness in him.
3. Shakespearean tragedy frequently exhibits a pattern of universal suffering and recognition,
finally ending in death. Almost all the characters in Richard 111 are subjected to some kind of
suffering which is purged by death. The suffering in the play is also largely due to the effects of
the wars of roses and the a hundred years wars.
4. The tragic heroes are finely or even splendidly well-endowed with great qualities and
conspicuous intellect. They are men above the average, which is the perfect depiction of
Richard.
5. There is a sense of nobility and human experience which are conveyed through magnificent
poetry and moving scenes. The characters in the play are nobles and royals and so their
language is elevated to suit their social status. Richard’s soliloquies are quite poetic as are his
dialogues with Lady Anne, his brothers and that moving scene when he addresses the citizens
between two bishops.
6. Unlike Greek tragedies with the same physical setting,(unity of pace) Shakespeare’s action shifts
from one country or city to another. The action of Richard 111 takes places in several places in
London, climaxing at Bosworth Field. In terms of time setting, his play exceeds the 24 hours
stipulated by Aristotle(unity of time)

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 7. His tragedies also are characterized by the use of many characters who can be categorized as
group characters. Most of these characters are however, mostly attendants who contribute to
the authenticity of life at court. This is true for Richard 111 which has over 50 characters.
8. There are multiple themes in these tragedies which seem to affect most of the characters in the
play. In Richard 111, many characters are affected by betrayal, ambition for power, hypocrisy,
injustice, the guilty conscience, loyalty and disloyalty among others.
9. Lack of restraint i.e. he presents too much in a short period of time and his characters are rather
exaggerated. The depiction of the rise and fall of Richard is quite unrealistic in terms of time.
The evil characters are too evil just like Richard while the good ones are too good, almost
perfect like Richmond.
10. Good eventually conquers evil as is the case with Richard and Richmond.
11. Child kings who never learned how to rule are characteristic of the histories. In this case the two
Princes are never given a chance to ascend the throne as was the norm back then.
12. The histories were based on well-known stories of past leaders but Shakespeare put a twist to
them. The story of Richard 111 is not the real account of the life of the actual King.
13. Histories were set in time of medieval times English history characterized by warfare and the civil
wars of the roses between the Yorkists and Lancasters

SETTING

Time setting

Richard 111 is set at the tail end of the Wars of the Roses which concluded with his defeat and the
establishment of the Tudor dynasty with Richmond (Henry V11) being the first Tudor. From Richard’s
opening speech, we learn that Edward 1V has just ascended to the throne.

The wars of the Roses were a series of 15th century civil wars fought over the control of the throne of
England between supporters of two rival branches of the house of Plantagenet; the House of Lancasters
represented by a red rose and the House of York, represented by a white rose. Eventually, the wars
eliminated the male lines of both families leading to the end of the Plantagenet reign and subsequent
rise of the Tudor dynasty with the marriage between the young Yorkist Princess, Elizabeth and the
Lancaster, Richmond. The House of the Tudors was represented by a white and red rose in
commemoration of this marital union.

HOUSE OF YORK HOUSE OF LANCASTER HOUSE OF THE TUDORS

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Physical setting

In the first four acts, the action takes place at various places in London i.e. a room in the place, a street,
the Tower of London. The play is concluded at the decisive battle of Bosworth Field, outside London.

CHARACTERS

1. King Edward 1V, Richard and Clarence’s eldest brother and King
2. Edward, Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward v, eldest son of Edward 1V and queen
Elizabeth (Prince Edward)
3. Richard, Duke of York (young York), youngest son of Edward 1V and Queen Elizabeth
4. George, Duke of Clarence ,second brother of king Edward 1V and Richard (Clarence)
5. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, after King Richard 111, youngest brother of King Edward 1V and
Clarence (Richard)
6. Queen Elizabeth, wife to King Edward 1V
7. Duchess of York, mother of King Edward 1V and his brothers
8. Lady Anne Neville, widow of Edward, Prince of Wales, the son of King Henry V1, afterwards
married to Richard, Duke of Gloucester.(Anne)
9. Edward Plantagenet, son of Clarence ( Boy in Penguin version)
10. Margaret Plantagenet, daughter of Clarence. (Girl in Penguin version)
11. Queen Margaret, embittered and exiled widow of Henry V1
12. Henry, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry V11 (Richmond)
13. Cardinal ( Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury)
14. Archbishop ( Thomas Rotheram, Archbishop of York)
15. John Morton, Bishop of Ely (abandons Richard for Richmond)
16. Duke of Buckingham, King Richard’s henchman and accomplice ( Buckingham)
17. Duke of Norfolk (Norfolk), Richard’s ally
18. Earl of Surrey, son of Norfolk (Surrey)
19. Earl of Oxford, Richmond’s ally
20. Anthony Woodville, (Earl Rivers), brother of Queen Elizabeth (Lord Rivers)
21. Marquess of Dorset, son of Queen Elizabeth from her first marriage (Dorset)
22. Lord Grey, son of Queen Elizabeth from her first marriage.
23. Earl of Derby (also called Lord Stanley) Richmond’s stepfather
24. Lord Hastings, King Richard’s friend, later beheaded
25. Lord Lovell, Richard’s ally
26. Sir Richard Ratcliffe, King Richard’s servant ( Ratcliffe)
27. Sir William Catesby, king Richard’s servant ( Catesby)
28. Sir James Tyrell, organizes for the death of the two princess in the tower ( Tyrell)
29. Sir Thomas Vaughan (Vaughan) ally of Rivers and Grey.
30. Sir James Blunt, Richmond’s ally
31. Sir Walter Herbert, Richmond’s ally
32. Sir William Brandon, Richmond’s ally
33. Sir Robert Brakenbury, lieutenant of the Tower ( Brakenbury)
34. Keeper in the Tower ( Keeper)
35. Christopher Urswick, a priest and messenger between Richmond and Stanley
36. John, another Priest of Hastings’ acquaintance.

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 37. Tressel, Berkeley, gentlemen attending on Lady Anne Neville
38. Lord Mayor of London
39. Sheriff of Wiltshire who escorts Buckingham to his execution
40. Ghosts of King Henry V1, Edward Prince of wales ad other victims of Richard
41. Hastings, a pursuivant, Lord Hastings’ acquaintance
42. Two citizens
43. Scrivener
44. Page in Richard’s court
45. Two murderers/ Executioners
46. Dighton and Forrest, contracted to murder the two Princes in the Tower by Tyrell
47. Lords and other attendants
48. Messengers, Soldiers, Bishops, Aldermen, Citizens

NB.

1. The names in the brackets are the ones they are called in the play. The characters Are mainly
referred to by their dukedoms and duchy’s or the places they represent but not their actual
names.
2. Many characters have the same names so please endevour to find out who is who.

MEANINGS OF TITLES OF CHARACTERS.

As noted above, most of the character are given titles which mean the following;

1. King/Queen Regnant (ruling Queen)-It’s the highest title given to the ruling monarch inherited
from the previous King/Queen. Preference was given to male rulers but in the event that the
King bore no son, a queen would ascend to the throne.

2. Queen Consort- a woman, usually a princess married to the King

3. Prince Consort – a gentleman, usually a Prince married to the Queen Regnant.
• The Queen regnant outranks her husband (the prince consort), who has to take a back
seat in all formal affairs.
• Commoners who married royalty were given courtesy titles whicher were not
hereditary e.g. Meghan Markle being called the duchess of Sussex.

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 4. Prince/ Princess- Children of the ruling monarch (King/Queen). The eldest son/Prince in the UK
is called the Prince of Wales.
5. Duke /Duchess – Ruler of a dukedom (duke)/duchy (duchess). Originally, dukes were of royal
blood but later, the title is conferred upon commoners.
• When sons of kings/ princes came of age, they were given the title of Duke just like
Richard is the Duke of Gloucester and George is the Duke of Clarence.
• The rest of the dukes in the play are therefore royal men named after their Dukedoms
e.g. Buckingham, Norfolk.

6. Earl (also called a Count in Europe)/Countess- the head of a county/ earldom.

7. Marquess (Marquis also called a March)/Marchioness- the earl of an important boarder. Since
securing the boarder was an important task, a Marquess was often considered as superior to an
Earl.
8. Lady- a female noble, daughter of a duke, Marchioness, women waiting on a Queen
9. Sir- used to address a knight or Baronet
10. Scrivener- a scribe.
11. Pursuivant- a follower/ attendant or an officer ranking below a Herald.

RELIGIOUS TITLES

1. Archbishop of Canterbury/York- heads of the church of England(after the King/Queen)

2. Cardinal- this title was originally bestowed on the senior priest who was permanently attached
to a specific church.
3. Bishop- chief pastor of a diocese
4. Priest- men who presided over baptisms, weddings, public church events and performed rites of
death.
• In the medieval times, the King of England paid allegiance to the Roman Catholic Pope and
so practiced Catholicism. Henry V111 (second son of Richmond) however later broke away

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 from the Roman Catholic Church because the Pope would not grant him an annulment of his
marriage to Queen Margaret of Scots. He thus formed what is known today as the Church of
England which is Anglican (following Protestant and Catholic doctrines). This therefore
implies that the hierarchy and meanings of the above titles have changed in modern times.

ASSIGNMENT

• Read and analyse Act 1, scene 1

• Summarise its plot and identify the literary aspects therein.

END