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Shakespeare: Richard III / Pacino: Looking for Richard
Purpose /
  • Explores the consequences of the individual’s relentless pursuit of power.
  • Affirm to the Elizabethan audience the House of Tudor’s legitimate right to the throne, through the birth of the House of Tudor after Richmond wins at The Battle of Bosworth and is consequently king.
  • Explores the role of conscience in moral decision-making.
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  • “It has always been a dream of mine to communicate how I feel about Shakespeare to others”.
  • To connect Shakespeare’s universal themes and the powerful language with the everyday public.
  • To present a Shakespeare about how we think and feel today.
  • “we’re peddling him on the streets”
  • Explore why Richard III is still popular and appealing to a modern audience.
  • Shakespeare should be enjoyed by all.
  • “Our main goal with this project is to reach an audience that would not normally participate in this kind of language and world..

Quotes
Influences /
  • Protestant/Christian religious: faith beliefs-monotheism, theocentricism, providentialism, retribution, salvation, soul, conscience, judgement, spirit presence, after life, chain being
Monarchy supreme- renaissance influence- of questioning free will/ responsible for one’s destiny
Monarchy controlled, monitored all written work including theatre
Machiavellian influence
Clear class structure-includes examples from entire spectrum, past morality plays
Political situation- Elizabeth I great-granddaughter of RichmondElizabeth- which is where the play ends, with the birth of the House of Tudor. /
  • Multicultural religious influence
  • influence of secularism- permeates throughout society
  • lack of or loss of power of the monarchy
  • existential belief- that man is responsible for his own destiny
  • Method acting- his style –Pacino uses this, where the actor becomes the character
  • Character roles that Pacino has played in the past.
  • Some stereotyping of PAcino as a thug/villain

Context
Quotes /
  • Political unrest and persecution of Catholics. Richard III written during Elizabethan period- Elizabeth experienced many threats to her reign. Shakespeare has composed a politically- correct piece of theatre becauseit supportsElizabeth’s right to the throne- she is a direct descendant of Richmond (Henry Tudor Great grandfather of Eliz.)
  • 1558 Elizabeth sets about to control performance plays-censorship. Her spymaster established a group “The Queen’s Men” who were her political mouthpiece. Shakespeare was a member of this group as a young actor. This play therefore presents Richard III in a negative light and in so doing makes Richmond look the hero- good(Richmond) v evil(Richard)
  • Machiavellian politics- Machiavelli asserts that an effective ruler should abandon the traditional idea of virtue and morality and rather maximise personal power to ensure his own survival at any cost. Therefore for Machiavelli, there is no relationship between morals and politics. This view when seen through the play Richard III, presents a Richard who conducts himself in this way, and therefore is not in keeping with earlier ideology of the Divine Right of Kings- that the King was God’s representative on earth and that your right to the throne was determined by your birth/parentage. This view represents a more secular view of Kingship and leadership thus rejecting traditional Christian (theocentric) values. Richard pursues power at any cost. Richard exercises free will and so too does Richmond. This ideology creates a tension between Secularism and Providentialism within the play.
  • Judgements were usually made from a moral perspective rather than the Machiavellian idea of expediency.
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  • Social and cultural post-modern exploration of how a post-modern audience can connect with Shakespeare.
  • Takes Shakespeare to the streets.
  • Released in 1996 for an American audience/culture.
  • Compares the difference of reception, performance and criticism of Shakespeare between the British and the American actors and public.
  • A public that is largely ignorant of and bored by Shakespeare.
  • Promotes method acting as having a closer relationship to Shakespearean style of acting than any other.
  • A world where Shakespeare is largely within the domain of academics as opposed to the general public. Therefore Pacino attempts to show that Shakespeare has a wider popularity and relevance than merely the academic world. Therefore he tries to establish the universal relevance of Shakespeare and Richard III.
  • Reinforces the universality of the audience of Shakespeare hence the insertion of vox pops and interviews.
  • An egalitarian world- where all people are supposedly equal.
  • A world of empathy for others
  • Perseverance- determination and never giving up.
  • A world where people make no connection with Shakespeare and it is taught “rather dully”. “An English teacher brought us to a local production of King Lear and after ten minutes of people doing Shakespeareean acting: I tuned out…left at intermission”.
  • A society that needs to learn empathy and feeling for others, as expressed by the African American.

Themes
Quotes /
  • The allure of evil –Richard engaged in evil words anddeeds
  • Lust for power- Richard’s use of Machievellian ideas to attain the goal of the crown. Richard not the only character who lies and manipulates to obtain power and control.
  • The birth of the House of Tudor-represents change and the new world order and hope, after many years of instability(War of the Roses).
  • The Supernatural- Margaret’s curses, Clarence and Richard’s dreams.
  • Good vs Evil- Richard does many evil deeds and is surrounded by ineffectual and gullible males, like Hastings. The women are more aware of how dangerous he is.
  • Role of Women- The women are presented as weak and powerless yet they are the intuitive and perceptive characters of the drama. They foresee the future and play a role in instigating his downfall. There is an irony here in that they are not so weak after all.
  • Morality and Conscience- gives shape to the Renaissance idea of free will and moral judgement. Where characters must choose to act either justly or according to their own will. It makes the audience think about the consequences of our actions, see the murders of Clarence scene before they kill him AND Richard’s scene before he goes to battle against Richmond.
  • Illusion vs Reality- Richard makes himself out to be good and loyal to everyone at court, yet he has ulterior motives all the time. He accuses Elizabeth, Hastings and Clarence of many deeds that he himself is responsible for. He employs duplicity as a fine form of art.
  • Vengeance and Retribution- The idea that under the Christian moral law, you will eventually pay for your evil deeds in order to access salvation. Richard does not repent in any way and therefore meets his fateful end. Shakespeare shows the extreme consequences of suppressing your humanity for power, through Richard’s demise. “There is no creature loves me,/And if I die no soul shall pity me.” (V,iii)
  • Connection between Ruler and State- see Act II Sc 3. The citizens realise that the Duke of Gloucester is dangerous. They foresee that it will “prove a giddy world”. When there is instability at court there is instability in society.
“By divine instinct…leave it all to God.”
  • Power of Language- Richard conforms to the Machiavellian idea that a leader should be eloquent and have a way with words in order to manipulate and inspire thus ensuring that he achieves his own ends and the end justifies the means.
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  • “We have no feelings
  • Power of Language-“if we think words are things and we have no feelings in our words then we say things to each other that don’t mean anything. But if we felt what we said, we would say less and mean more.”
  • Lust for Power- The actors in Pacino’s text are fascinated by the battle for power and the hatred that is so obvious, “They are clawing at each other for the throne.” Comparisons are made to the film “The Godfather-the gathering of the Dons in this room.” This connection between Shakespearean lust for power with contemporary lust for power shows that there will always be those who desire power and are willing to go to great lengths to achieve this goal.
Redgrave says, “The truth is that those in power have total contempt for everything they promise, everything they pledge and this is really what Shakespeare’s great play is really about.”
  • The Allure of Evil-Villainy- Richard portrayed as a villain who will do anything to attain greatness, Pacino uses the quote from Twelfth Night, “some are born great/some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
  • Life and Death
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.The Tempest Act 4, scene 1, 148–158
The use of this quote perhaps suggests that despite Richard’s desire for- and achievement of ‘greatness’ he is mortal like the rest of humanity and he too like all else must die.
  • Vengeance and Retribution- Pacino observes that Richard has no friends and the academic states that Richard “knows that he does not have his own humanity. He has lost it!” Ricahrd even fails to pity himself and concludes that there is no creature that loves him.
Morality- as emphasised by the African American the street, who asserts that we lack morals because we don’t understand and appreciate Shakespeare, “that’s why it’s easy for us to get a gun and shoot each other. If we were taught to feel, we wouldn’t be so violent.”
Textual form and Structures
Quotes /
  • Historical tragedy- conclusion to the historical tetralogy that began with Richard II.
  • A play that focuses on the central character- Richard of Gloucester, more a product of the Renaissance.
  • Richard, as the antagonist, moves beyond the concepts of the Vice figure and the Machiavel. At times he portrays characteristics of the hero and at other times even feigns a humanistic bent. He feigns goodness when necessary, e.g. before Edward dies, with the nephews, to Anne, when offered the crown.
  • Plays builds to a climax- Richard crowned king, and then the denouement unravels as his deeds become darker and lead to his ultimate defeat and death at Bosworth.
  • Conforms to Senecan Tragedy:
-an obsession with crime/wrong doing
-a pre-occupation with torture, mutilation, corpses, incest
-stress on witchcraft and the supernatural
-Existence of vaulting ambition in the prince
- ghost that calls for revenge
- self dramatization of the hero, esp. as he dies
-The frequent use of stichomythia in dialogue
Stichomythia is a technique in drama or poetry, in which alternating lines, or half-lines, are given to alternating characters e.g. LADY ANNE: I would I knew thy heart.
GLOUCESTER: 'Tis figured in my tongue.
LADY ANNE: I fear me both are false.
GLOUCESTER: Then never man was true.
LADY ANNE: Well, well, put up your sword.
GLOUCESTER: Say, then, my peace is made.
LADY ANNE: That shall you know hereafter.
GLOUCESTER: But shall I live in hope?
LADY ANNE: All men, I hope, live so.
GLOUCESTER: Vouchsafe to wear this ring.
LADY ANNE: To take is not to give.
Language- prose and poetry -varied
Metaphor
Nuances- subtle distinction or variation
Lyricism-
Iambic pentameter-
Dramatic irony
Rhetoric- the use of language to persuade
Imagery
Antithesis – when two contrasting ideas are juxtaposed /
  • Pacino almost celebrates Richard’s villainy making him appear as an anti-hero, possibly to appeal to the contemporary audience which does not necessarily shun villains.
  • Pacino observes, “as soon as he gets what he wants…the emptiness”.
  • Documentary form- play within a documentary- post-modern blurring of the boundaries of genres.
  • Stream -of –consciousness docu-drama that uses hand- held camera to convey a sense of reality, especially with the street scenes, thus suggests the authenticity of the responses of the people on the streets. This gives the interviews a sense of spontaneity. This reinforces Pacino’s dream to bring Shakespeare to the streets- and “peddling him on the streets”.
  • Use of close- ups to create a sense of intimacy with the viewers.
  • Use of camera angles
  • Shows rehearsals and rehearsal discussions/arguments
  • Attempts to follow the sequence of Richard III
  • Pastiche used which enables inclusion of vox pops from street interviews and interviews with academics, as well as scens that are performed and rehearsals- cuts jump from rehearsal to performance.
  • Non- diegetic voiceover used as a form of narration to guide the viewer.
Iambic pentameter
Expletives
Raised voices
Rich, colourful language mixed with colloquialisms
Redgraves’ lyricism
Formal language of academics
Eloquence of the African American
Humour used by the academics- “I don’t know”, “Irony is really only hypocrisy with style”
Satire- at time Pacino seems to mock Richard and at other times he celebrates his villainy
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