Power in Richard III

Power in Richard III

1. Through religion

   • Enabling of Richard
     • 'a virtuous and Christian-like conclusion'
     • 'I clothe my naked villainy with old ends stolen out of holy writ'
   • Source of Richard's power
     • 'mortal eyes cannot endure the devil' (1.2) but, as R says in 1.3, he 'play[s] the devil'
     • 'God...leave the world for me to bustle in!' (1.1)
     • 'nothing to back my suit at all, but the plain devil' (1.2)
   • Serves as inspiration
     • Richmond declares himself God's 'captain' and asks Him to have a 'gracious eye'
       • 'One reading of Richard III is that what we are seeing is a ritual cleansing of a corrupt world, a working out of a higher will' (Hebron)
     • Richmond describes their task as to 'fight against God's enemy'

2. Sexual politics/ power

   • Gender power imbalance
     • Sexism perpetuates oppression
       • Women are able to play the fool
       • 'she is lunatic'
       • 'a pretty foot, a cherry lip...'
   • Women's choric role
     • Arguably gives them power to speak freely/ control the moral tone
       • In Mendes' (2002) production, Margaret's role was increased
       • The fool in Lear has some power. Nonetheless, they lack power to stop him
     • Equally, the role is a) sidelined and b) associated with hardship and loss
       • Euripides' Trojan Women and the women lamenting

3. Language has power

   • The women and curses
     • 'now Margaret's curse is fall'n upon our heads'
       • Feminists (Millett and De Beauvoir) recognise that language has power; the fact that the women's works is key.
       • 'Women use words to create the illusion of action' (Dusinberre)
     • 'thy woes will make them sharp'
   • Richard and language
     • 'Margaret' (1.3)
     • The continued use of stichomythia
       • Malouf: 'Richard uses women's own source of power - language - against them'
   • Conditionals and semantics
     • 'if' (3.4)
     • 'by G' (1.1)

4. Incredibly volatile

   • Richard's power rises and falls
     • 'my mind is changed' (4.4)
       • Psychoanalytic reading of Richard as struggling to cope with maternal rejection and his 'deformity'
     • Contrast between 1.2 and 4.4
   • The women have power in one sense but not another
     • Maternity is a good example: Richard refuses to hear 'me a good word' (4.4) and yet is disturbed by the fact that 'she didn't finish the grace'
     • 'my accursed womb, the bed of death!'