Richard Iii and Looking for Richard - Exploring the Connections
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- Category: English: Shakespeare
- Date Submitted: 08/21/2010 10:34 PM
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English Essay!!
“Exploring the connections between texts allows insight into the ideas that the texts present.” Discuss the insight gained through connecting ‘Richard III’ and “Looking for Richard.’
Richard III was written by Shakespeare in Elizabethan times. It is a history play and its main purpose was simply to entertain. Looking for Richard is a docu-drama film released in the 1990’s, of which the purpose was to help a contemporary audience better understand Shakespeare’s Richard III. Both of these texts complement each other very well and by connecting the two texts it allows the responder to gain insight into the ideas that are represented in both, and their similarities and differences. The way these ideas are shown can then represent the diverse context in which each text was written or made. Some ideas that are more easily understood through connecting the two texts include the concept of evil, the place of women in society and the characterisation of Richard.
Evil is portrayed as a major theme in both Richard III and Looking for Richard and by connecting the two texts the responder gains better insight into this concept. In the play, Richard III, Richard is portrayed as a completely evil, almost devilish character. In fact, from the very first scene of the play the audience recognises that Richard is evil. This is shown in the opening soliloquy, in which Richard states that he is “determined to prove a villain.” An Elizabethan audience would have also thought that Richard’s physical appearance, of him being deformed, would have also suggested that he was evil. This is an example of a visual metaphor, which helps to represent Richard’s absolute evilness. This reflects on the Elizabethans beliefs, as they thought that any person born abnormal was evil and said to have been crafted by the devil.
Throughout Looking for Richard evil is conveyed to the audience in different ways than in Richard III. In Looking for Richard, Pacino tries to help a...
“Exploring the connections between texts allows insight into the ideas that the texts present.” Discuss the insight gained through connecting ‘Richard III’ and “Looking for Richard.’
Richard III was written by Shakespeare in Elizabethan times. It is a history play and its main purpose was simply to entertain. Looking for Richard is a docu-drama film released in the 1990’s, of which the purpose was to help a contemporary audience better understand Shakespeare’s Richard III. Both of these texts complement each other very well and by connecting the two texts it allows the responder to gain insight into the ideas that are represented in both, and their similarities and differences. The way these ideas are shown can then represent the diverse context in which each text was written or made. Some ideas that are more easily understood through connecting the two texts include the concept of evil, the place of women in society and the characterisation of Richard.
Evil is portrayed as a major theme in both Richard III and Looking for Richard and by connecting the two texts the responder gains better insight into this concept. In the play, Richard III, Richard is portrayed as a completely evil, almost devilish character. In fact, from the very first scene of the play the audience recognises that Richard is evil. This is shown in the opening soliloquy, in which Richard states that he is “determined to prove a villain.” An Elizabethan audience would have also thought that Richard’s physical appearance, of him being deformed, would have also suggested that he was evil. This is an example of a visual metaphor, which helps to represent Richard’s absolute evilness. This reflects on the Elizabethans beliefs, as they thought that any person born abnormal was evil and said to have been crafted by the devil.
Throughout Looking for Richard evil is conveyed to the audience in different ways than in Richard III. In Looking for Richard, Pacino tries to help a...