themes, motifs, and symbols of R3

• The Allure of Evil


  - When Richard claims that his deformity is the cause of his wicked ways, he seems to be manipulating us for sympathy, just as he manipulates the other characters throughout the play.

  - As a result, Richard III does not explore the cause of evil in the human mind so much as it explores its operation, depicting the workings of Richard's mind and the methods he uses to manipulate, control, and injure others for his own gain.

  
  

  - Central to this aspect of the play is the idea that Richard's victims are complicit in their own destruction.

  - Just as Lady Anne allows herself to be seduced by Richard, even knowing that he will kill her, other characters allow themselves to be taken in by his charisma and overlook his dishonesty and violent behaviour.

  - This tendency is echoed in Richard's relationship with the audience for much of the play.

  - Even though the audience is likely to be repulsed by Richard's actions, his gleeful, brilliant, revealing monologues cause most viewers to like him and even hope that he will succeed despite his obvious malice.
• The Connection Between Ruler and State


  - The so-called window scenes in Richard III

  —The conversation of the common people in Act 2, Scene 3; Buckingham's speech to the masses and Richard's acceptance of the crown in Act 3; and the scene of the Scrivener in Act 3, Scene 4—provide a glimpse of how the drama in the royal palace affects the lives of the common people outside its walls.

  - As a history play, Richard III is at least somewhat concerned with the consequences of the behavior of those in power, and with ideas of good rulership and governance.

  - It is significant that the common people come to fear and distrust Richard long before most of the nobles in the palace, and that the opposition of the common people to Richard is one of the main forces that enables Richmond to overthrow him. In these ways,

  
  

  - Richard III explores a theme Shakespeare later revisited in Hamlet and Macbeth—the idea that the moral righteousness of a political ruler has a direct bearing on the health of the state.

  - A state with a good ruler will tend to flourish (as Denmark does under King Hamlet), while a state with a bad ruler will tend to suffer (as Scotland does under Macbeth).
• The Power of Language


  - The importance of language in achieving political power. Language may not always be a necessary instrument of power, but for Richard, it is a crucial weapon.

  - His extraordinary skill with words enables him to manipulate, confuse, and control those around him.

  - Richard's skill with language and argument is what enables him to woo Lady Anne, have Clarence thrown in prison, keep the Woodvilles off his track, blame the king for Clarence's death, and achieve Hastings's execution, all at very little risk to himself.

  - Interestingly, language also seems to be the only defense against Richard, as is shown when the princes match his skill at wordplay and thus indicate their ability to see through his schemes.

  
  

  - In such cases, Richard simply uses violence as an expedient and has his enemies, including the princes, put to death.
• The Birth of the Tudor Dynasty


  - Richard III dramatizes a key turning point in English history: the end of the Wars of the Roses and the rise to power of the Tudor dynasty in the figure of Henry VII.

  - The Tudors continued to rule England in Shakespeare's day—Queen Elizabeth I, who sat on the throne when Richard III was written, was a Tudor.

  
  

  - As a playwright in 16th-century England, Shakespeare had to court the favour of those in power, who literally could make or break his career.

  - As a result, Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard III as a vile, hateful villain is in part designed to set up a glorious ascension for Henry VII at the end of the play.

  - Henry overthrew Richard, after all, and the worse Richard seems, the better Henry will seem for defeating him; moreover, the better Henry seems, the more likely the Tudors are to approve of Shakespeare's play.

  
  

  - Had Shakespeare portrayed Richard as a hero, then Henry might have seemed villainous for usurping his throne, and Shakespeare might have fallen from favor with Queen Elizabeth.

  - Of course, these political considerations are by no means the main focus of the play—Shakespeare's exploration of the psychology of evil stands on its own and transcends mere propaganda.
• The Supernatural


  - Richard III involves an extraordinary number of supernatural elements.

  - Some of these elements are Margaret's prophetic curses, Clarence and Stanley's prophetic dreams, the allegations of witchcraft Richard levels at Elizabeth and mistress Shore, the continual association of Richard with devils and demons (for example, he is often called a hellhound), Richard's comparison of himself to the shape-shifting Proteus, the Princes' discussion of the ghosts of their dead uncles, and—most significant—the parade of eleven ghosts that visits Richard and Richmond the night before the battle.

  
  

  - These supernatural elements serve to create an atmosphere of intense dread and gloom that matches the malice and evil of Richard's inner self, and also serve to heighten the sense that Richard's reign is innately evil,
• Religious Iconography


  The use of imagery to convey religious significance

  
  

  - The language of heaven and hell runs rampant throughout Richard III.

  - Richard is repeatedly referred to as a demon, a hellhound, and a devil by the other characters in the play.

  
  

  The hellish iconography associated with Richard is contrasted with the heavenly iconography associated with Richmond.

  - It is stressed repeatedly throughout the play that God and his angels have aligned themselves with Richmond and his cause and Richmond even invokes St. George, the patron saint of Britain, before he and his soldiers storm the battlefield.

  
  

  - Shakespeare's use of religious iconography aligns with the play's thematic emphasis on the birth of the Tudor dynasty.

  - At the time that Shakespeare was writing his plays, people believed in what is referred to as "the divine right of kings."

  - The divine right of kings is the belief that monarchs are selected by God.

  - By associating hellish iconography with Richard and heavenly iconography with Richmond, Shakespeare is solidifying that Richmond is the rightful ruler of Britain.

  
  

  - The motif of religious iconography also assigns benevolent characterizations to Queen Elizabeth I's ancestors because Shakespeare's Tudor queen could trace her lineage to Richmond.
• Dreams


  - The motif of prophetic dreams is part of the play's larger preoccupation with the supernatural, but the idea of dreams emerges as its own separate motif after Stanley's dream about Hastings's death.

  
  

  - Clarence and Stanley both have dreams that not only predict the future, but that are also heavy with important symbolism. For example, Clarence's dream involves Richard causing his drowning at sea.

  - Immediately after it, he is drowned in a cask of wine by murderers hired by Richard.

  
  

  In addition, Stanley's dream involves Hastings being gored by a boar—Richard's heraldic symbol.

  Immediately after it, Richard orders Hastings's execution.
• The Boar


  - The boar is Richard's heraldic symbol, and is used several times throughout the play to represent him, most notably in Stanley's dream about Hastings's death.

  - The idea of the boar is also played on in describing Richard's deformity, and Richard is cursed by the duchess as an "abortive, rooting hog" (Act 1, Scene 3, line 225).

  
  

  - The boar was one of the most dangerous animals that people hunted in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

  - Shakespeare's audience would have associated it with untamed aggression and uncontrollable violence.
• The Tower of London


  - The Tower of London is one of the most important settings in the text and provides an ominous backdrop for many of the play's most crucial scenes.

  - The Tower of London, which is both a castle and royal residence and a place of imprisonment and execution, symbolizes both Richard's lofty aspirations and his amorality.

  
  

  - All four of the people that Richard sends to the Tower of London (his brother Clarence, the nobleman Hastings, and his young nephews Prince Edward and the Duke of York) are ultimately killed because they posed a threat to his claim to the throne. Many characters in the play are fearful of what the Tower of London represents,

  ---> including Prince Edward, who notes "I do not like the Tower, of any place" in 3.1.68, and even Hastings' horse, who resists Hastings' prompting as if he does not want to bring him "to the slaughterhouse" in Act 3, Scene 4, line 88.

  
  

  - The Tower's symbolism would not have been lost on Elizabethan audiences.

  -At the time of Queen Elizabeth I's rule it was still being used as a site of imprisonment and execution for criminals and traitors.

  - Anybody in the audience would have been concerned for a character's fate if they were sent to The Tower of London, especially if the order came from a bloodthirsty ruler.
• The Ring


  - Richard offers Anne his ring as part of his plan to seduce her in Act 1, Scene 2.

  - Anne takes it but insists that to do so does not mean that she has given herself to Richard in return.

  
  

  - Richard, a skilled actor and master manipulator, assures her that she is correct, but readers can easily determine that this is simply another lie to trick Anne.

  
  

  - Rings are often used in literature to symbolise marriage and in the case of Richard III, Richard's offered ring symbolises his offered hand to Anne.
• The climax vs Falling Action

  - In Act 3, Scene 7, Buckingham and others entreat

  - Richard to accept the crown, which he pretends to refuse and then accepts.

  
  

  - Richard turns against Buckingham and murders the young princes, as well as his wife Anne.

  - Richmond then defeats Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
• Foreshadowing


  - Richard III is full of foreshadowing, including Margaret's curses (which foreshadow almost all the future action of the play),

  - Richard's monologues, the prophetic dreams of Clarence and Stanley, and the pronouncements of the ghosts in Act 5.
• Power and Ambition


  Central theme of ruthless pursuit of power and corrupting influence of ambition.
• Deception and Manipulation


  Exploration of consequences of deceit in personal and political realms.
• Fate and Free Will

  Recurring theme of tension between destiny and personal agency.
• Justice and Consequences


  Exploration of human and divine justice, showcasing repercussions of immoral actions.
• Character Development


  Transformation of Richard from charismatic schemer to isolated tyrant.
• Lady Anne Transformation


  Evolution from manipulated widow to a woman who sees through deceit.
• Queen Elizabeth Resilience


  Depiction of vulnerability and strength in the face of turmoil and tragedy.
• Richard and Buckingham Alliance


  Built on shared ambition but deteriorates due to Richard's ruthlessness.
• Richard and Lady Anne Relationship


  Marked by manipulation and deception, showcasing Richard's exploitation.
• Richard and Queen Elizabeth Interactions


  Complex dynamics between Richard and Elizabeth, blending politics and personal ties.
• Political Instability


  Backdrop of Wars of the Roses reflecting historical political turmoil.
• Moral Corruption


  Examination of moral decay due to prioritizing personal ambition over ethics.
• Divine Right and Justice


  Richard's belief in divine rule and ensuing divine justice, questioning earthly-divine link.
• Machiavellian


  Characterized by cunning and deceit in politics or in general conduct
• Metaphysical evil


  Evil beyond the physical realm, representing a deeper malevolence
• Docu-drama


  A dramatized portrayal based on real events, blending documentary and drama
• Dehumanization


  The process of depriving someone of human qualities or attributes
• Exaggeration


  Overstating or magnifying the physical deformity to emphasize symbolism
• Foreshadowing


  Hinting at or indicating a future event or outcome
• Divine order


  The belief in a predetermined and harmonious arrangement of the universe
• Patriarchal society


  A social system where men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership
• Empowerment


  The process of giving power or authority to someone
• Vulnerability


  Susceptibility to emotional or physical harm
• Sexualization


  Portraying someone in a sexual manner, often for objectification
• Rhetorical prowess


  Skill and effectiveness in using language persuasively
• Transference of power


  The shifting or passing of authority from one entity to another
• Performativity


  The way in which individuals perform actions, often influenced by societal norms
• Neologism


  A newly coined word or expression