Book Review: Richard III
My word, this was a monster of a play to get through. Fascinating as it was, I don’t usually dive into Shakespeare’s History plays, but considering this is one of his most famous, I had to get stuck in. It has some of the most famous lines that Shakespeare has ever written: ‘Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York’ It is a delicious line, and it kicks off the entire play. As far as opening lines go, I think it’s up there with ‘Last night I dreamed of Manderly’ from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
What do we know about Richard III? Well, by all accounts, he was a villain or just a terrible ruler - the jury is still out as to which he was. Responsible for the end of the Plantagenet dynasty that had ruled England for over 300 years by challenging his courtiers and murdering his ‘closest’ friends, allies and family. He is infamous for supposedly murdering his two nephews, the Princes in the Tower, who were never seen or heard of again. It remains a mystery to this day. So, all in all, a bad egg.
One thing history has told us, and which the play confirms, is that Richard III was a hunchback. So, if we are to look at this play through a 21st-century lens…. Well then, the tune changes key a little. Any physical deformity in the Middle Ages was somewhat seen as a curse. You were not whole. You were a mistake, something to be laughed at. Really? You werent even human. Typically, in Medieval times, disability was linked to sin and Original Sin. If the ‘physical impairment’ did not subside over time, well then, it was seen as an act of God. Essentially, you were fucked. If Richard had been anyone but a King or even a Prince, life would've been pretty bad. Perhaps it was already. Richard III says in his opening monologue:
“And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,
To entertain these fair, well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days”
In no way does it justify his villainy, but it gives us a certain understanding of what he may have been like, at least through my wobbly understanding of attitudes to disability in the Middle Ages.
If I were to criticise the text, I would say that it is very dense and there is a lot to get through. While I may understand Shakespeare’s language, this was a tough read. The history was fascinating, and it is arguably one of Shakespeare’s best plays. But a lot happens in this play; you need to pay attention to the text because of the level of detail in the language and stage directions. I thought Hamlet was a tough and intense play, but no. I can say that Richard III takes tragedy, war, plot, text and drama to new heights. It builds beautifully to the climax of the play ‘A horse, a horse! My Kingdom for a horse!’ is one of the best lines ever written.