Power Of Power In Richard 2

Both William Shakespeare’s play “Richard III” and Al Pacino’s docudrama “Looking for Richard” explore the timeless themes of Richards’s pursuit of power and the impacts of his villainous and evil nature. Shakespeare’s Elizabethan context is far different from the humanist and secular context of Pacino. Shakespeare highlights the importance of the church and the divine right to rule of monarchs within Richards’s pursuit of power and downfall; this is not relevant within Pacino’s contemporary times. Hence Pacino employs this key theme to reframe the play's focus from divine rule to political power whilst still exploring Richards’s achievement of this power. Through his portrayal of King Richard, Shakespeare creates a character meant to be hated by his audience who were familiar with the Tudor myth.

Richard’s political ambition is revealed through his strategic calculations based on the order of birth in his York family which puts him third away from the throne. Ahead of him is his elder brother, George Clarence, a barrier which will have to eradicate. His brother, King Edward, is another political barrier, by simply being alive, in power and equally by being the father of the two young princes . Richard’s creates a political mistrust between his two

Late 14th century English king Richard II lost all of his power towards the end of his reign as a result of his exploded sense of self-importance and godly association, which led to fatal opposition from multiple prominent aristocrats and eventually England as a whole. This gradual growth of opposition can be seen in the persecution of Richard’s most favored advisors; the aftermath of fear and apprehension that followed Richard’s execution of the Lord’s appellant in 1397; and his swift and universally encouraged abdication by Henry Bolingbroke, future Henry IV.

Richard was the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and he was given the duchy of Aquitaine, his mother’s inheritance, at the age of 11 and was enthroned as duke at Poitiers in 1172. Richard possessed precocious political and military ability, he won fame for his knightly prowess, and quickly learned how to control the

Richard’s aspiration for power caused him to sacrifice his morals and loyalties in order to gain the throne of England. Shakespeare refers to the political instability of England, which is evident through the War of the Roses between the Yorks and Lancastrians fighting for the right to rule. In order to educate and entertain the audience of the instability of politics, Shakespeare poses Richard as a caricature of the Vice who is willing to do anything to get what he wants. As a result, the plans Richard executed were unethical, but done with pride and cunningness. Additionally, his physically crippled figure that was, “so lamely and unfashionable, that dogs bark at me as I halt by them,” reflects the deformity and corruption of his soul. The constant fauna imagery of Richard as the boar reflected his greedy nature and emphasises that he has lost his sense of humanity.

In Richard II, Richard is raised as to be a young, poetic, and immature king. He enjoys the luxuries of being King, but does not connect with his ruling land and its people. Richard is a young king who possesses little to no experience, for he believes that he is God’s representative on Earth and states in Act Three that nothing will be able to take his crown. When threatened by Bolingbroke and his army, Richard assumes that the Lord will protect him throughout his battles and does not do anything in order to defend himself. Richard II bathes himself in the finest things a king can buy, whether that is clothes, food, or the ability to surround himself with people who only tell him what he wants to hear.

Richard was exactly what a knight was in the Middle Ages. He was brave in war, a fearless leader who men were willing to follow into battle, and he was a very chivalrous leader. As a child Richard had been told stories of the second crusade and knew how it had totally collapsed. He was determined to avoid many problems from the second crusade like going over water instead of by land, even though it was more expensive.

Ever since he had taken the throne, King Edward lived in his castle without worry or fear. But he was greatly troubled when one of his servants came back with the news that Richard was threatening to take the throne again. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” gasped the servant, out of breath. “There is something terrible going on!”

Source 2 which is a 19th- century portrait that shows Richard as King, indicating that he was to become one of the most powerful people in Medieval Europe in the feudal system, below the Pope. Richard, becoming the King of England was one of the most major events in the life of Richard the Lionheart, as it affected the whole feudal system in Medieval

Losing the crown and being stripped of all his power is a great blow for Richard, but he continues to believe that God is going to protect him, and also his redemption through self-knowledge and an awakening of his human compassion are significant for his transition from being The King to an average man. It seems that in the end Richard transforms himself into another person, a man who is not the king anymore, and has to continue “searching” who he actually is. At the end of the play, after a reflective soliloquy and a “tender” moment, Richard finally takes bold action against his attackers and dies bravely. This is a slim attempt for making a tragic hero out of him, but it has not prevented Jan Kott's heady claim that "Just before being hurled

	Much debate and controversy surround the rise and fall of Richard the Third. It is hard to ignore such subjects due to the bonds and hidden reasons that many of the authors of the middle ages had towards Richard. In keeping an objective approach towards Richard III, the study of his rise and fall will be taken in the perspective of his royal acts and administration of England. Public sentiment over such things as the scandal surrounding the princes did have an effect over the rule of Richard, but there are many other underlying aspects that could have extended Richards rule, and changed the way history looks back on him.

Richard II is one of Shakespeare’s most popular history plays. It features elements of comedy, tragedy, history, and betrayal. In act four scene two King Richard says “With mine own tears I wash away my balm, With mine own hands I give away my crown, With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, With mine own breath release all duty's rites”. This particular passage, King Richard is speaking aloud about giving up his crown and throne to Bolingbrook. The symbolic meaning behind certain words within this passage generate this tone of relief, satisfaction, and alleviation.

In Shakespeare’s Richard III, the title of king disrupts relationships between family members. Richard is portrayed as the villain or main puppet master. He makes promises he does not keep to add more support to his side and takes lives of those who stand in his way. He acts on this want to be king, not the religious man he claims to be to others he needs support from. Due to his mischievous and evil actions that move him up in the line to be king, Richard is a typical Machiavellian villain.

In Shakespeare’s history play Richard II, King Richard II’s relationship with God can be explored throughout the play as he gives up his crown. Richard II is easily seen as weak, making some think that he is not fit for the role of king. He does not listen to his advisors and takes money from the nobles. These actions lead Henry Bolingbroke to take the crown. Richard II does not put up much of a fight as he willingly hands the crown over to Bolingbroke, but he does prolong the process as he dramatically hands his crown and scepter over. Richard II even speaks out about his power that was given to him:

A general finish of most pundits is that Richard II is a play about the affidavit of a "frail and feminine" ruler. That he was a feeble ruler, will be yielded. That he was a mediocre individual, won't. The understanding to Richard's character and inspiration is to see him as a man reliably acting his way through life. Richard was a man who held extraordinary love for show and function. This peculiarity positively drove him to settle on choices as lord that were poor, and in actuality a maladroit ruler. Notwithstanding this imperfection in character, Richard could be seen as a clever, wise individual, yet illsuited for his acquired occupation.