The True Richard I have chosen to analyze the character of Richard III due to his cynical yet honest personality. One thing that sticks out about his character is his relationship with the reader and how he tells us exactly what he’s planning. Even when we are told what Richard will do, the reader is still surprised when he goes about the actions. For example, Richard tells us he is “subtle, false, and treacherous”(I.i), but there is nothing we can do to stop him from being that way. Another quality of Richard that sticks out to me is his ability to manipulate his peers. In act one scene two Lady Anne is mourning the death of King Henry VI, but Richard is set on manipulating her into loving him. Richard has no interest in Lady Anne, but instead wants to be closer and closer to becoming King. Richard’s dedication to achieve his goal no matter what obstacles come his way is a defining feature that sticks out to me. Throughout the play, Richard is faced with obstacles that test his commitment to becoming king. His first major test is when he has to win over Lady Anne. Richard killed Henry and knows Anne is out for his guts, but he has the courage to lie to her saying that he did not kill him. Later, Richard admits to killing Henry, but sweet talks Anne by making her believe that the murder was in an attempt to win her over. While reading this scene, we see Richard being honest to the audience, but a liar to the characters in the show. He knows that his actions have caused Lady Anne to mourn; yet he finds a way to make her fall in love with him. The text is worded in a way that makes Richard seem confident and not worried
Acosta 2 about the lies he is telling. Making Richard a confident character gives him the ability to remain calm even when faced with confrontation. Though he is deformed and described as so ugly that “Dogs bark at [him],” his confidence overpowers his downfalls. Winning over Lady Anne displays his willingness to succeed giving us the first look of how Richard can manipulate anybody in any situation. With his manipulative skills, we see Richard faced with another situation of death in act two scene one. Richard sends assassins to kill Clarence in order to wipe out yet another obstacle in his way to the throne. He is eventually was confronted by Queen Elizabeth and King Edward about the news of Clarence’s death. Knowing that he killed Clarence, he proceeds to lie to their faces exclaiming how Clarence did not deserve to die. Again we see confidence in Richard’s speech, but we also see an added layer of sarcasm. This proves Richard is becoming more and more aware of the situation he is causing. He loves the fact that he is succeeding in his plans and wants to continue to push the limits. With all the lies that are being told, Richard also begins to forget the truth. The way Richard speaks shows us that he believes his own lies. That layer of sarcasm gives us more background onto how Richard values life. He knows he has manipulated, lied, and killed many people, but still does not want to stop. In a way, he seems to be more bloodthirsty and wants to kill more just to be safe from opposition. The assassination of Clarence is the start of Richard’s transition from wanting power to bloodthirsty. This gives us evidence of the toll that death can take on a personality. Using this evidence, Richard can now become less conscience of his decision in future scenes. Acosta 3
As Richard becomes more and more crazy, opposition begins to overpower his rage. In the final act of the play, we see Richard with very little support and plenty of people who want his head. The final obstacle for him is to realize what he did and admit to himself that he will die in battle. He accomplished his goal of becoming king, but does not have a body to support him. When faced with death in the last scene we see Richard’s true colors. He begins to reflect on what he has done and begins to feel a bit guilty, but will never admit it to himself. The conflict between Richard and himself is very powerful in that we begin to sympathies with him for one last time. In a way, he was manipulating the reader throughout the play in the same way he manipulates the characters within. We see Richard lose his horse in battle symbolizing the loss of his power. When seeing Richard in hand to hand combat, there is nothing left for him to do, but fend for his life. Eventually he is killed in battle, but not killed in spirit. Till the end, Richard fights for his cause even though he knows he was wrong. The amount of skill it took for him to reach kingship shows that Richard is in fact a very intelligent character. He did use his knowledge for evil, but nonetheless won his battle. The crazy side of Richard took over and caused him to lust for more power than he could handle. As an actor tackling the part of Richard, you should first discover the honesty aspect within Richard. He is a very likable guy and due to his sweet talk and confidant actions making it seemingly easy to play. The challenge is to make honesty a negative trait instead of the usual positive side of it. Using honesty to manipulate a character and create a relationship with the audience is key to being a good Richard.
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Also, finding the balance between craziness and sanity is essential to creating inner conflict. Fighting for a cause, but remaining humble is a difficult task to accomplish. Richard does not succeed in this task leading him to his downfall. Though these are all subtle ideas, they will help make Richard more human instead of a monster. The last aspect of Richard that is paramount to the character is his drive to be in power. Whenever there is a moment when Richard wants power, he immediately is possessed by the idea. Nothing can stop him from getting what he wants. This trait is very playable by an actor. Using his drive to fuel energy within a scene can cause focus to be on you. As Richard, you must utilize his knowledge of politics, manipulation tactics, and honesty to bring the character to life.