Shakespeare’s Play Richard III (1592)

The interwoven nature of texts allows close comparative analysis, revealing the enduring human experiences portrayed distinctly through contextual differences, ultimately preserving the timelessness of relevant human values. Shakespeare’s play Richard III (1592) and Al Pacino’s docudrama Looking For Richard (1996) both address the philosophical tensions of determinism and humanism through Richard’s character, while revealing a pertinent human interpretation of power. Richard’s portrayal in the Shakespearean Elizabethan age gives insight into the evolving human perception, where a developing English renaissance nurtured deterministic and humanistic tensions in a deeply religious society based on a divine power structure. Moreover, Pacino’s democratic secular context allows for a reinterpretation of Richard III based on complex human experiences that redefine a humanistic Richard.

Richard III explores the increasing tensions of determinism and humanism in reflection of the influence of a deeply religious Elizabethan society impacted by emerging humanistic Renaissance values. Richard’s duplicitous nature is initially conveyed in his clever homonym "Your imprisonment shall not be long; I will deliver or else lie for you", maintaining his trustworthy façade while the underlying meaning conveys the providential beliefs of a deliverance to god. Furthermore, Richard accentuates his own role as a manipulator likening himself to “the formal Vice, Iniquity,” as he plays on textual references to meta-theatrics, highlighting Richard’s desire to adapt and dictate his own fate, a similar key concept of enduring human experiences further explored in LFR. Shakespeare exploits Richards’s theatrical belief in himself as an actor imparting his idea of the emerging belief of humanism in a Christian dominated society, as it furthers the relevancy to modern day humanist audiences. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard as a malevolent character is constantly reiterated throughout the play, as he is constantly likened to “cacodemons” and “God’s enemy” using the appeal of biblical references to emphasis his villainy to an Elizabethan audience. Thus we see how Richards acts as a manipulator and a villain expresses Shakespeare’s expression of Elizabethan providential belief, while subtly trying to explore the more humanist characteristics.

Pacino’s LFR Portrays Richard differently from the Elizabethan Vice, as he is a more complex psychological phenomenon, which retains the underlying notion of moral consequence but in a modern, secular and humanist context., Pacino enhances Richard’s duplicitous nature through his linguistic ability using hyperbolic flattering language “Your beauty that did haunt my sleep”, when wooing Anne, as the close, low angles convey Richards exploitation through masterful use of language. This combined with discussions with actors and critics about “the beauty, depth, passion, music of his words” underline Pacino’s emphasises on an appreciation of the ever changing aspect of language language which resonates with modern secular audiences as he reinforces humanist values, and the notion of free will. Pacino addresses Richards psychological decay, instead of an Elizabethan divine retribution, in the final scenes “ I love myself… I hate myself…” as the fluid editing aligns Richard and Pacino’s personality, as it underlines how moral consequence transcends context while eliciting a sympathetic view from the audience. Pacino’s depiction of Richard conveys a more wholesome view on character as it highlights his modern secular context as he retains the ideals of manipulative characters through psychological retribution.

Richard’s relentless pursuit of power becomes a catalyst for the disorder of authority, and gives us insight into Elizabethan society’s underlying aspects of divine and earthly power which shapes our human experiences. The opening soliloquy conveys the motivations behind Richard’s pursuit of power “Now is the winter of our discontent/ made glorious summer by this son of York” as the pun of “son” relays the security in the kingdom, while the juxtaposition of summer/winter underlines the foreshadowing when Richard “spoil’d your summer”. Furthermore the recurring boar motif – “wretched, bloody and usurping boar,” emphasises Richard’s inability to hold power due to his illegitimate claim for the throne, in accordance with the Divine Right of Kings, as it shows how absolute power, corrupts absolutely. Furthermore, Shakespeare plays on the Elizabethan ideals of divine justice through continual biblical references invoking “God’s Revenge” during Richard’s death to restore divine order “by god's fair ordinance… peace lives again” it ultimately reflects the perception of human justice. Thus we see that Shakespeare portrays power as  deeply rooted in Elizabethan hierarchal and religious values as Shakespeare manipulates religion to accentuate the restoration of order.