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Richard III Evil Vs Evil

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In the opening monologue of Richard III, Richard proclaims one of the most famous lines of the play: “I am determined to prove a villain” (Shakespeare, 11). Because of this direct address of Richard’s intentions, the audience is never left questioning why he commits the atrocities he does throughout the course of the play. Although Richard is undoubtedly evil, each viewer’s criteria for what constitutes this characteristic differs, so Shakespeare attempts to make Richard a universally evil character by giving him multiple unforgivable attributes. According to Shakespeare evil is defined by actions that benefit the perpetrator and cause harm to others, specifically in instances that would impact familial and English societal order. Losing a family member is akin to losing part of oneself. …show more content…
Upon finding out that not one, but two of her children were dead, the Duchess lamented “Was never mother had so dear a loss./ Alas, I am mother of these griefs./ Their woes are parceled; mine is general./ She for an Edward weeps, and so do I;/ I for a Clarence {weep;} so doth she[…]” (Shakespeare, 109). The emotion the Duchess emits is palpable, and earns a unique sense of empathy from the reader. Earlier in the play Richard arranges two key elements that lead to the aforementioned scene: a deception of the king that results in Clarence’s banishment to the tower, and the hiring of two murders to kill Clarence. This is the first murder the audience witnesses Richard arrange, and is one of the most telling moments of Richard’s

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