...I do think that by doing so it looses a lot of its original meaning. I believe that literature can be interpreted in to many different meanings and ways that other people don't see. To one person Shakespeare can be a legendary writer and to anot her person he can be some idiot that wrote a lot of garbage. After reading this section, I find it interesting that Shakespeare can be interpreted in several various ways. I have seen a few different productions of Shakespeare plays and I can understand the different ways that people have perceived the various plays. Personally, I believe that the difference between a “more faithful” versus a “more free” adaptation of a Shakespearean play is that a show that is “more faithful” tends to follow the time frame and setting that the play was placed in, whereas a “more free” adaptation can change to different time frames and have different surroundings than the play was actually placed in. With a more “faithful” adaptation of Shakespeare we learn more about the history behind the play and what it truly is about. Unfortunately, with a more “freer” adaptation we can lose the history behind the play because the context of the play can change based on the decisions of how the play was interpreted. In a faithful version of a play, the language, setting, costumes, and all other major aspects remain as the author originally wrote them; a free adaptation may change one or more of these elements. A more faithful adaptation has the advantage of...
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...The exploration of the connectedness between texts enhances an understanding of text’s textual integrity. This is evident within William Shakespeare’s ‘King Richard Third’ and Al Pacino’s docudrama ‘Looking For Richard’, where composers portray, through literary and film techniques, texts which reveal to their respective audiences valuable insights into their differing contexts. ‘Looking For Richard’ is based on ‘King Richard Third’ and adapts Shakespeare’s values to a modern context. Exploration of connections between the texts enhances the understanding of the values and contexts of each text. Connections enhances context, character and perspective as these values intensify connections. Through exploring context and character connections between texts, new perspectives of each text are possible, creating textual integrity. Richard Third - Context Richard Third was written to a superstitious Elizabethan audience. It was written as pro-Tudor propaganda, whereby the representation of Richard as a sly and deformed character perpetuates the Tudor Myth, within the context of the War of the Roses. Richard exudes traits of a Machiavellian villain, with imagery exaggerating Richard as a “Deformed, unfinished” man who was “Sent before his time” in order to maintain his discontent. Furthermore, Richards evil characterization and relentless pursuit of power is highlighted to his audience through his opening soliloquy “since I can not prove to be a lover….. I am determined to prove...
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...HSC Advanced English, Module A: Richard III and Looking For Richard, Essay Connections of commonality and dissimilarity may be drawn between a multiplicity of texts through an appreciation of the values and attitudes with which they were composed. Accordingly, the values and attitudes of the individual being may be defined as an acute blend of externally induced, or contextual and internally triggered, or inherent factors. Cultural, historical, political, religious and social influences, dictated by the nature of one’s surroundings, imprint a variable pattern of values and attitudes upon the individual. Thus any deviation in any such factor may instigate an alteration of the contextual component of one’s perspective. By contrast, the psychological fundamentals of humanity are sturdy and whilst they partake in the definition of the values and attitudes of the individual, they are unwavering. Shakespeare’s historical play ‘Richard III’ and Pacino’s docudrama ‘Looking for Richard’ confirm such theory through an exploration of the contextual and inherent. A scrutiny of the contradictory forces of humanism and determinism and the function of women as demonstrated by both texts imparts an incongruity of context. Difference is thus conveyed. Conversely, an acknowledgement of the strength of conscience common to both texts suggests an inherent influence. Thus it is through inspection of the prescribed texts that one may distinguish the degree to which the texts converge on inherent...
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...scenes, 4 quotes and roughly 1200 words) It is the relationship between context, text and responder that helps the audience to create meaning from a text. Through Pacino recontextualising Shakespeare’s Richard III, the audience is able to develop a better understanding and newfound appreciation of Shakespeare’s text. By comparing the structure and language of both texts the responder is able to go on their own journey of understanding and interpretation. Pacino builds a bridge that enables us to cross over and understand Shakespeare’s context. Pacino develops our understanding of ‘Richard III’ and helps us to recognize how values can be encoded within a text. This can be seen through the different values, beliefs and attitudes towards women reflected in Richard III texts in Act 1 scene 2. The wooing of Lady Anne demonstrates the climax of Richard’s role as a villain. The stichomythic language engages the audience which allows us to be seduced by Richard, for example when Lady Anne say, ‘‘o wonderful, when devils tell the truth’ and Richard replies ‘More wonderful, when angels are so angry’. This short declarative verbal exchange creates momentum in the scene resulting in the audience being in a state of anticipation. It reveals the power of language to persuade and Richard is able to capture the audiences’ admiration. Lady Anne’s capacity to verbally play with language implies her surprising intelligence. This may reflect Shakespeare’s passive unacceptance of the gender hierarchal...
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...This William Shakespeare play shines the spotlight on just how we are as humans. Shakespeare in one single play is able to beautifully showcase all of a humans raw emotions and ways of being. The displays of emotions as portrayed by the characters are finely tuned and on point. Shakespeare takes us in a rollercoaster ride of emotions; from happyness and joking, to the uttermost hatred and evilness in mankind. It is indeed a sort of museum of who we are as people and how we react to our sorroundings and events. We crack jokes, and are happy and joyful. We know how to love others and love some even more. That love is channeled through our acts and it is apparent when it is present. There is also friendship, something many of us seek just as much as love. Not all is always well, as one could assume from the title of the play itself. In the play we are re-assured that sometimes we are just not mentally prepared to face challenges put before us. This is a sort of weakness we have as humans, but at the same time demonstrates that we have great emotional range. Shakespeare also notes on the worst qualities of us with pinpoint accuracy, all used in the most dramatic of ways possible. We use greed, and lust as motives to create deception upon others for our own benefit. Sometimes even love itself is corrupted and used as motive for evil purposes. We are selfish and nobody is going to knock some sense into us to make us appreciate what we have ourselves that the other person does not. Even...
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...them; The good is oft interred with their bones.” It is shown that Shakespeare’s lead characters are concerned with their need for self-satisfaction, gratitude, and dignity. They lack the solicitude for human kindness and the thought of others. The more the audience analyzes the characters, the more they see the true ambition and reasoning for their evil deeds. During Shakespeare’s time, it wasn’t unusual for men to seek such power. For instance, Taming of the Shrew is a play that focuses on the desire for marriage; but the emotions of young couples were not the main consideration in courtship (McDonald 267). Katherina actions portray her as the shrew, but the audience knows her ultimate desire was to receive genuine love from a man. Richard III makes it abundantly clear that he desires to take over the English thrown and do whatever it takes to grasp it. Additionally, Hamlet seeks revenge and is motivated to do so by his supernatural spirit of his father (Sobran 45). The need for wealth, power, ambition, and greed lead many of Shakespeare’s characters to satisfy their own self gratitude over the basic ideas of human kindness. London, during the sixteenth century, was a time of extreme corruption. Gender roles were unequal, marriage was spurious, and seeking wealth or power of some sort became every man’s objective. The usual occupation for a woman during Shakespeare’s time was marriage and motherhood (McDonald 253). Although England was ruled by the strong-willed Elizabeth...
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... Hamlet is a play, written by William Shakespeare in the year 1601. The film illustrates the director's interpretation, which is seen for example Hamlet. It then influences the audience understanding of the play and its plot or genre, because they now see and understand the play from the viewpoint of the directors. In this portrayal of the movie of hamlet (1996), he can be seen as an individual who is always in a constant battle between his emotions due to the enormous pressure placed on him. The movie was given a total rating of 4/5 mainly because it adheres more towards the play and story rather making it seem more modern. The setting of the film takes place in the medieval period during the 15th century. This movie uses Shakespearean texts. During Hamlet's first contest with his emotions, he is seen in a large room where he stands alone. This is significant because it helps express how he feels about his mother's marriage to Claudius (Derek Jacobi). Another key fact about this scene is the way Hamlet behaves when he advances toward the mirrors. As Hamlet begins his "To be or not to be—that is the question", he walks toward a mirror, which shows a reflection Hamlet's holding a dagger. With the stage setting turned towards the castle to produce a somewhat elegant atmosphere. Certain scenes in the movie progresses a bit slower than the others. One of the elements that Branagh used in the film was mostly the use of mirrors as referred to hamlet’s reflection of him holding a dagger...
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...In our teaching of Shakespearean film adaptation to undergraduates, one of the issues that frequently arises in class discussions is the question of how the visuality of the cinematic medium is constructed in tension against the verbal nature of Shakespeare's dialogue. The tension between the visual and verbal dimensions of filming Shakespeare is created on two levels: firstly, where the poetry of Shakespeare, functioning as word pictures that stimulate and enhance the imagination of the spectator is set against the capacity of film to show rather than tell; and secondly, where the adaptation negotiates with the canonicity of the Shakespearean text through the mode of the popular.[1] One recent example is Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) in which the play was made to compete radically with what has been called Luhrmann's 'MTV'-inspired editing, pacing and styling. [2] Another is Branagh's Hamlet (1996), where the concentrated effort to retain every single line of the play created its own burden of visualisation.[3] The creative energy of a Shakespearean film adaptation is often sustained by the dynamic of creating a visual track to 'match' the play's dialogue; in other words, by the question of what images can be used to animate or do 'justice' to Shakespeare's text. Where Shakespeare on film had once been expected to retain the traits of 'high' theatre and art, complete with 'authentic' period costumes,[4] recent adaptations have become more adventurous, liberally adopting...
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...Question: Plays are often said to show rather than tell. How far does Richard III indicate that dramatic action and dialogue fulfill all the functions of presenting thought and action? "King Richard III", a play written by William Shakespeare portrays the true sinister nature of the main antagonist, Richard as he overtakes the throne of England through vile methods. Despite being deformed since birth and looked down upon for that very fact, his determination to be a villain replaces his lacking factors. Naturally, actions and dialogues of the characters in the play help the audience paint a portrait of other characters and the roles they occupy in the play. They uncover the unknown side of the characters and show the thoughts which these characters hold as they progress. There are conflicts and contrasts that vary but they are all essential to unifying the play as a whole. Without those factors shaping the play, one would hardly be able to find more about other characters of the play and understand the dynamics of the play. By including monologues and dialogues amongst characters, Shakespeare fulfills all the traditional functions of a play in presenting thought and actions. The play begins with Richard delivering a soliloquy in which he first explains his situation and then proceeds to accounts of his evil deeds. When Richard mentions his deformed body and poor conditions that make him hard to live as a “normal” human being, audience may at first feel sympathy, only to have...
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...version of the most ruthless monarch written by Shakespeare, Richard III. Full of intrigue and deceits, Olivier pulls the audience right into the story by making us confidants to his Richard’s secrets. The audience closely follows the action by Richard’s side and we get to see the reasoning behind every single one of his moves. Framed by a simplistic set and costumes, the attention centers primarily in the acting and the hidden symbolism within the movie in elements such as the ever-present crown. Richard III tells the story of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and his series of political movements to acquire the throne of England. England is under the reign of King Edward IV and Richard is jealous of his brother’s power. He starts to plan his way into the throne by marrying Lady Anne and acquiring her properties. Richard puts his older brother, Clarence, in prison by accusing him of being a traitor and has him executed under the orders of King Edward. King...
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...How accurate is it to say that the Yorkists remained a serious threat to Henry VII’s security throughout his reign? It is probably not accurate to say the Yorkists remained a serious threat throughout Henry's reign. Throughout his reign he had many pretenders trying to make a claim on his crown, for example Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel. Most had weak conspiracies and minimal support; however foreign help was high from England traditional enemies such as Scotland and France. Although betrayal from Stanley was serious for Henry, there were many factors of his reign helping maintain his thrown; which were he married the most prominent Yorkist and he dealt well with the threats through his spy system. Although Henry was considered vulnerable in his reign, and he did face challenges from Yorkist supporters, they were not a constant serious threat to his security. The first signs of Yorkists dissatisfaction with Henry VII were the Lovell Rebellion of 1486. While Henry was on royal progresses in the North the conspirators broke sanctuary; The Stafford brothers travelled to Worchester to start up rebellion and Lovell headed north to ambush the king. However Henry learnt about the uprising and sent an army to stop Lovell, the rebels fled. This rebellion was of little threat to Henry’s security as the army was small as they lacked support from nobles, there was no foreign backing and Henry managed to deal with the Yorkists...
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...between lords in neighbouring or intersecting areas of influence could sometimes lead to actual fighting. The Earl of Devon fought Lord Bonville and the Earl of Wiltshire in Devon; the Blount’s and the Longford’s feuded in Derbyshire; and the Neville’s and the Percies in the North. Dynastic struggle – Leadership: One explanation for the Wars of the Roses pointed to Henry of Bolingbroke's usurpation of the throne in 1399. When Henry IV took the throne, he ignored the title of Edmund, Earl of March, whose claim was won back by Richard, Duke of York, against Henry's grandson, Henry VI. However, Richard Duke of York did not make his claim until over sixty years after 1399, and even then his supporters were only willing to grant him the right of succession. Weak monarchs – Political: The fact that Henry VI was a naive prevented him exercising firm control. Instead, Margaret of Anjou (his lover at the time) and various favourites struggled with Richard Duke of York over who should manipulate the weak king. In total there were arguably 17 battles fought (if you count the battle of Stoke 1487) between the Yorkist who represents the White rose and the Lancastrian who represent the Red rose however the last to battles (Battle of Bosworth and Battle of Stoke) where between Tudors. The key battle was the battle of St Albans (22nd May 1455) this was the first of all the battles to come this occurred because Henry VI was put into power of England and France at the age of 4 months so...
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...royal family of Lancaster, England enjoys a period of peace under King Edward IV and the victorious Yorks. But Edward’s younger brother, Richard, resents Edward’s power and the happiness of those around him. Malicious, power-hungry, and bitter about his physical deformity, Richard begins to aspire secretly to the throne—and decides to kill anyone he has to in order to become king. Using his intelligence and his skills of deception and political manipulation, Richard begins his campaign for the throne. He manipulates a noblewoman, Lady Anne, into marrying him—even though she knows that he murdered her first husband. He has his own older brother, Clarence, executed, and shifts the burden of guilt onto his sick older brother King Edward in order to accelerate Edward’s illness and death. After King Edward dies, Richard becomes lord protector of England—the figure in charge until the elder of Edward’s two sons grows up. Next Richard kills the court noblemen who are loyal to the princes, most notably Lord Hastings, the lord chamberlain of England. He then has the boys’ relatives on their mother’s side—the powerful kinsmen of Edward’s wife, Queen Elizabeth—arrested and executed. With Elizabeth and the princes now unprotected, Richard has his political allies, particularly his right-hand man, Lord Buckingham, campaign to have Richard crowned king. Richard then imprisons the young princes in the Tower and, in his bloodiest move yet, sends hired murderers to kill both children. By this time...
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...What immediate problems did Henry VII after he had defeated Richard III (at Bosworth) and how did he solve them? His claim to the throne was weak; in fact it was the weakest claim since William the Conqueror. His claim was through an illegitimate line (somewhere in his family history two of his ancestors had not been married) and he was technically barred from the throne. Other claimants (people who thought they had a right to be King) included: 1. Edward, Earl of Warwick – Nephew of Richard III and Edward IV. 2. John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln – Nephew of Richard III and Edward IV. He had been nominated by Richard III as his heir. 3. Edmund de la Pole – Nephew of Edward IV and Richard III. 4. The Princes in the Tower - Edward V and his brother Richard. Sons of Edward IV. The Yorkists still had support in the north of England and in Ireland and had a powerful ally in Richard III's sister Margaret, dowager duchess of Burgundy. This made it inevitable that other claimants would crop up and challenge Henry for the throne. Many of the barons/nobles still possessed armies (retainers) that were a constant threat to Henry and peace in the country. (Overmighty subjects) The crown's treasury was nearly empty after the 100 Years War and the subsequent War of the Roses. England did not enjoy good relations with many countries of Europe. There was a constant threat of invasion from Europe on behalf of the Yorkists. All the powers of Europe doubted Henry's ability to survive, and most were...
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...The first extract, extract 5.2 from L. Davies, immediately states Henry used harsh measures against the nobility, starting with presumably policy inaugurated in 1502 in order to control the nobility and ensure they were not in a position to threaten him or his remaining son; this was because his wife and two of his sons had died in 1502. The source suggests that the measures used against nobles were not always justified- however as relating to the earlier sentence a weakness in the Tudor dynasty had been opened after the deaths of his sons, and Henry did manage to keep in control of the nobility throughout his reign and his son successfully succeeded him to the throne. The extract states that the reasons of Henry VII’s actions and measures were not always politic; this can be justified as many of Henry’s policies were instead economic (though arguably this can be linked back to political motivation), for example his assertion of feudal dues over the nobility to give him money. This took many forms such as escheats, when land reverted to the Crown a payment would have to be made to Henry, and wardship where the King took control of the estates of minors until they became of age, and was able to siphon the profits from these estates. Henry’s motivation throughout his reign can be consistently seen to improve his economic state and increase the amount of land he owned, rather than to pull nobles over to his side- however this is also politic, as land and money was a direct correlation...
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