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Richard III (Shakespeare Project Lecture) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-04-09 16:36:22
Imported:
2026-06
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  • William Shakespeare Lecture Richard.mp3

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Content

'Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York..."

Our journey through the works of William Shakespeare continues with the powerful climax of the saga of the Wars of the Roses.

We’re discussing the iconic role of Richard, the nemesis archetype, the emerging voice of Shakespeare, Tudor propaganda, character motivation, and much more.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 the villainy of Richard III
  • 2:30 this iconic play’s stage history
  • 3:20 the first actor to play Richard
  • 5:30 Shakespeare’s growing success
  • 8:35 when was Richard III composed?
  • 9:40 the voice of Richard emerges
  • 10:00 Shakespeare writing with gusto
  • 13:45 flashes of brilliance in this play
  • 14:10 meeting critics on our journey
  • 16:00 the poetry of Clarence’s dream
  • 17:50 great characters as roles of roles
  • 18:50 being confidant to Richard
  • 20:00 meeting inexhaustible characters
  • 21:43 the archetype of the nemesis
  • 24:00 essential vs existential self
  • 26:19 Henry VI vs Richard III
  • 27:00 the famous opening soliloquy
  • 30:00 determined to play the villain
  • 32:00 what magician conjures this fiend?
  • 35:41 character vs historical personage
  • 41:00 what is Richard’s motivation?
  • 45:00 curses abound in Richard III
  • 47:19 Richard haunted by his victims
  • 51:00 how to tell great vs poor writing
  • 53:00 marking Shakespeare’s development
  • 55:00 discussing the great plays to come
  • 56:00 on taking a vote for our favourites

Recommended Resources:

  • Memorisation Challenge: You might find learning Richard's opening soliloquy off by heart unlocks new realms of appreciation. Exposure to many different readings will help you absorb the lines. I recommend starting with Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Al Pacino, and Benedict Cumberbatch.
  • RSC Edition: The Arden series is still phenomenal, but I love the minimalist approach taken in the Royal Shakespeare Company edition when it comes to Richard III. Like with the Henry VI plays, we have some great contextualising material from Jonathan Bate.
  • The Meaning of Shakespeare: We will continue to meet wise sages in the form of Shakespearean critics over the course of our journey. Harold Goddard is one whose acquaintance I recommend you to make. The first volume of The Meaning of Shakespeare has a splendid chapter on Richard III.
  • Princes in the Tower: One of my personal favourite historians, Lucy Worsley, has a fantastic documentary on the princes in the tower here.
  • The King in the Carpark: This tremendous documentary is well worth watching as it follows member of the Richard III Society Philippa Langley's quest to uncover Richard's burial site.
  • The Daughter of Time: If you're looking for a great detective story connected to Richard III, Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time sees her Scotland Yard Inspector character Alan Grant recuperating from a broken leg and seeking to do some cold case investigative work from his hospital bed. 
  • Recommended Adaptations: I continue to recommend The Hollow Crown series, and find Benedict Cumberbatch does a superb job in the role, but I also highly recommend the classic Laurence Olivier film version. Which performance do you prefer? 

Questions for You:

1) What did you make of the character of Richard? 

2) Do you see an improvement in the quality of Shakespeare's writing?

3) What line, passage, or idea most resonated with you? And what is your personal grading for Richard III?

Happy reading, Bardolators!

Files

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Comments

Sarah Clark

Well, given I was already a sucker for the history plays, Richard III was a slam dunk for the best play thus far. I watched the original (and superior to Netflix) BBC House of Cards with Ian Richardson many moons ago. It's more or less Richard III set in Post-Thatcher UK with a bit of Macbeth sprinkled in to the later seasons, and I'm going to have to go back and rewatch it now that I can catch more of the references. (Plus I'm always up for any excuse to watch Ian Richardson chew scenery ;-) ) Richard, while a simplistic villain based on what's to come, is actually one of the more fleshed-out characters so far. He's certainly the most compelling, basically jumping off the page and forcing you to pay attention. His powers of persuasion do seem a bit implausible, but not totally (we can all think of real-world politicians that aren't much more subtle than him), and he has a good satisfying character arc. There's a reason we still quote this play. Other than act 5 being a bit abrupt, the play is well-plotted, and Shakespeare's writing is improving by leaps and bounds in both style and structure. There have been glimmers of The Great Shakespeare here and there, but this is the first play where everything seems to click from beginning to end. Favorite line: It's slightly cheating to say "the entire act 5 scene 3 speech", but his whole epiphany is quite powerful and leaves us--and Richard-- realizing that under all the scheming lay a pathetic little man who could have used his formidable talents for good, but opted for greed instead. "I shall despair. There is no creature loves me, And if I die no soul will pity me. And wherefore should they, since that I myself Find in myself no pity to myself?" After this, the rest of the play is just tying up the loose ends, more anticlimax than denoument. Richard III: B+ Lucrece: B Henry VI: B- (Pt1 C-, Pt2 B, Pt3 B+) Taming of the Shrew: C Titus Andronicus: C Venus & Adonis C- Two Gentlemen of Verona: C- Comedy of Errors: D

Rebekah Sunday

Absolutely the best play Shakespeare had yet written in his earlier development. Richard iii is a fantastic character and a prototype for the sinister villains to come. Wonderful female characters as well. The Hollow Crown’s adaptation is captivating. Love it.

Rebekah Sunday
>>117590453

And Goddard’s chapter on this play is SO good. “All the rest of [Shakespeare’s] works are a study in how the red rose and the white rose may be united. For the red and the white—blood and spirit— are the indispensable ingredients of life. So far, history has been little else than an account of the warfare between them. It is the function of the post to marry them, to bring peace between them.”