Richard III: My hero

Passage Analysis:


"The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight.
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear? Myself? There’s none else by.
Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I.Is there a murderer here?
No. Yes, I am.
Then fly! What, from myself? Great reason. Why:Lest I revenge.
Myself upon myself?Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good
That I myself have done unto myself?
O no, alas, I rather hate myself
For hateful deeds committed by myself.I am a villain"(V.v. 134-135)

Richard III, Duke of Gloucester, is perhaps the greatest villain in literary history. There are few characters which evoke greater hatred than this deformed and hideous historical figure. The above passage follows Richard's dream in which all those who he has killed visit him. Essentially this passage represents Richard's first encounter with his own humanity. He begins to experience something which he believed himself immune to: guilt and fear. He begins to question his emotions, beyond the hatred he feels for, well, everyone. The repetitive use of "I" and "myself," demonstrates Richard's self-reflection. Throughout the play Richard is driven by his personal desires and the desire to cause other's misery, yet he does not realize the condition of his self-loathing. He does not recognize that he truly hates himself. The Duke is amazed by the "...fearful drops standing on [his] trembling flesh..." for he did not know that he felt any sort of responsibility for the murder of those he had killed. Yet, he is left questioning why such a dream would disturb him to such an extent. Richard realizes that he has no reason to love himself and therefore his actions must be a product of his extreme hatred for himself, making him realize "I am a villian."

Commentary on Genre:

It is difficult to imagine that an individual like Richard actually existed. Shakespeare depicts this historic figure utilizing both factual and arguable evidence. While the play provides insight into the tumultuous atmosphere of this time in history(following the War of the Roses), I think the play serves more as an interpretation of Richard as an individual. Shakespeare created an image of Richard based upon his interpretation of the history. The evil nature of Richard, while revealed a great deal from his actions recorded in historic documents, truly comes alive in Shakespeare's interpretation. The language, the persuasive, cunning, and hate-filled lines of Richard III, embody the character far more effetcively than a textbook ever could.

Personal Response:

Although I know that admitting this will result once again in being accused of being a sinister person(as suggested by a certain teacher), Richard III, as of yet, is my favorite work of Shakespeare's. I found Richard's character fascinating. He is the most despicable villain ever to be created, yet people yield to his personality. He is physically deformed, but his personailty is even more warped, yet he is able to persuade a woman standing next to her dead husband(whom Richard had killed) that he would make a good replacement. I found Shakespeare's use of ironic, dark humor extremely effective in embodying Richard's personality, which in itself was fascinating.