One scene one and two of the play? Essay

   Another place where Shakespeare has provided the ability to modify mood, is during 1:2 : Anne: ‘And thou unfit for anyplace but hell! ‘ Richard: ‘Yes, one place else, if you let me name it. ‘ Anne: ‘Some dungeon’. Richard: ‘Your bed-chamber’ (lines 109 – 112 inclusive) Shakespeare is creating a new mood on the stage by the event order. He has written it in such a way that the audience can become intrigued by what has happened, and feel characters emotions themselves. He manages to alter mood on stage with just a single sentence if need be. For example, during lines 1 : ii : 109 – 112 Shakespeare has changed the mood from arguing, distraught and anger to a small period of humour. Also in giving him different roles, Richard can succeed in his plans, and manipulate Anne. Richard plays with Anne’s emotions and can be persuasive by flattering her greatly. He is also manipulative to Clarence: †Tis not the King that sends you to the tower My Lady Grey his wife, Clarence – ’tis she’ (lines 63 + 64) Richard is turning Clarence against the queen. He wants to be the last person Clarence suspects of sending him to tower. Shakespeare has written a lot of parts in the play incredibly skilfully and used a personal style of writing (Similar techniques are used throughout his plays, and are notable here. They were especially unique to him). Richard has one last word with Clarence, and promises to get him released. Act One scene two opens with Lady Anne standing next to King Henry VI’s coffin, who was her father in law, but was murdered by Richard before the play started. Anne speaks a long soliloquy of similar length to that of Richard’s at the beginning of the play while weeping. ‘Cursed be the hands that caused these fatal holes! Cursed the heart that had the heart to do it! Cursed the blood that let this blood from hence! ‘ (line 14 – 16 inclusive) Anne is distraught with what has happened and screams upon the murderer. When she curses the blood, she is referring to Richard’s family as a whole, and the rest of the curses, are for Richard himself. It is a very important part in the soliloquy and adds mood to the speech. Shakespeare also uses repetition and imagery to great effect. The audience can really feel strong emotions spoken by characters. Anne says the word ‘wounds’ many times referring to the gashes in King Henry’s body. At one point Anne uses the word windows instead of wounds. This is a simile where she is saying that she is looking into the gashes. She feels that by looking through what are the windows of King Henry, she is looking into the truth behind his murder. Richard enters the scene, and Anne compares him to the devil. Shakespeare shows Richard as a strong, confident, brave man at this point. He is not affected by those he has hurt. ‘O, gentlemen, see, see! Dead Henry’s wounds Open their congealed mouths and bleed afresh! Blush, blush, thou lump of deformity, For ’tis thy presence that exhales this blood† (line 65 – 68 inclusive) Shakespeare creates another play on words, where Richard questions Anne’s foul mouth and she replies exclaiming that he is a villain. Richard introduces compliments, comparing Anne to an angel and she responds consistently with insults. Richard tells Anne to take up his sword and to kill him for his crimes, but she cannot kill him. He says to her: ‘Take up the sword again, or take up me. ‘ (line 184) Despite her prejudice against him, Anne is slowly won over by his pleas and agrees to marry him. Richard’s supreme skill in the art of insincere flattery has won him Anne. When she leaves the stage, Richard feels triumphent about his success in wooing her, but reveals that he will soon be rid of her. In this soliloquy, he reflects back on his evil actions as well as how well everything is going. Shakespeare has revealed to the audience that he can be incredibly persuasive and manipulative that he has succeeded in his task, and is becoming very evil. Shakespeare’s plays were of course not intended to be historically accurate but were designed for entertainment and maximum dramatic affect. In Richard III Shakespeare alters, and adds to the audience’s perception and opinion of Richard using language and by changing historical facts. Richard III has always been one of his most popular plays and, since its earliest performances, great actors have leaped at the chance to play the scheming murderous tyrant. Throughout the play, Richard and many others, call attention to what he himself terms his ‘deformity’. In Shakespearean times, people believed that being ugly was a reflection of a sinful evil nature, or perhaps a punishment for past wrong doings. Richard III didn’t actually have a hunchback or withered arm. But this is not the only historical reference that has been changed. Shakespeare compresses time to suit the play’s performance. To achieve dramatic intensity he made all kinds of alterations and additions. For example, Henry VI’s funeral actually occurred seven years before Clarence’s imprisonment; and Shakespeare invented Richard’s wooing of Anne. Condensing time, and changing details helps the play to ‘flow’. It provides a smoother front to the story, and also allows Shakespeare to write as he pleases. Language was another key ingredient which Shakespeare used to give Richard different personas at different times in the play. Most commonly: during 1:i and 1:ii, Richard could appear to be two different types of people, the villain, or the hero. He uses many metaphors and similes in his plays as they are often clever comparisons or a good way of revealing character’s emotions and events. Word play, and special uses of language including dramatic irony, and dramatic intensity were used. Using cleverly laid out language Shakespeare could easily alter moods and opinions of characters in the play. In this way, Shakespeare has successfully shaped the audience’s perception of Richard which also alters their perceptions of the play itself. Henry Hayhurst-France Coursework Essay: Richard III 10B Draft Version Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Richard III section.