In William Shakespeare's Richard III, Richard opens the play by informing the audience that, since he is "not fit for sports tours?" (Ii16) which are expected in peacetime after the victory of York, he can only prove to be a wicked and scheming villain. He goes on to describe his incompatibility with peacetime leisure in terms of his deformity, his hunched back, and his shriveled and weak arm, pointing to this as the source of his villainy. Like Joe Christmas in Faulkner's Light In August, Richard struggles with his mental and emotional identity in terms of his physical identity; Is Richard's physical condition a manifestation of his evil nature that further accentuates the depravity already present in Richard's mind, or is his bad behavior the result of years of physical deformity in a superstitious and intolerant society? After carefully reading and analyzing the piece, it becomes clear that it is true. In one sense, Richard's deformity is the cause of his vile nature; Richard's wickedness comes from his belief that his physical deformity and the effects of that deformity prevent him from being a good person. In this regard, Richard's condition limits him and leads to his ultimate emotional breakdown in the final act. Carefully analyzing Richard's opening monologue and his much later battlefield monologue, the effects of his physical deformity are evident. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayRichard's opening monologue establishes Richard's character and status as a villain for the entirety of the play" And therefore, since I cannot prove that he is a lover, / To entertain these well-spoken fair days, / I am determined to prove that I am a villain? » (II30-32). Through this speech he recognizes the audience as his confidant, so that his plans are always communicated and he is clear when he is deceiving the other characters. This is also the moment where he reveals the motivations for his bad actions, which he attributes entirely to his physical deformity: “Well, I, in this weak time of peace, / Have no pleasure in passing the time, / Unless I see my shadow in the sun / And become disillusioned with my own deformity? (II26-29). Since Richard needs to establish his status as an antagonist in light of the recent tranquility that has come to England, this leads us, the audience, to assume that he did not regard himself or be considered by others as a villain during the ancient period of hostilities. Keeping in mind that he was the warrior credited with killing King Henry and his son, thereby placing Richard's brother on the throne and winning the war for his family, Richard may have actually been considered a hero. Margaret, the queen of the ancien regime, echoes Lady Anne in the preceding scene when she names Richard the murderer of her husband and son: "You killed my husband Henry in the Tower, / And Edward, my poor son, at Tewksbury. » (I.iii.124-125). This indicates that his actions were not always malicious, indicating a different "Richard" A Richard compatible to some extent with his environment. This “other Richard” resurfaces in his interactions with Lady Anne in the second scene. Although Richard has convinced the audience that he is simply acting for Anne, his performance contradicts his earlier belief that he is unable to "prove that he is a lover?" (II30). Richard proves to be a very convincing "lover" since he succeeds in wooing her, to his own surprise, on the body of her deceased husband, whom he killed: "A woman ofhas this mood ever been courted? / Has any woman ever been in this mood? won?" (I.ii.241-242). Richard wears the facade of the lover as easily as he wore that of the villain in the first scene. He also proves to be a brother, an uncle and a very convincing and supportive in later parts of the play In fact, the further the play goes on, and the more roles Richard plays, the less credible his initial beliefs seem to be. Clearly, Richard has the capacity to be all that he is. wants, so why does his physique dominate his idea of ​​what he should be? Returning to the concept of Richard as a York war hero and champion of his family, one might naturally ask why he developed the? The murderous attitude towards them Perhaps the source of my condition lies in the attitude of his mother, who never shows Richard any maternal love or affection, even at the beginning of the play, before he commits crimes. atrocities Without straying from the fictional realm of the play, it is reasonable to theorize that Richard's mental perversity might be an indirect result of his mother and perhaps other characters' treatment of his physical deformity. Through her subsequent speeches, the audience discovers that the Duchess has abhorred Richard since his birth: “You came to earth to make the earth my hell. / Was your birth a heavy burden for me? (IV.iv.172-173). The audience can assume that his mother's attitude taught Richard to view himself as bad. At that time, it was superstitiously believed that the body reflected the soul. In this way, Richard's twisted and hideous form condemns him to be seen as "evil" or at least treated as such, whether or not that is his true nature. Without having a violent outcome like war, Richard falls into deeper isolation from his family than he had previously known. Although he fails to gain acceptance through victory in battle, Richard chooses to accept his isolation and attack them. The combination of his alienation and years of being treated like a deformed devil convinces Richard of his own wickedness and indicates vile behavior as his natural and expected disposition. If there is any question regarding Richard's identity crisis, it is confirmed by his soliloquy in act five. , Scene three. Here, Richard wakes up from a nightmare in which all his victims curse him. Shakespeare indicates Richard's heightened anxiety through the short exclamatory statements of this speech, which contrast with the long, sweeping sentences exhibited in his earlier soliloquy (Ii1-43). These statements confirm that Richard is loosening his grip on his self-esteem. After playing so many diverse roles in his rise to the throne, Richard is unable to come to terms with his actions and his identity. He addresses himself in the third person and calls himself a murderer; the resulting confusion among the audience at the level of language signifies their own psychological disorder: “Richard loves Richard; that is to say, I am me. / Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, am I? O! no: alas! I rather hate myself / For the hateful acts committed by myself” (V.iii.202-209). This speech indicates that he finally realizes the consequences of his murders and his betrayals; no one loves him and no one will mourn his death, "Nay, why should they, since I myself/I find it in me no pity for myself?" (V.iii.221-222). The audience sees Richard's self-depreciation exposed as he admits the immorality of his crimes. He describes himself as being "condemned" as wicked (V.iii.214), which contrasts sharply with his embracing attitude toward the antagonistic distinction in his first act soliloquy. It is also an example of the.