Richard III of England

Tragic love stories have fascinated humans since ancient times. They conquered the hearts of many and opened the ways for more love stories. Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 – to October 1400) is one of the most famous English authors of the middle ages. Chaucer is considered the father of English literature and thrilled the mass with his literary works. His most famous works include the Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. Yet, again a tragic love story that is still widely popular in the 21st…

Shakespeare-on film during the silent period. Scores of titles are listed merely for the first decade of the century: from 1 908 to 1911, not counting minor adaptations, "almost fifty new Morrow5 productions of Shakespeare were on the screens in America, England, and on the Continent," so Professor Ball informs us (p. 38). This influx, of course, comes early in the development of the motion picture and predates the most impressive historical contributions of, say, a David…

There are many iterations of the Hamlet story that have been filmed dating from 1907 up until the year 2009 yet only five of those many movies portray a good feeling and meaning for the“To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy. The five movies in mention are the Branagh, Gibson, Blockbuster, Olivier, and Doran’s versions. In the five movies the camera angle, actions of Hamlet, and the music do well at producing emotion in the viewer. But only one is superior to all. The Branagh version is the most…

The original text of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, has not changed significantly over the years. The text has been reprinted into a multitude of facsimiles, all retaining the same style of writing and speaking used in the original copy. The original play of Hamlet has been adapted over the years in film, to make an iconic and historic play more relatable to its audiences. These adaptations retain the combination of verse and prose used in the original version of Hamlet. This shows that Hamlet…

to the downfall of an individual regardless of contexts. A challenge towards the belief of providentialism in Shakespearean society is explored in King Richard III, portraying the impacts of an aspiration of power towards one’s humanity, rejecting God’s will for an improved social position. This notion is reimagined by Pacino in Looking for Richard to mirror the social ideal of the Great American Dream enabling individuals to pursue their goals but similarly criticises the lack of restraint and…

Authors use motifs to deliver the theme to the authors more effectively. In this story Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare used haste, time, and light and dark imagery as a motif to prove the theme of individual versus society. First, Shakespeare used haste as a motif to prove the theme of individual versus society. For example, Romeo and Juliet both committed suicide because Romeo didn’t got the message from friar Balthasar because of his hasty departure (Shakespeare, 5.1). This shows that after…

virtues that reciprocate to one's goals. The play Richard III involves a disfigured man, Richard, and his villainous quest to ascend the throne. Ideally having a birthright to become king would make his goal much easier; unfortunately this was not the case for Richard. Thus the usual play or story involving a hero is not present in Richard III. Virtues turn into corrupted virtues, noble and handsome transforms into monstrous and deformed; Richard is a villain in every sense of the word. He…

With all successful books and plays, there eventually comes a movie adaptation. Such movies can never represent the text exactly, but some do more justice to the original work than others. For plays as influential and complex as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there exists a wide and varied selection of movies that attempt to interpret the ambiguities of the play. Two very well-known screen adaptations have Ethan Hawke and Mel Gibson, respectively, playing the lead role of Hamlet. As staying true to the…

main texts, rather than editing a specific version. Many Shakespearians have named this film the most comprehensive adaptation as compared to both its predecessors and subsequent versions. The film is based out of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England and features a cast of recognizable actors. In comparison to other film adaptations, this film contains elements of fantasy, which its predecessors did not. Further, the film is based in the lavish baroque era, which focuses more on the…

One of the longest wars in history, the Hundred Years War was a bloodthirsty period of battle between England and France. The war was not limited to England and France; Scotland, a French ally, battled against England. It was further complicated by a civil war in France from 1407 to 1435 between the Burgundians and Armagnacs, noble factions in France. The English and French both supported different sides of the civil war in Spain, which prolonged the Hundred Years War. It was actually 116 years…