Heroes and villains, protagonists and antagonists, princesses and paupers: tales as old as time. The duality of a morally good character opposing a wickedly evil character is the hallmark of most forms of literature. However, Richard III defies these conventions with its protagonist identifying both as a victim and villain in his own right. Richard envelops both characterizations which results in an internal power struggle. Additionally, Richard entraps the audience into his schemes and deludes their systems of knowledge as well.
The Tragedy of King Richard the Second is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1595-1596. It is the first in a four-part, “tetralogy,” (Bevington, 2014). As a whole, the plays tell the story of the political turmoil in England between 1390 and 1485. The other three plays in this historical chronical are the two parts of Henry IV and Henry V. In part, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second is a play about how King Richard II failed his country through poor leadership. Richard believes he has been appointed to the throne by God Himself, “Now, by my scepter’s awe I make a vow, such neighbor nearness to our sacred blood should nothing privilege him nor partialize the unstooping firmness of my upright soul,” (Shakespeare, 2014, 1.1.118-121).
Since a young age, Richard’s family was very religious, and they wanted Richard to follow in this path as well. However, they expose him to religion in violent and mentally abusive ways that make their purpose larger than religion itself while completely ignoring Richard’s attempts to make his own choices with religion. Even as Richard becomes older and more able to think for himself, his family’s actions only intensify and they forever change his opinion on religion. However, while Richard’s family was unethical in the way they exposed him to religion, their actions truly reflect the hardships that are associated with a poor African American family during their time. Throughout his childhood, Richard is constantly exposed to religion in unethical ways by his family.
Nevertheless, in one of William Shakespeare’s acclaimed plays, Henry V, Shakespeare depicted Henry V as a less than ideal king, even though he also displayed certain admirable qualities at times. From a Biblical perspective, an ideal king possesses, among other attributes, humility, peacefulness, and truthfulness. Certainly, at times, Henry appeared to possess these
Early during King Richard II’s reign as king he seemed to be doing great, but he soon took a drastic downward turn. He was betrayed from within his own family. King Richard II was born to be a leader, but his strong presence in the military would eventually become his downfall. To better establish the personal attributes and leadership qualities of King Richard II, his background must first be understood. He was born in England in the year 1367 and ruled England from 1377 to 1399 (Saul, 1997).
Richard became a king when he was very young and he does not know how to behave. He is wasting money on unnecessary things, he is not connected with his country and its people. He does not chose wisely counselors. The main problem appears when he starts to rent out parcels of his land to some noblemen in order to raise funds for one of his wars in Ireland, he seizes the goods of his uncle etc. His common people decide that he has gone too far.
Heroic individuals display a special set of traits that separate them from ordinary people. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. who was a civil rights activist during the 1960’s showed immense bravery in everyday life, and in situations that could possibly danger him. Dr. King also fought intensively for what he believed was morally correct, and made crucial sacrifices for the benefit of others. The actions and behaviors Martin Luther King Jr. displayed being a civil rights activists and a hero helped him become the influential individual the majority of the public in the U.S adored during the 1960’s. Such traits are a prime example of what constitutes a modern-day “hero”; bravery, determination, and sacrifice.
Richard’s prowess as a military leader, his benevolence and his sense of responsibility were all greatly exaggerated. Firstly, although Richard I was a very intelligent tactician and general, he
Richard I wasn’t very fond of his place of origin, demonstrating that by only spending six months out of his 10 year reign in England. Throughout the course of raising funds for his crusade, during which he sold a lot of property, he claimed that "If I could have found a buyer I would have sold London itself.". He was the third son in line for the throne and could not have any realistic expectations to become king. Henry the young king, his brother, died at a young age from dysentery. Geoffrey died in a tournament, making Richard I first in line for the throne.
Henry even went to such extreme lengths such as burning non-Latin bibles and torturing non-Catholics in order to gain affluence from the Church. The English King always carried his selfish motives along with him during all his alliances. In addition, when he published The Defense of the Seven Sacraments, Pope Clement VII honored him with the title, Defender of the Faith. He worked alongside the Pope, but he realized the power he dangled over him, and it fueled Henry’s anger. When King Henry’s wife, Catherine of Aragon, only gave birth to a