Shakespeare's Richard III - Essay Example

Richard III In the play by Shakespeare, Richard III, the audience manages to see how the duke of Gloucester, Richard rises to power in a deceitful way to become King Richard III. The play remains played by a deceitful character with a twisted mind. Richard in the play becomes drawn as evil, sadistic, corrupt, manipulative and never stopped at anything to get his target Kingship (Shakespeare, Johnson & Steevens 10). Richard plays in the play as a deceitful individual with ambitions of becoming the king of England.

In order to reach power, Richard has to commit many crimes. Even while in power, Richard becomes forced to do a lot of heinous acts like killing, thereby acting as agent of God’s providence, punisher of wrong doers, though eventually ends up punished by God (Shakespeare, Johnson & Steevens 18).In the play, Richard being disabled, power-hungry individual, devices ways of getting into power. In his aspiration to take his brother’s throne, King Edward, he manages to convince Lady Anne, a noble woman.

Through his cunning nature, Richard manages to have Clarence, his own elder brother executed. He then shifts the blame to King Edward accelerating Edward’s illness and death. It is only after King Edward dies that Richard takes over as the lord protector of England (Shakespeare, Johnson & Steevens 8). In addition, Richard ensures that the court nobleman loyal to the growing princes, especially, Lord Hastings becomes killed. He continues to play God by furthermore killing Queen Elizabeth (Shakespeare, Johnson & Steevens 38).

In addition, Richard imprisons the young princes and later murders them in the Tower they became imprisoned. Richard spreads terror among people of England to the extent of them teaming up with an earl of Richmond who was gathering forces to attack England. Richard had hoped to stay in power without opposition for long. Before Richmond attacked England, Richard arranges for his wife, Queen Anne murdered so that he could marry the young Elizabeth (Shakespeare, Johnson & Steevens 118). Even though, Queen Anne earlier knew that Richard was the one that killed her husband, she still became a wife of Richard and later ended murdered like her husband.

Richard planned and arranged for many people to die in order to take over the throne of England. A number of people became murdered by Richard. Richard became ruthless and feared in England by the common people due to his treacherous acts of murder. In murdering those people, Richard played a critical role in nature as an agent of God.Just like the fist of God punishing the sinners, eventually, Richard’s time came. Richard had a dream about his death prior to the battle next day where he got killed.

Richard died in the battle, and Richmond took throne with the young Elizabeth as his wife (Shakespeare, Johnson & Steevens 150). In conclusion, from the play, Richard III, Richard plays God by taking the lives of people the way he wants in order to get Kingship position. Richard takes the lives of Clarence, contributes to the early death of King Edward, Kills King Edward loyal noblemen, kills Queen Elizabeth, kills the two princes and finally kills Queen Anne. To avenge his treacherous life, God somehow decided to punish him through the death.

Once he is in power, God decides to punish him by ensuring that he gets killed in a battle with Richmond.Works CitedWilliam Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, George Steevens. Richard III. London: Bell, 1786. Print.