Richard is constantly manipulating characters around him in an acrobatic performance of subtlety and wordplay. Richard's skill at manipulating everyone around him is key to his success.
It also increases our begrudging admiration of him, even though it's pretty clear that he manipulates us, his audience, as well. By letting us in on the secret details of his scheming, he creates an atmosphere of complicity. Richard's manipulative tactics also keep the play lively, and the skill with which they're executed keep us on his side throughout most of the play. It's like looking inside an incredibly artful machine.
By making the audience members his confidants at the beginning of the play, Richard manipulates us just as he manipulates the characters around him. Richard is able to manipulate everyone around him because he's a good actor, has strong rhetorical skills, and can think on his feet.
What makes the manipulative tendencies of Iago and Richard disturbing outside of a contextual level is how easily these behaviors can be seen in the real world. Ultimately, I think this allows us to connect with the villains with a level of understanding that makes them more frightening than they would be otherwise, we can see their behavior in other people hopefully not ourselves.
I think the comparisons you made between Richard and Iago are pretty spot on. Richard on the other hand, has several people in the play doubt him. For example, Prince Edward has serious doubts about Richard when the two meet. Prince Edward is able to pick up right away that Richard is a false friend, and Richard would kill him if need be. Erin, After finishing the play and reading other blogs on Richard and Iago, I find myself equally as fascinated with the two characters and looking at them side by side.
Richard is a known villain and yet people still fall for his schemes. Most surprisingly for me as well was Lady Anne. How could it be that she would fall for his wicked words? It certainly raises a lot of questions for us as readers about the other characters, especially the female characters, and what Shakespeare is trying to say through their words as well as their actions.
Erin, I really enjoyed the way in which you compared both Iago and Richard. I compared them in my blog post this week as well, but I really liked the fact that you focused so much on the people that they manipulated, rather than solely focusing on their own methods of manipulation. I honestly had not considered the fact that Richard is so good at manipulating those around him due to the fact that he has known them previously.
He absolutely uses this to his advantage, seeing as he already knows all of them on a very personal level; this would mean that he would know their weaknesses, and would definitely use them to his advantage. I like how thoural your analysis of character manipulation comes across. Playing off of others personality traits I agree is the key component of the successful manipulation both men carry out.
That being said, I think your recognition of characters that are manipulated specifically women is very interesting. I did not think about gender when I wrote a while back about how characters are manipulated in Shakespeare plays. This is something I now realize I over looked because while Richard goes to great lengths to manipulate everyone, he simply use his words and not even very well and a meek amount of effort to win over Anne. It is also one of his last.
At line 1. The murderers do the deed anyway, but at line the second murderer voices his repent. As soon as the news of Clarence's death comes out, Richard is able to undo all of Edward's good by casting aspersions on the queen's kin, suggesting that they were at the root of Edward's death.
The irony is that the queen was the one who suggested that King Edward forgive Clarence. She wouldn't have done that if she'd been behind his death Weigh it but with the grossness of this age, You break not sanctuary in seizing him.
The benefit thereof is always granted To those whose dealings have deserv'd the place And those who have the wit to claim the place. This Prince hath neither claim'd it nor deserv'd it, And therefore, in mine opinion, cannot have it. Then, taking him from thence that is not there, You break no privilege nor charter there. Oft have I heard of sanctuary men; But sanctuary children never till now.
Like Richard, Buckingham is a master of manipulation. Here he argues about breaking the sanctity of sanctuary in a church. He even sounds pretty earnest about it, which makes you wonder to what extent Buckingham is aware of Richard's evil. By the logic he uses here, it seems Buckingham has learned how to justify anything. Also, the fact that Buckingham takes the time to rationalize and justify things makes him different from Richard, who never needs an excuse to do the unthinkable.
Richard compares himself to the theatrical device "Iniquity," which was a stock character in 16th century morality plays to encompass all of the vices. This is an explicit hint that Richard views himself as a talented actor who can play many roles. He approaches his life as a play, and he is both actor and narrator. Perhaps this is why he doesn't anticipate his miserable end. Who builds his hope in air of your good looks Lives like a drunken sailor on a mast, Ready with every nod to tumble down Into the fatal bowels of the deep.
Hastings realizes that he has been used by Richard, and he has no one to blame but himself. He curried favor with men rather than embracing the graciousness demanded of a Christian. Think of how he delighted in the deaths of his enemies at Pomfret.
Here Hastings realizes that he was walking a fatal line with Richard, and he's just stumbled to his death. Or that we would, against the form of law, Proceed thus rashly in the villain's death But that the extreme peril of the case, The peace of England and our persons' safety, Enforc'd us to this execution? He deserv'd his death; And your good Graces both have well proceeded To warn false traitors from the like attempts. I never look'd for better at his hands After he once fell in with Mistress Shore.
The mayor of London is all that stands in the way of the common people coming to realize that Richard is tyrannically killing people. So the mayor's sanction on Richard and Buckingham's hasty execution of Hastings is important. Buckingham outright lies to the mayor, and the mayor is somewhat skeptical. What changes the mayor's tune is Richard's manipulation.
Here Richard doesn't insist that Buckingham is right and bolster their story. Instead, he asks in feigned outrage whether the mayor is calling him a liar, suggesting that the mayor's skepticism is preposterous.
Again, it's that tactic of asserting one's power over the situation and making the accuser answer for himself, thereby deflecting the question from the punk who's actually guilty. The mayor quickly corrects his position, insists that he never trusted Hastings once the guy took up with a hooker, and seems satisfied to fall into Richard's manipulation.
It's almost like Richard is the leader of a club called the royalty and if you want to stay cool, you better believe what he says, no matter how ridiculous it seems.
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