espite differing contexts, textual conversations enable the communication of enduring
D
human values, as the dialogue between original and appropriated texts reveals how themes
of moderation and sincerity transcend temporal boundaries.
ropagated through the Globe theatre and mediated by the Tudor monarchy, Shakespeare’s
P
historical tragedy play,King Richard III(1597)exploresnotions such as theportrayal of
womenand thedestructive consequences of uncheckedambitionwhile reinforcing divine
providence.
ecognising the temporal dissonance between Shakespearean values and contemporary
R
audiences, Pacino’s pastiche postmodern docudramaLooking for Richardemploys hybrid
cinematic and post-structuralist techniques to recontextualise Richard’s psychological
complexity, challenging Shakespeare’s moral imperatives, making them resonant for secular
humanist viewers.
T hroughmeta-theatrical commentarywhere actors discussRichard's motivation, Pacino
positions contemporary audiences to view Richard aspsychologically complexrather than
inherently evil, thuschallengingmoral binary judgements.
eshaping the original form, Pacino’s docudrama communicates to a secular society the
R
importance of acting with moderation, by exploring thepsychological consequencesof
individuals acting with unbridled ambition.
S hakespeare’s King Richard III, shaped by Elizabethan Christianity and Providentialist values,
employs supernatural apparitions including the ghosts’ prophetic warning‘despair and die’
to foreshadowRichard’s downfall, positioning audiencestointerpret his demise as divine
retribution for disrupting the Great Chain of Being.
S hakespeare's use ofantithesisbetween Richmond asHenry Tudor and Richard as the vice,
legitimises Queen Elizabeth 1 reign and affirms the Tudor Myth, evident where the ghosts of
the two young princes state“beget a happy race ofkings”.
S hakespeare'smanipulation of stagingto portraytheghosts on the stage as actual humans
increases a sense of physical embodiment, justice and external guiltin Richardas “if Idie no
one will pity me,”alsoheightens the immutabilityof his damnation.
onsequently, Richard’smoral indecision and fragmentedthought process, owing to his
C
ultimate reversal of previous complicity, isevidentin the disjointed syntax: ‘I am a villain. Yet
I lie, I am not’ (5.3.194).
T his evokes a lack of sympathy from an Elizabethan audience, who would understand a
Machiavel, more than Pacino’s modern viewers.
F urthermore, Shakespeare’sjudicious use of theatreand rhythmic portrays Richard’s
realisation that his machiavellischemes have lefthim isolated, highlighting the downfall of
humanists who disrupt the great chain of being, severing their relationship with God.
D
human values, as the dialogue between original and appropriated texts reveals how themes
of moderation and sincerity transcend temporal boundaries.
ropagated through the Globe theatre and mediated by the Tudor monarchy, Shakespeare’s
P
historical tragedy play,King Richard III(1597)exploresnotions such as theportrayal of
womenand thedestructive consequences of uncheckedambitionwhile reinforcing divine
providence.
ecognising the temporal dissonance between Shakespearean values and contemporary
R
audiences, Pacino’s pastiche postmodern docudramaLooking for Richardemploys hybrid
cinematic and post-structuralist techniques to recontextualise Richard’s psychological
complexity, challenging Shakespeare’s moral imperatives, making them resonant for secular
humanist viewers.
T hroughmeta-theatrical commentarywhere actors discussRichard's motivation, Pacino
positions contemporary audiences to view Richard aspsychologically complexrather than
inherently evil, thuschallengingmoral binary judgements.
eshaping the original form, Pacino’s docudrama communicates to a secular society the
R
importance of acting with moderation, by exploring thepsychological consequencesof
individuals acting with unbridled ambition.
S hakespeare’s King Richard III, shaped by Elizabethan Christianity and Providentialist values,
employs supernatural apparitions including the ghosts’ prophetic warning‘despair and die’
to foreshadowRichard’s downfall, positioning audiencestointerpret his demise as divine
retribution for disrupting the Great Chain of Being.
S hakespeare's use ofantithesisbetween Richmond asHenry Tudor and Richard as the vice,
legitimises Queen Elizabeth 1 reign and affirms the Tudor Myth, evident where the ghosts of
the two young princes state“beget a happy race ofkings”.
S hakespeare'smanipulation of stagingto portraytheghosts on the stage as actual humans
increases a sense of physical embodiment, justice and external guiltin Richardas “if Idie no
one will pity me,”alsoheightens the immutabilityof his damnation.
onsequently, Richard’smoral indecision and fragmentedthought process, owing to his
C
ultimate reversal of previous complicity, isevidentin the disjointed syntax: ‘I am a villain. Yet
I lie, I am not’ (5.3.194).
T his evokes a lack of sympathy from an Elizabethan audience, who would understand a
Machiavel, more than Pacino’s modern viewers.
F urthermore, Shakespeare’sjudicious use of theatreand rhythmic portrays Richard’s
realisation that his machiavellischemes have lefthim isolated, highlighting the downfall of
humanists who disrupt the great chain of being, severing their relationship with God.
