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Essay: Exploring commonalities between ‘Richard III’ and ‘Looking For Richard’

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  • Subject area(s): Essay examples
  • Reading time: 3 minutes
  • Price: Free download
  • Published: 23 March 2023*
  • Last Modified: 22 July 2024
  • File format: Text
  • Words: 887 (approx)
  • Number of pages: 4 (approx)
  • Tags: Shakespeare's Richard III

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This page of the essay has 887 words.

By exploring commonalities between texts, Whereby examining the conversational dialogue which exists between texts like William Shakespeare’s Richard III and Al Pacino’s Looking For Richard, we can come to understand how truly valuable such a textual relationship is to our understanding of our own humanity. You see, our lives are intrinsically intertwined with the literature which surrounds us. Quintessentially literature adds to our understanding of the human condition and it is within the textual dialogue between William Shakespeare’s Richard III and Al Pacino’s Looking For Richard. Today, we will come to discover that despite differences in textual form and context, that certain ideas and values transcend time. Within, Shakespeare’s Richard III, we discover the desire for authority present amongst us, and how this quest for power demands the sacrifice of an individual’s moral compass. Yet Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard has a different aim: creating a psychological interpretation of Richard for a multiracial, highly secular MTV audience, reflecting the authority exploiting the nature of modern politicians and leaders. Thus within Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’ and Al Pacino’s ‘Looking for Richard’ despite the former being a drama history play and the latter being a docu-drama, both elicit the value of morality and through the introduction of this value in Richard III and the re-shaping of this value in Looking for Richard, the constructs of morality from the two distinctive contexts are accentuated.

This quest for power is pursued for greater recognition, which prompts negative individual ambition. The War of Roses, during the 15th century distorted the honourable nature of power, into a largely self-driven Machiavellian cause. Thus, Richard’s exaggerated physical flaws illustrate a ruthless tyrannical figure who chooses “to prove a villain,” as a result of being an outcast to society. Richard’s first soliloquy defends his ostracism from social paradigms, causing him to resort to speaking to his audience. Initially, Richard’s ambition for supremacy is largely unrecognised by others but foiled through his attribute as a “foul hunch-backed toad.”

Morality is determined by the extent to which individuals pursue their desires, in which our socio-cultural context influences the reception of our actions by society. The immoral actions of Richard become highly chastised by an Elizabethan society which demean “God’s enemy.” Richard’s lack of conscience is further rekindled by his mother; his birth was “a grievous burthen,” an accurate prophecy as he “murders his brothers.” Richard’s lack of regard for family ties vindicate a non-existent moral encompass which “Brother…G…the murderer be.” Ultimately, theocentric and feudalistic upholding during Elizabethan England permitted Richard to exploit his human morality, while his actions reinforce a villainous corrupted individual with his non-secular society.

Our morality can often be acknowledged by how we perceive and respond to our past shortcomings. Looking for Richard exhibits Richard as a morally flawed individual rather than a “grand tyrant of the Earth.” The docudrama format seeks alternate perspectives; by utilising the adoration of Pacino to shed greater perceptions on Richard’s inner working of conscience. Manipulation of chiaroscuro embodies Richard in darkness highlighting the extent of his disability juxtaposing the “some pity for him.” Pacino, attempts to re-establish how 20th century audiences with a greater sense of liberal ethics fail to understand Shakespeare’s emphasis on creating a “kind of devil.” Additionally, Pacino’s costuming of regal clothing contrasted with a baseball cap, indicates the collaboration within his character. Hence, Pacino conceptualises Richard as a modern cult figure, with common values rather than one who “wants to be king.” The ethics of leadership on the basis of one’s religious affiliations is also questioned through the meta-documentary format. Although, Pacino being Richard is prominent in non-secular Elizabethan society, Pacino transitions away indoctrination suggesting “a person has an opinion,” reinforcing the postmodern view against naïve realism. Hence, Pacino sets important scenes at the Cloisters rather than various religious confinements, enforcing the transition to which we base our fundamental principles on the achievement of mankind rather than God. Therefore, Looking For Richard enforces how our changing environment contributes to the degree that one’s moral conscience is assessed.

Pacino’s Looking for Richard embodies post-modernist thinking; consequently empowering the viewer to be the judge of Shakespeare’s Richard III. (Slide:What is Post-modernism) Post-modernism is characterised through a late 20th century view challenging dominant discourses such as religion. Pacino manipulates our preconceived judgments about Shakespeare, through a fade in shot of the title, from ‘King Richard’ to ‘Looking for Richard,’ epitomising how modern audiences have the power to formulate their own perceptions without bias, utilising Shakespeare to “instruct us.” Furthermore, the essence to understand Shakespeare stems from modern day leadership where people “want a change,” with greater voice. Hence, breaking of the fourth wall from Pacino makes Richard’s leadership motives more accessible to the audience who have a “connection made.” Furthermore, the use of vox pops, allows Pacino to distribute authority and voice to mass American audience, thus bridging the stigma of “inferiority… from the British. Consequently, Pacino has the power “communicate…Shakespeare to others,” however alternatively uses Hollywood actors, to generate greater moral teachings so we “wouldn’t be so violent.” Essentially, Pacino extends his authority through this film format, to contextualise the relevance of Shakespearean ideas in a modern, multicultural society.

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