Richard III

BRAKENBURY
I am, in this, commanded to deliverThe noble Duke of Clarence to your hands:I will not reason what is meant hereby,Because I will be guiltless of the meaning.Here are the keys, there sits the duke asleep:I'll to the king; and signify to himThat thus I have resign'd my charge to you.

First Murderer
Do so, it is a point of wisdom: fare you well.

Exit BRAKENBURY

Second Murderer
What, shall we stab him as he sleeps?

First Murderer
No; then he will say 'twas done cowardly, when he wakes.

Second Murderer
When he wakes! why, fool, he shall never wake tillthe judgment-day.

First Murderer
Why, then he will say we stabbed him sleeping.

Second Murderer
The urging of that word 'judgment' hath bred a kindof remorse in me.

First Murderer
What, art thou afraid?

Second Murderer
Not to kill him, having a warrant for it; but to bedamned for killing him, from which no warrant can defend us.

First Murderer
I thought thou hadst been resolute.

Second Murderer
So I am, to let him live.

First Murderer
Back to the Duke of Gloucester, tell him so.

Second Murderer
I pray thee, stay a while: I hope my holy humourwill change; 'twas wont to hold me but while onewould tell twenty.

First Murderer
How dost thou feel thyself now?

Second Murderer
'Faith, some certain dregs of conscience are yetwithin me.

First Murderer
Remember our reward, when the deed is done.

Second Murderer
'Zounds, he dies: I had forgot the reward.

First Murderer
Where is thy conscience now?

Second Murderer
In the Duke of Gloucester's purse.

First Murderer
So when he opens his purse to give us our reward,thy conscience flies out.

Second Murderer
Let it go; there's few or none will entertain it.

First Murderer
How if it come to thee again?

Second Murderer
I'll not meddle with it: it is a dangerous thing: itmakes a man a coward: a man cannot steal, but it accuseth him; he cannot swear, but it cheques him;he cannot lie with his neighbour's wife, but itdetects him: 'tis a blushing shamefast spirit that mutinies in a man's bosom; it fills one full of obstacles: it made me once restore a purse of gold that I found; it beggars any man that keeps it: it is turned out of all towns and cities for a dangerous thing; and every man that means to live well endeavours to trust to himself and to live without it.

I found this passage from Shakespeare's Richard III to be a sort of imitation of Richards two sidedness. In this scene, Two murderers are bribed with money to kill Clarence. One of the murders feels no remorse in doing this deed, drawn to the prize that he gets after he finishes his job, the second murderer on the other hand, is having doubts about going through with this deed. I believe that this is dual attitude is made to represent Richard. Richard is a complex character with 2 very distinct personalities. In the face of people he puts on a mask and acts like the nicest person in the world, one that cares about people other than himself and would do anything for them, but he is lying through his teeth, for as soon as he is alone, the mask comes off and you see the true Richard, the one who will do anything to get what he wants. In the face of people he has a conscious, much like the second murderer, yet when he is alone, he is like the first one, with out a conscious where the only things that matter are those pertaining to himself and getting what he wants. Richard is not driven by what is morally right, or by what society has deemed as right, he does as he wishes, taking out anyone who stands in his way. He hired these murderers, and in this way they represent him and his dominant, if not insane, ways. The second murderer also represents what Richard does not have, the ability to sense right from wrong and to feel remorse for ones actions. He is almost like Richard's missing half. All people are self centered at times, focusing on themselves and their need to achieve and succeed, but they also have a conscious that tells them when something is morally wrong, Richard does not have this. He is solely concerned about himself and his rise to greatness, taking down anyone without a second thought, and if he does think about it, he only sees the good that it did him, not the pain that it did to others. In the last lines said by the Second Murderer, he basically explains Richards theory, that a conscious only hinders, if you want to be great you must do without one, for it will make you mad, thinking about all the wrong you did to get where you are today.

Histories are by far my favorite genre to read. Most people find histories to be dry and boring, but i believe that there is much to learn from them and that they can be quite interesting if you find the right one. I believe that Richard III was the right one. Richard had the right mix of history and woven in fiction, and they complimented each other perfectly. Through this genre, Shakespeare was able to convey the tragedy of Richard III, the power struggle, the historical events, and the inevitable outcome. Shakespeare was able to bring in historical facts, like Richard's deformity, which helped bring a personal touch into the work that made you feel as though you were there in those times. You were able to see the character and witness how he used his deformity as a weapon to make himself seem weak while really being a power stricken individual. The way in which Shakespeare wrote this play gets rid of the boring and mellow aspect of some historical novels, and replaces it with interesting if not mind boggling facts and actions which bring you not only into the play but into the time period itself. (and you thought histories were boring :p )

While I did say that I enjoyed reading historical novels, I found this one to be my least favorite one that I have read. I really do not enjoy reading Shakespeare as I have previously stated and I was constantly confused and lost with what was going on in the play. For me, I would have rather seen this one acted out, it would have been easier for me to relate to and understand. It is not that I did not like the play, it is just that I have difficulties reading Shakespeare's writing, I find it hard to understand. Other than that, the play and the characters themselves were incredible. Shakespeare was able to create such intricate characters and generate such strong reactions from the readers in a relatively short amount of time. I give his much applause on his capabilities as a writer to create characters that generate such a compelling reaction from the reader. I felt hatred, remorse, sadness, suspense, and intensity in all the correct places to to all the right people. I was able to feel the same pain the characters felt, and I was able to feel the insanity that coursed through Richard's veins. In this way I really enjoyed the play, I just wish Shakespeare could have written in a way that I was more capable of understanding in the first read through, not the second or third. Other than that, this was a good example of the history genre written by Shakespeare.