Richard III Essay

Richard III is a play written by William Shakespeare that involves the battle of two men by the names of Richard and Richmond. These two men are not simply rivals; however, they are in fact brothers who happen to both be fighting for the royal crown to become the next king. The word Machiavellian is defined as a person who is devious, two-faced, and scheming. Both Richard and Richmond attempt to make the other candidate appear to be inconsiderate and not of best fit for a position of power. Richmond is a more Machiavellian character in that he is a fighter which goes along with winning and he is trying to seize power to rule England. Richmond is an ancestor of Shakespeare’s patron which in a way makes him appear like he is some sort of God

Richmond is essentially entitled to the throne because of his relations to Shakespeare. He also ended the War on Roses by himself. The War on Roses contained multiple battles in hopes of winning power which would put Richmond in control. The two competitors were those in support of the Royal House of Plantagenet. They came from both Lancaster and York. These battles started in the year 1455 and finally came to an end in 1485. Richmond has an exceedingly inflated ego; however, he does back that up by being a fierce warrior and besting Richard III in combat. Considering Richmond is so noble, he certainly is entitled. On the other hand, he does not simply want to be the King just to help but because he is also getting something out of this deal that helps him. He is battling Richard not simply for fun but to become a ruler of a kingdom, to unite the two

These actions are not the ordinary competitive actions. These actions are far more intense and deceiving. Richard is more straight-forward and conspicuous whereas Richmond tends to put more thought into his plotting. He is vastly strategic in the way he leads his army towards Richard to replace him. He gives his men orders and tells them exactly where to go. The night before the battle takes place, both Richard and Richmond gives their men a speech which varies tremendously in the tone they are given. Richard addresses his men in a demanding and stern way whereas Richmond is more polite and peaceful. He tells his men, “God and our good cause fight upon our side” (5.3.254) and calls Richard “a base foul stone, made precious by the foil of England’s chair” (5.3.265-267). By saying this, he is attempting to show his men that they have nothing to worry about and that since Richard is an enemy of God, God will be on their side. Richmond is trying to convince the people that Richard will simply let the power get to his head and he will not actually do any good for them. He is being manipulative when he says this which is also a part of