Richard the Third as a Hero or a Villain

2535 Words6 Pages

A hero is a man who is distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility and strength to carry out tasks that are involving great risks. A hero can also be a person who fights for other people to help or save them from their fears. He opposes the villain- a person who does wicked or evil intentionally to harm others in some way, emotionally or physically. A character that is placed to do badly. He is always opposing the hero to overthrow the hero’s qualities to gain power from the other side to help him or his side. Villain: Richard is seen as a villain in some aspects because he kills anyone who stands in his way. Richard talks about a pretext for his villainy by pointing out his physical deformity. “Why, I in this weak piping time of peace. Have no delight to pass away the time unless to spy my shadow in the sun and descant on mine own deformity. And therefore since I cannot prove a lover to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain and hate the idle pleasures of these days.” He says that since he was not made to be a lover, he has no use for peace, and will willingly destroy peace with his crimes. This contributes to a very villainous role. Richard begins his movement for the throne. He manipulates Lady Anne, into marrying him, even though she knows that he murdered her first husband. He has his own older brother, Clarence, executed, and shifts the burden of guilt onto his sick older brother King Edward. He is eager to get the throne and he kills an enormous amount of people to get there: King Edward. Court noblemen, Lord Hastings, kinsmen of Edward, Queen Elizabeth, the two young princes and Queen Anne. These people were killed because he needed to get the throne for his greed. Only a villain would commit these crimes for his greed. Richard is disloyal by betrayal of close family, friends and relatives.

Show More
Related

  • Comparison of King Richard III and Looking for Richard

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ive for Richard’s manipulation in different ways, reflecting the values of their respective zeitgeists, and Looking for Richard emphasizes that there is no fear of divine retribution in the modern context, but the impact of their immoral behavior on their individual identity.

    Read More

  • Richard III's Usurpation and His Downfall

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Richards usurpation of the throne was not the only reason why people did not like or trust him however. Richard, Duke of Gloucester arrested Hastings on a false charge of treason on the 13th June 1483 and had him beheaded without trial (beheading for treason was common for nobility). This alarmed other nobles who were shocked at the speed which Richard was prepared to dispatch people who he though could possible oppose him. Hastings was a well liked noble who had got on incredibly well with Richards brother Edward. This infuriated many nobles as the execution without trial was again unjust.

    Read More

  • Richard III and Looking For Richard Connections

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    To explore connections between texts is to heighten understanding of humanity’s progressing values and the underlying relevant themes that continue to engage societies regardless of context. William Shakespeare’s King Richard III (1592) (RIII) and Al Pacino’s docudrama Looking for Richard (1996) (LFR) demonstrate how opinion is created through comparative study, both explore the struggle for power within differing contexts to determine the duplicity of humanity. Ultimately, despite the divergent eras of composition and textual form, these connections expose the relevant social commentaries of their composers, highlighting innately human values, which remain constant.

    Read More

  • Robert Ross the Anti-Hero

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Robert Ross’ whole life he grew up in a household where they did what was expected of them, rather than what was right. The type of people that Findley place in Robert’s life is what molds him into the type of character he becomes. Timothy Findley manipulates what a hero is supposed to be, by making Robert Ross a distorted kind of hero. Robert Ross exemplifies anti-heroism throughout the text because of his need to be a savior but inability to do so, his morals and his connection with animals.

    Read More

  • The Chocolate War - Transformation of Jerry

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as any man admired for his courage, qualities or exploits, especially in war. Some people attribute the term hero mostly to war. My personal definition of a hero is someone who takes a stand against evil or an unjust cause. The term hero can be applied to anyone, it isn’t necessary to save the world from explosion to be a hero. The act of standing up for a friend can also be called a heroic act.

    Read More

  • Spain’s Golden Age and the Reign of Philip II

    1911 Words  | 4 Pages

    time when some activity is at its peak, or as a period of great peace,

    Read More

  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Richard III as King of England

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Evaluating the Effectiveness of Richard III as King of England In April 1493, Edward IV died suddenly and Richard was appointed ‘protector’ over his son who was too young to govern on his own. Richard gained the throne by he imprisoned the two sons of Edward and may even have had them executed. Like many Kings he murdered nobles (Hastings and Rivers) and their predecessors but the difference is his predecessor was a child. The usurpation was too ruthless and too ambitious that it coloured everything that he did during his reign. He tried to court popularity by the promotion of Justice, especially for the poor with the appointment of a master of requests.

    Read More

  • Stanhope from Journey's End by RC Sheriff

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    be a person who “saves the day” or is a hero in somebody else’s eyes

    Read More

  • Louis Riel: Hero or Villain?

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    Louis Riel was one of the most controversial figures in Canadian history, and even to this day – more than a century after his execution – he continues to be remembered. Many believed him to be a villain; others saw him as a hero. So who was he really? Born in St. Boniface at the Red River Settlement of Canada (present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba) on October 22, 1844, Louis Riel hoped one day to follow his father’s footsteps and become a great Métis leader just like him. Eventually, Riel was seen as a hero to the French-speaking Métis. In the Canadian West, however, most people regarded him as a villain due to his execution in 1885. Nevertheless, Louis Riel was not really a villain by heart; only a flawed man who made many mistakes in his life. Today many more people are seeing him as a visionary, and recognizing the numerous contributions that he made to building Canada up as a nation. He was indubitably a Canadian hero, mainly due to his involvement with the Métis, confederating Manitoba with Canada, and approaching problems peacefully.

    Read More

  • Essay On Fascism In Richard III

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Richard displays qualities of a Fascist leader from the beginning of the play. Richard is jealous of his brother’s power and the happiness of his family and friends. He has grown malicious and plots to take the throne. He has no qualms at the thought of killing anyone who gets in his way declaring “I am determined to prove a villain” Embarrassment over his physical deformities also plays a role in fueling this malicious intent. In the opening dialogue Richard declares himself cruel and evil “I am subtle, false, and treache...

    Read More

  • Red Badge Of Courage

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.

    Read More

  • Richard III Analysis

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Shakespeare was writing Richard III, he was limited in options of sources that depicted the history of Richard III. In regards to the nature in which the playwright portrayed the king, “Shakespeare borrowed these negative details from other sources such as Thomas More and enemies of Richard who dishonestly wrote the majority of his history” (“Historiography”). According to the University of Michigan, “Sir Thomas More had been born in 1478, seven years before the Battle at Bosworth, too young to remember anything first hand. More spent a portion of his youth in the household of Dr. John Morton. We may assume that More’s writings were based on what he heard and learned while there. Morton was one of Richard III’s bitterest enemies and we must view his recollections as tainted and biased” (“Historiography”). With this information, it is evident that More’s writing was heavily influenced by Tudor propaganda. His historical accounts of Richard III in his 1513 publication of The History of King Richard the Third portrays him in a light very similar to Shakespeare’s. More, describi...

    Read More

  • Harriet Tubman Hero

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hero. It’s a word that is used in multiple different contexts. A noble, selfless, and passionate person that holds nothing back. They risk their lives to save others and to be the best that they can be. They make a difference in our enormous world. Harriet Tubman. She is a hero that will be remembered forever. Step by step. Trail by trail. Navigating under the moonlight glow and putting her faith within the North Star. She dangerously led hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad, overriding the constant fear of being caught, she never gave up, and she did everything in her power that she could possibly do to end the horrific reality of slavery.

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Socially Destructive and Over-Ambitious Richard, in Shakespeare's Richard III

    2911 Words  | 6 Pages

    From the beginning of the play, the character of Richard is depicted as amiss. Thomas More’s account of King Richard states that King Richard“was malicious, wrathful, envious, and, from afore his birth ever forward” (More, 2005:10).King Richard’s mother, the Duchesse of York is said to have had a hard labour at his birth. Richard is said to have come into the wor...

    Read More

  • Hero: What Does It Mean?

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ng a hero. They can be anybody from any situation based off the perspective it’s directed in. A hero has to make sacrifices, small or big, in order to complete their goal or journey. Heroes are not selfish and take action on things they can do for others or to advance in their spiritual journey, sometimes both. There are many points as to what makes a hero; therefore, there is no set definition for one.

    Read More

More about Richard the Third as a Hero or a Villain

Open Document