Robert H. Davis Interpretation Of Richard III
An Evaluation of Robert H. Davis' Interpretation of Richard III
By: Mr. Michael R. McCaffrey
This past Sunday, on October 20th around three o’clock in the afternoon, I had the pleasure to watch a play that was scripted into history centuries ago. Shakespeare left the world astounded during his time; through witty word play and perfected analogies he was eligible to infatuate not only the people of his time, but captivate those of more modern times today. These reenactments continue to be portrayed, I was lucky enough to be a participant of his Richard III play as depicted by Robert H. Davis, the director, that took place at the Roberts Theater in Hartford, Connecticut. A school renowned for its performing …show more content…
A feud between two families, the house of York and the house of Lancaster finally come to a stalemate during the time of Edward IV's reign. However, Edward's brother, Richard, who has never been satisfied with the course of his life due to his physical deformities and lack of relationships in courting a wife has reached a peak of stress and strives for an authoritative position. He wishes to become king. A con-artist skilled in the areas of deviance and manipulation through his tongue, systematically kill the competition relating to the ladder of power which is overseen by the King. Richard goes to great lengths, so far that they include killing his brother. His intolerance to these acts and lack of remorse are displayed throughout the play, his actions result in grievance and pain of many others, one of which includes his older brother, King Edward. The King is currently sick and his illness grows stronger as the corruption increases. Past wars between the two families, York and Lancaster, are again fueled because of Richard's tactics that revolve around taking out Queen Elizabeth's side of the family. Eventually, the audience views the play from a different angle that corresponds to the people of the town. They grow fearful of Richard's power due to his bloody, power-hungered nature. Word of a challenger to Richard begin to tornado throughout the town, a …show more content…
Obviously, because of time management purposes, they truncated portions of the play however the major themes and motifs were still clearly identifiable. I originally was not looking forward to the play, I thought to myself, “I could be watching football.” However, I laughed at one point when I found my jaw dangling above the floor. Flabbergasted is the only word I can use to describe the actor, Andrew Mazer, the individual who played Richard. His unnatural, cynical walk along with his height corresponded directly toward my interpretation of Richard while reading the play, aside from the pirate hook of course. When enraged, his voice shook through the theater along with my bones. When trying to be sincere, his tongue slithered like a snake. I never realized how much assonance and consonance Shakespeare used in his plays but the imagery ceased to amaze me, until I heard it fluently expressed aloud. Another actress whose perception of her character was ideal was Queen Margaret, played by Emmaline Riley. Riley did a phenomenal job during the scene where she curses out Richard. Her black witch-like outfit further supported her characterization of being negative. Throughout her entire stage time, her grieving outlook on life is clearly shown multiple times. For example, her make-up running down her face symbolize the tears she once cried, along with her spastic movements conclude her
By: Mr. Michael R. McCaffrey
This past Sunday, on October 20th around three o’clock in the afternoon, I had the pleasure to watch a play that was scripted into history centuries ago. Shakespeare left the world astounded during his time; through witty word play and perfected analogies he was eligible to infatuate not only the people of his time, but captivate those of more modern times today. These reenactments continue to be portrayed, I was lucky enough to be a participant of his Richard III play as depicted by Robert H. Davis, the director, that took place at the Roberts Theater in Hartford, Connecticut. A school renowned for its performing …show more content…
A feud between two families, the house of York and the house of Lancaster finally come to a stalemate during the time of Edward IV's reign. However, Edward's brother, Richard, who has never been satisfied with the course of his life due to his physical deformities and lack of relationships in courting a wife has reached a peak of stress and strives for an authoritative position. He wishes to become king. A con-artist skilled in the areas of deviance and manipulation through his tongue, systematically kill the competition relating to the ladder of power which is overseen by the King. Richard goes to great lengths, so far that they include killing his brother. His intolerance to these acts and lack of remorse are displayed throughout the play, his actions result in grievance and pain of many others, one of which includes his older brother, King Edward. The King is currently sick and his illness grows stronger as the corruption increases. Past wars between the two families, York and Lancaster, are again fueled because of Richard's tactics that revolve around taking out Queen Elizabeth's side of the family. Eventually, the audience views the play from a different angle that corresponds to the people of the town. They grow fearful of Richard's power due to his bloody, power-hungered nature. Word of a challenger to Richard begin to tornado throughout the town, a …show more content…
Obviously, because of time management purposes, they truncated portions of the play however the major themes and motifs were still clearly identifiable. I originally was not looking forward to the play, I thought to myself, “I could be watching football.” However, I laughed at one point when I found my jaw dangling above the floor. Flabbergasted is the only word I can use to describe the actor, Andrew Mazer, the individual who played Richard. His unnatural, cynical walk along with his height corresponded directly toward my interpretation of Richard while reading the play, aside from the pirate hook of course. When enraged, his voice shook through the theater along with my bones. When trying to be sincere, his tongue slithered like a snake. I never realized how much assonance and consonance Shakespeare used in his plays but the imagery ceased to amaze me, until I heard it fluently expressed aloud. Another actress whose perception of her character was ideal was Queen Margaret, played by Emmaline Riley. Riley did a phenomenal job during the scene where she curses out Richard. Her black witch-like outfit further supported her characterization of being negative. Throughout her entire stage time, her grieving outlook on life is clearly shown multiple times. For example, her make-up running down her face symbolize the tears she once cried, along with her spastic movements conclude her