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Summary OCR A Level English Literature: Richard III Act III Notes - A* ACHIEVED
- overview and analysis of key themes / quotes for each scene of act III - helped achieve A* in final exam
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Act III NotesAct III, Scene I
We witness Gloucester preparing for the removal of obstacles in his quest for the crown (namely the
uncrowned boy, King Edward, and his brother, the Duke of York. But there are also Lords Stanley and
Hastings to be considered). Richard is nothing if not the capable executive. He leaves to the well-
schooled Buckingham the task of making suggestions and arguments so that he appears helpful and
cooperative.
- Richard doesn’t play any significant part in the manoeuvrings that occur until conversation
with Catesby (but still, he does less than Buck)
- Though the boys are dupes, they’re less foolish than Hastings and the Cardinal who allow
themselves to be manipulated to easily (Cardinal = particularly weak)
Buckingham contrasts Catesby, who also serves Richard:
- Catesby awaits only instruction to carry out an order without question; he requires no special
handling
- Buckingham is vain of his talents and responds to Gloucester's flattery, as when he is called
"my thought's sovereignty" (2)
- He possesses considerable political ability and the powers of subtle contrivance
- Sophistry characterises his words to young Edward beginning "Sweet Prince, the
untainted virtue of your years / Hath not yet dived into the world's deceit" (7-15)
- his reply to the cardinal, whom he finds to be "too senseless obstinate, / Too
ceremonial and traditional" (44-56)
- In pursuit of his own goal, he is not troubled much by conscience: when Richard
informs him that, if Hastings does not prove pliable his head must be chopped off,
Buckingham thinks only of the promised reward: the earldom of Hereford, together
with all "movables" that had been confiscated by King Edward IV
contrasting characters of the two royal brothers:
- Edward is grave, thoughtful, conscious already of his responsibilities; thus his rebuke to the
Duke of York: "A beggar, brother?" (112)
- The ironic dialogue about Julius Caesar and the nature of fame leads him to express his own
ambition to win renown: "I'll win our ancient right in France again" (92)
- implication = if he be permitted to survive and to rule England, internecine conflict
would no longer occur; rather, the ruler would win fame in fighting a foreign enemy
- In the polemical literature of the age, the horrors of civil war were frequently
contrasted with the glory to be won in a conflict legitimately waged against the
country's foe
- Tacitly suggested also is that Edward's villainous uncle will achieve not fame
but infamy in the annals of history
Shakespeare arouses the tragic emotions of pity and fear for the boy king and his brother:
➔ Through the double meanings typically found in Richard's discourse - Richard: "A greater gift
I'll give my cousin" (115), and in his ominous asides: "So wise so young, they say, do not live
long" (79) and "Short summers lightly have a forward spring" (94). Furthermore, established
here are the probable positions of Hastings and Stanley
- We recognise the young Edward’s valour when he says he hopes to regain the lands lost in
France
, - Shakespeare offers a glimpse of what might have been; pathos + irony of boy’s
utterances = poignant
- More sinister irony when young York arrives - he and Edward mock their uncle who
we’re aware will have the last laugh
The boys have a rationality and intelligence which both rivals and incentivises Richard:
- Duke of York = a "parlous boy" (154) — i.e dangerously cunning from the points of view of
Buckingham and Richard
- He is "bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable [intelligent]."
- Like brother, he is deeply suspicious of Gloucester - his instinctive dislike and
distrust, established in the previous scene, is emphasised here
- When he asks for his uncle's dagger, he means much more than that involved in a
natural request made by a pert, forward lad; he intimates that Gloucester should be
rendered harmless by being disarmed
- Farther along in the dialogue he wittily alludes to Richard's deformity and tacitly calls
him a fool
- This is introduced with the play upon the word bear (127): "Because I am
little, like an ape / He thinks that you should bear me on your shoulders"
(130-31). In Buckingham's words, "With what sharp-provided wit he reasons!"
Doctrinal element:
➔ That Buckingham, actually the voice of Richard, should reject the concept of sanctuary as a
"holy privilege" and that Edward V is not to Richard a "dread sovereign" underscore the fact
that the sins involved are sins against religion, against God — sins that invite His inexorable
justice
◆ In accordance with politico-religious thinking in the Age of Elizabeth, the sovereign
was indeed to be dreaded — to be held in awe or "feared" in the Biblical sense
◆ The ruler was accepted as God's lieutenant on earth by the orthodox.
Language
- Line 79 Richard aside: “So wise so young, they say do never live long” + wordplay lines 111 -
“My dagger, little cousin? With all my heart”, 122 - “What, would you have my weapon, little
lord?” 135 - Buckingham aside to Hastings: “He prettily and aptly taunts himself”
- Murderous intentions revealed
- His ‘jokes’ become more threatening each time
- Contrast between princes’ innocent high-spirits and Richard’s diabolical double
entendres adds dramatic tension
- As does contrast between Edward’s melancholy and Richard’s +
Buckingham’s false bonhomie in opening lines
➔ Buckingham continues to use the same verbose rationalisations employed in 2.2
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