The Function of the Dream Scenes in Richard III
Mubashir Sultan (014532302)
Maria Salenius
The Tudors: Fact and Fiction (ENG243)
24 April 2015
The Function of the Dream Scenes in Richard III
Richard III is claimed to be one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays (Lull). The drama can be seen either as a stand-alone or as part of a tetralogy, sharing interlinking elements with the Henry VI series (Grene). Due to its status as an early play, Richard III provides an exemplary window into Shakespeare’s design as a playwright, especially in relation to the presentation of characters, inner-psyche, and death. The dream scenes (I.IV; V.III) are of particular importance, as they are rich in content and can be instrumental in highlighting how Shakespeare deals with the above. The aim of this essay is to discuss the dream sequences in Richard III and investigate their functions. This is carried out under the following sections: dreams as a contrast between characters, as foreshadowing death, and as a portrayal of the divided self.
DREAMS AS A CONTRAST BETWEEN CHARACTERS
Of the few dreams presented in Richard III, Shakespeare conveys Clarence’s with great poetic richness. This is almost hinted at by the Keeper, as he interrupts Clarence during his lengthy descriptions, highlighting Shakespeare’s own interest in a topic as compared to achieving a sense of balance within a play, and asks ‘Had you such leisure in the time of death. To gaze upon the secrets of the deep?’ (I.IV.34). Clarence’s dream also parallels Richard’s in Act V before the Battle of Bosworth Field. A dichotomy - Good vs. Evil - is inferred by comparing these dreams, which is further reinforced through Richmond’s character. Richard progressively supresses any inkling of emotional reasoning for the atrocious acts he has committed. However, Clarence does not posses such a skill set and his haunted by his past. As Clarence depicts his journey to hell at length, the Keeper who is afraid to hear it told, asks ‘Awaked you not in this sore agony?’ (I.IV.42). Clarence’s
Maria Salenius
The Tudors: Fact and Fiction (ENG243)
24 April 2015
The Function of the Dream Scenes in Richard III
Richard III is claimed to be one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays (Lull). The drama can be seen either as a stand-alone or as part of a tetralogy, sharing interlinking elements with the Henry VI series (Grene). Due to its status as an early play, Richard III provides an exemplary window into Shakespeare’s design as a playwright, especially in relation to the presentation of characters, inner-psyche, and death. The dream scenes (I.IV; V.III) are of particular importance, as they are rich in content and can be instrumental in highlighting how Shakespeare deals with the above. The aim of this essay is to discuss the dream sequences in Richard III and investigate their functions. This is carried out under the following sections: dreams as a contrast between characters, as foreshadowing death, and as a portrayal of the divided self.
DREAMS AS A CONTRAST BETWEEN CHARACTERS
Of the few dreams presented in Richard III, Shakespeare conveys Clarence’s with great poetic richness. This is almost hinted at by the Keeper, as he interrupts Clarence during his lengthy descriptions, highlighting Shakespeare’s own interest in a topic as compared to achieving a sense of balance within a play, and asks ‘Had you such leisure in the time of death. To gaze upon the secrets of the deep?’ (I.IV.34). Clarence’s dream also parallels Richard’s in Act V before the Battle of Bosworth Field. A dichotomy - Good vs. Evil - is inferred by comparing these dreams, which is further reinforced through Richmond’s character. Richard progressively supresses any inkling of emotional reasoning for the atrocious acts he has committed. However, Clarence does not posses such a skill set and his haunted by his past. As Clarence depicts his journey to hell at length, the Keeper who is afraid to hear it told, asks ‘Awaked you not in this sore agony?’ (I.IV.42). Clarence’s
Cited: Grene, N. Shakespeare 's Serial History Plays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Lull, J. 'Introduction. ' The New cambridge Shakespeare King Richard III. Ed. J. Lull. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 1-42. Shakespeare, W. King Richard III. Ed. J. Lull. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.