Richard III

http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/gothicnightmares/images/works/richardiiighosts_large.jpg


Another Shakespeare play where ghosts haunt their murderer is Richard III. Richard III is a greedy, envious guy who does whatever it takes to become king. He reminds me of Macbeth in a way but more ruthless. He ends up killing many people for personal gain. It really surprised me that Shakespeare wrote a play on someone so ruthless but sadly, with him being so ambitious, I got caught up in Richard III’s plot to take the throne that I kind of wanted to see if he could make it. He is really smart and charming, though. He was able to get Lady Anne to accept his proposal in marriage. I can see Richard III to be a very greasy man and I kind of cringe when this happened.
To get back to the point, Richard III killed many to get to the throne. In one of the final scenes of the play, eleven ghosts appeared to Richard in his sleep in Act 5, scene 3. Though it is in his sleep, this scene holds a very important role. All eleven ghosts are ones that Richard III killed or had something to do with their murder. Eleven ghosts? He is definitely one of the worst off characters from Shakespeare especially if this play follows the same path as the other plays with ghosts.
All of the ghosts messages pretty much curses Richard. They tell “despair and die” and how he won’t survive in the battle the next day. Each ghosts speaks one at a time cursing Richard but then they would speak highly of Richmond who later becomes Henry VII. This foreshadows how Richmond will win the battle.

Enter the Ghost of Prince Edward, son to King Henry VI

Ghost of Prince Edward
[To KING RICHARD III]
Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow!
Think, how thou stab'dst me in my prime of youth
At Tewksbury: despair, therefore, and die!

To RICHMOND

Be cheerful, Richmond; for the wronged souls
Of butcher'd princes fight in thy behalf
King Henry's issue, Richmond, comforts thee.

Enter the Ghost of King Henry VI Ghost (Act 5, Scene 3, 120-125)

The significance of the ghosts, even though it appeared in Richard’s dream, brought guilt, once again, to the main character. Richard begins to feel lonely after waking from this nightmare. He realizes that Richard doesn’t even love himself. What is power when you are the only one who cares? He rather hate himself than love himself.

KING RICHARD III starts out of his dream

KING RICHARD III
Give me another horse: bind up my wounds.
Have mercy, Jesu!--Soft! I did but dream.
O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!
The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight.
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
What do I fear? myself? there's none else by:
Richard loves Richard; that is, I am I.
Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am:
Then fly. What, from myself? Great reason why:
Lest I revenge. What, myself upon myself?
Alack. I love myself. Wherefore? for any good
That I myself have done unto myself?
O, no! alas, I rather hate myself (Act 5. Scen 3, 179-191)

Like in all the Shakespeare plays that I have read dealing with scene in ghosts, they usually being the downfall of the character. The character visited by the ghosts usually dies in the end. Guilt consumes them as the ghosts are usually one that is close to them and in most of the plays, ones that the main character killed.

Observations: 1) Don’t kill your best friend or anyone close to you

2) If a ghost haunts you, most likely you will die.

3) Revenge and power isn’t worth it.

4) Accept faith and don’t try to change it.



Shakespeare, William, and Harold Bloom. Richard III. Ed. Burton Raffel. New York: Yale UP, 2008.