Topic > Exploring Ambition and Identity in Richard Iii

'A deeper understanding of ambition and identity emerges from researching the connections between King Richard III and Finding Richard. Compare how these lyrics explore ambition and identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAl Pacino conveys Shakespeare's central concerns about the human condition in "Searching for Richard" to uncover and make meaningful connections from "King Richard III." The exploration of Richard's character's pursuit of power and its resulting values ​​results in a deeper understanding of the very human aspects of ambition and the search for identity, understanding the elements of theater and translating them into cinematic elements. Pacino created connections between Shakespeare's work and his own, in order to establish the timelessness and relevance of Shakespeare's art to contemporary audiences. The quest for power is the driving force of Shakespeare's work, and subsequently interpreted for contemporary audiences in film, fueling the events and subsequent analyzes of human nature through its protagonist, Richard, who fascinates and horrifies as his ambition it gives him devilish qualities, solidifying his claim to "prove himself a villain". Within the play, Richard's driving ambition undermined the Elizabethans' deeply held belief in the natural order and chain of being, where everyone had their specific place in society and the universe. Richard is portrayed as a man without humanity, a "loathsome minister of hell" who is constantly referred to through demonic imagery, a device through which Shakespeare uses to great effect to demonstrate how ambition can alter the way in which Society judges an individual's behavior and actions. The demonic images serve both as political propaganda against Richard and his reign, and as a moral lesson to the public against violating the Natural Order. Elizabethan audiences are increasingly given dehumanizing descriptions of Richard as "the spreading infection of man", which eventually become appropriate when he orders the murder of those who trusted him and helped him achieve his position of power in the final stages of the work. The most terrifying of the descriptions contained in Margaret's observation that "from the kennel of your womb...has crept a hellhound that hunts us all to the death," these descriptions examine how humanity's instinctive desire to improve one's social standing, particularly in Richard's case where he, a prince, should have been content with his place in society instead of having grander ideas, essentially demonizes them, removing any trace of humanity from them as their ambition is seen as repugnant and destructive to the functioning of the all-encompassing system. Natural order of Elizabethan society. Modern society does not hold to a natural order or the rigid beliefs against ambition shared by the Elizabethans, instead Pacino translates his images regarding Richard's diabolical qualities into cinematic elements to pursue the connections of "King Richard III" and interpret them with modern values. Pacino employs the language of the film to "dramatically, visually, metaphorically, flesh out the corruption of [Richard's] mind", effectively using lighting in scenes where Richard is plotting his plans before the eyes of the audience to envelop the character in the literal sense. and metaphorical darkness. Enveloping Richard in darkness and using only the spotlight to highlight hisfacial expressions of joy and anger, contemporary audiences recognize that Richard has been corrupted by the pursuit of power and that his body seems seemingly confused with the shadows that linger throughout the court as 'all 'the clouds that hung over our house'. In translating theatrical dialogue into cinematic elements, the quest for power is further demonstrated as a dehumanizing trait that both Elizabethan and modern audiences recognize as disruptive to society and disfiguring, physically and metaphorically, to the ambitious and their immediate environment. In both texts, the pursuit of power is linked to duplicity as Richard uses a facade to replace his conscience in order to achieve his goals with efficiency and ruthlessness. It is through the exploration of what consciousness represents that the values ​​of the play and film lead to a deeper understanding of the complexity of human identity. Richard in the play contemplates his conscience which "has a thousand different languages" after his dreams in which his victims wished him to "despair and die". It is in the monologue after his dreams that Richard is most vulnerable and truest. Shakespeare exposes Richard as a man morally defeated by his own sins "who all cries out 'guilty, guilty'" as he realizes that, for all his rebellion against the Natural Order, the Order will right itself with his death . In examining the search for human identity, Shakespeare reflects the Elizabethan struggle between providentialism and secularism through the conscience of the once calculating and trusting villainous protagonist: "Am I afraid of myself?" …Is there a murderer here? Richard's desperation to reconnect with his humanity and the general disorder evident in his conflicting responses to his own rhetorical questions, "no... yes, I am" raises philosophical conflict to the audience's attention on the topic of predetermined choice , or determined, of Richard to "turn out to be a villain. Despite the internal struggle for stability and identity, the Elizabethan audience cannot accurately define Richard's character as his struggle with conscience leaves his nature and struggle unresolved philosophical. Pacino, however, does not recognize the conflict between providentialism and secularism in "Looking for Richard" since today's society is moderately secular in its beliefs about religion and analyzes the complex issue of the work from a psychological point of view The film presents Richard's internal struggle through intelligent shots as a psychological conflict between conscience and Self in which conscience, converted into a mixture of rapid cuts to Richard's victims and vivid close-ups of Queen Elizabeth's desperation, replaces the dream scene of Shakespeare to provide an effective and efficient representation of the complexity of Richard's consciousness. Pacino further confirms the differences between consciousness and the Self by quickly cutting to and from clips of Pacino as Richard in the original theater where the play was performed and of Richard in his room where the scene takes place answering his own questions to create a visual image and auditory duality to its identity. By translating the Elizabethan conflict of religious philosophy into a psychological conflict, the universality of Shakespeare's art and thematic concerns are made accessible to modern audiences and given greater importance. The quest for power, as interpreted by the two different contexts of 'King Richard III' and 'Looking for Richard', produce contrasting perspectives of Richard as a human being. Ultimately, Shakespeare presents Richard as a villain, so unforgivable that his death gives I begin a whole new chapter in the history of England,.