Shakespeare's Justice

Hi i am currently studying [Richard III and i am very intrigued. What i would like to know is your opinion on justice in the play. Richard died on the battle field without proper recount of how he died. Do u think this is Shakespeare's justice? Meaning that after all the atrocities Richard committed, he was never given an honorary burial. In the beginning of the play Richard 's strongest point was his manipulation with words, his power with speech. However during his death he was giving no lines to say. This is justice by Shakespeare as Richard lost the very thing that help him to acquire power. what is your opinion on this?

The short answer to your question is that history books are written by the victors. The victors of 22nd of August 1485 were the Tudors and the defeated were the Plantagenet’s. The play was written in the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, a Tudor and so Richard is portrayed as a perpetrator of crimes and atrocities and given a grossly physically misshapen body of an evil tyrant. In short Shakespeare did a hatchet job on Richard, so you have to take that on board when you think of Shakespeare's thoughts on doing justice to Richard.

The history of that period is readily available on the Web; I suggest that you read it and draw your own conclusions.

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Originally Posted by Priya.D

Hi i am currently studying [Richard III and i am very intrigued. What i would like to know is your opinion on justice in the play. Richard died on the battle field without proper recount of how he died. Do u think this is Shakespeare's justice? Meaning that after all the atrocities Richard committed, he was never given an honorary burial. In the beginning of the play Richard 's strongest point was his manipulation with words, his power with speech. However during his death he was giving no lines to say. This is justice by Shakespeare as Richard lost the very thing that help him to acquire power. what is your opinion on this?

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Very insightful observation.

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Originally Posted by Carousel

The short answer to your question is that history books are written by the victors.

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So it seems. This makes me wonder how much the truth matters at all. :)