particularly evident as he is described as being a “foul lump of deformity”.These abnormalities possessed by Richard aren’t only subject to condemnation at the beginning of the play, but undergo continuous referencing throughout the play’s entirety. “To wit, an indigested and deformed lump, Not like the fruit of such a goodly tree. Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast born” William Shakespeare, Richard III (1592-93), in The Riverside Shakespeare, ed. G. Blakemore Evans and J. J. M.Tobin, 2nd ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997): (26) This source shows Shakespeare particularly targeting Richard’s hunchback-like stature, then additionally goes on to equip Richard with a withered arm, as well as having been possessed with a full set of teeth from birth. Such descriptions of Richard are also observed in the account of John Rous in his ‘Historia Regum Angliae’, which was likely a source of inspiration for Shakespeare when constructing the character of Richard. Richard’s misshaped stature not only acts as a reflection of his own moral condition, but also provides an insight into the genesis of his psychological motivations. Shakespeare’s take on Richard can be viewed to have followed the contours of Tudor historiography, which aided in the presentation of Richard as being a maligned king, riddled with physiological blemishes (27). Both ancient and early modern texts on the physiological form of man confidently draw parallels to the physical composition in relation to their psychological state as well as their soul (28).This belief was highly prevalent during the period in which Shakespeare wrote and published the play, and was widely popular within the contemporary imagination. The play was written during the Elizabethan period, a time in which concern regarding physical deformity prevailed. For many Elizabethans it was widely accepted that bodily deformities were considered reflective of a person’s soul and hence lent itself to moral defect.As a result of this, child birth was considered a dangerous time for women during the Jacobean period. Not only did women have a short life expectancy due to child birth risks, but also the high infant mortality rate, with 14% of infants dying before their first birthday (29). In addition to such risks, many women at the time lived with additional fear of birth-defects throughout their pregnancy. It was a common contemporary belief that “a crooked body meant a crooked heart”, which is also echoed
Shakespeare Propaganda wasn’t only circulated through Tudor writings and literature, but was also embedded within the theatre.The theatre was immensely popular during the reign of Elizabeth I, appealing to both the likes of the nobility and gentry, but also those lower down the Elizabethan social- structure. One key factor that attributed to the widespread appeal of the theatre was the fact that it dealt with topical issues which the audience could all relate to, regardless of their social-standing. Shakespeare’s plays discussed themes ranging from romance to patriotism, as well as conflict between the forces of good and evil (23). For this reason, the theatre acted as a major prop in the delivery of effective propaganda as it allowed for widespread circulation of political messages amongst the general populace. It had been widely believed that Shakespeare was a puppet to the Tudor regime and his play acted as a tool to bolster the Tudor position. Historian P.W. Hammond states, in an article regarding the historiography surrounding Richard’s reputation, that Shakespeare’s play was “the final culmination of the Tudor picture of the man who was Richard III” (24). However, the role Shakespeare played in the blackening of Richard’s image has been subject to questioning in recent years.The Richard III Society has recently claimed that the play is no more than a mere product of the “Tudor myth” which saturated a large part of the popular imagination throughout the period.Therefore, the role of Shakespeare regarding the tyrannical reputation of Richard III is one to be carefully analysed. Although Shakespeare arguably lacked the intentional scheming and manipulation of Tudor propagandists, his well-renowned play ‘Richard III’ indirectly contributed to the formation of Richard’s unscrupulous perception, particularly within both Tudor and modern society.The line between Shakespeare being a Tudor propagandist and simply being aware of the heightened political feeling during the Elizabethan era however has been slightly blurred.This political atmosphere posed a threat to the theatre, hence it is questioned whether the makeup of his playmaking was merely out of self-expediency. Shakespeare played upon the work of both More and Rous, and successfully utilised Richard III’s physical deformity as a way to reflect him as being a merciless opportunist with an insatiable thirst for power. This premise has been supported by historian P.W. Hammond, who noted that the Richard III created through the works of Thomas More was transferred almost directly into Shakespeare’s play, reinforcing More’s tyrannical depiction of the Plantagenet king (25). As early as Act 1, Scene 2, the audience is introduced to the ‘usurper’, who is then seen to be lambasted for his unusual appearance.This is
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