Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile,
And cry 'Content' to that which grieves my heart,
And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
And frame my face to all occasions.
I'll drown more sailors than the mermaid shall;
I'll slay more gazers than the basilisk;
I'll play the orator as well as Nestor,
Deceive more slily than Ulysses could,
And, like a Sinon, take another Troy.
I can add colours to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.
Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?
Tut, were it farther off, I'll pluck it down.
Richard is one of the worst villains in Shakespeare, and yet also one of the most charming.
In Shakespeare’s grand conclusion to the second Henriad, we see the rise of a very different figure than the heroic Henry V of the first Henriad. Richard manages not only to murder such a vast array of those in his path to power, but also to sweet-talk and charm his way through the majority of the play. He frequently turns to us with his self-satisfied smirk and shows us all of his plans to manipulate and puppet his way past his brothers, nephews, and opponents to the crown.
Shakespeare borrows heavily from the book The Prince by Machiavelli, the pragmatic guide to gaining and holding power no matter the moral cost. In Shakespeare’s day, Machiavelli was thought something of an evil genius, and The Prince is still a fascinating read. Richard uses dishonesty and manipulation while putting on a mask of morality and gentleness to those around him. He rules through fear rather than love. And yet, there is one thing that Richard III fails at during his Machiavellian quest for domination.
Although Richard charms and backstabs his way to the top, once he has the crown in his grasp, he fails to hold it securely. It’s almost as if a charm is broken. He becomes neurotic, peevish, and clumsy in his rule, failing to land his schemes with the same evil grace he once had. Even in the moments where he still gloats to us (such as after wooing Elizabeth for her daughter), his charm is lacking and hollow. By the end, Shakespeare drives home the point with the parade of ghosts that visits Richard before battle: build a career on cheating and murdering and eventually all that evil will come back to haunt you. In a way, Richard III is both a dramatization of Machiavelli’s The Prince, while also being something of an answer to it.
Enjoy the play! While you’re at it, check out my older video notes over Richard III as well and our recently posted conversation over it. You can also find my discussion of The Prince if you’re interested! And check out Patreon for our bonus discussion where we talk through how the mechanics of the manipulator in this play influenced our card game, The Play’s the Thing.
