When is richard iii set

At around the same time, Shakespeare was writing Titus Andronicus and the long narrative poem, Venus and Adonis.

The chronicles of Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed provided Shakespeare with material for his history plays. These historians had themselves drawn on material written by the early Tudor scholar, Polidore Vergil. Much of Shakespeare's characterisation of Richard as a wittily sardonic villain, deformed in mind and body, can be traced back to More's account.

All these historians were writing during the reigns of Tudor monarchs, whose claim to the English throne derived from that of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who had won the crown by force from King Richard III.

It is not surprising, then that their versions of history should be biased against the defeated Richard, the last King of the Plantagenet dynasty. Richard III shows the influence of the Roman tragedian Seneca in its elaborately patterned rhetoric; its use of ghosts and its chorus-like group of lamenting queens.

For the first four acts, every scene except one is staged somewhere in London: anonymous streets, the palace rooms, the Tower of London, or at a handful of London houses.

Only in Act 5, as the rival camps prepare for battle, do we get a refreshing scene change, passing through Salisbury and Tamworth before arriving at Bosworth Field for the final battle scene. We might be tempted to think those Elizabethan acting companies were just being stingy with how many stage sets they had to create, but actually, the scene setting just might be significant.

After all, this is Shakespeare — everything is significant. London was the seat of royal power in England, so it makes sense that this play about royal power would be anchored there. But then the departures from this pattern matter too.

Bear with us for a little bit here. The first four acts of the play occur while Richard is totally in control of his situation. Even for the period that he isn't king, Richard is carefully manipulating everything around him to lead to his coronation. Basically, while Richard is firmly in control of what's going on, the play focuses on the place where power is firmly stowed: London.

Richard is entirely in control of himself and at home in the seat of royal politics; he's been able to hold the courtly world captive with his words and political maneuverings.

That courtly world is symbolized by London, which is characterized by fear-stricken subjects and impressionable nobles. However, as soon as Richard steps outside the safety zone of London's courtly world, his words can no longer protect him. He meets Richmond in hand-to-hand combat, and the two never speak a word to each other before Richmond just strikes him down. Kevin Kline. Franco Zeffirelli. Mel Gibson, Glenn Close. Kenneth Branagh.

Kenneth Branagh,. Gregory Doran. John Gielgud, Bill Colleran. Richard Burton, Hume Cronyn. Grigori Kozintsev. Innokenti Smoktunovsky. Cambpell Scott, Eric Simonson. Campbell Scott, Blair Brown. Henry V Kenneth Branaugh, Derek Jacobi. Leslie Banks, Felix Aylmer.

Henry VI Part I. Peter Benson, Trevor Peacock. Henry VIII. Julius Caesar. Richard Pasco, Keith Michell. Julius Caesar David Bradley. Charlton Heston. Joseph L. Marlon Brando, James Mason. Stuart Burge. Charlton Heston, Jason Robards. King John. King Lear Yuri Yarvet. Peter Brook. Cyril Cusack, Susan Engel. Edwin Sherin. James Earl Jones. Tony Davenall. Patrick Mower, Ann Lynn. Michael Elliott. Laurence Olivier, Colin Blakely.

Richard Eyre.