Richard III - I have to write an essay on the notion of "dissembling" in the play Richard III. Can anyone give me some hints?

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1. 
   linda-allen Teacher
   High School - 10th Grade

   Webster's defines "dissemble" as "to put on a false appearance: conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense."

   In Shakespeare's depiction of him, Richard III is the very image of someone who dissembles. He shows sympathy when his brother George is led off to prison, but Richard is responsible for his imprisonment. Like Caesar, Richard pretends not to want the crown when it is really what he wants. He persuades Anne Neville to marry him, but at the same time he is trying to win the queen over to the idea of his marrying her daughter--his niece. In the eNotes analysis of his character, it is noted that "while Richard has no qualms about expressing his evil intentions in the starkest terms, it is his ability to persuade and deceive, his charming (even charismatic) guile, that comes to the fore and is his preferred mode of action before he is secured on England's throne."

   Ironically, many scholars would say that Shakespeare instead of Richard III does the dissembling in this play. Richard III did not have a withered arm; he and Anne Neville had a loving relationship; he idolized his brother Edward; and it has never been confirmed that he killed the princes in the tower. The Richard III Society is dedicated to redeeming the reputation of this much maligned king.

   Visit the links below for more information

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/richard/richard-character-analysis

   http://www.enotes.com/shakespearean-criticism/deception-s...

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   Posted by linda-allen on Thursday February 21, 2008 at 6:46 PM