CRITICISM

Barber, C. L. and Richard P. Wheeler. “Savage Play in Richard III.” In William Shakespeare's Richard III, edited by Harold Bloom, pp. 101-16. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.

Explores the brutal motivation behind Richard's often farcical role, and finds that Shakespeare, through Richard, dramatized the influence of family and childhood on one's adult choices.

Blanpied, John W. “The Dead-End Comedy of Richard III.” In Time and the Artist in Shakespeare's English Histories, pp. 85-97. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1983.

Maintains that Richard creates his role and creates “history” through his mocking demonstration of the pliable and insubstantial nature of history.

Champion, Larry S. “Myth and Counter-Myth: The Many Faces of Richard III.” In A Fair Day in the Affections: Literary Essays in Honor of Robert B. White, Jr., edited by Jack D. Durant and M. Thomas Hester, pp. 37-53. Raleigh, N.C.: The Winston Press, 1980.

Surveys the historical attitudes toward King Richard III and studies Shakespeare’s role in the development of the mythology surrounding the historic Richard.

Dillon, Janette. “‘I am Myself Alone’: Richard III.” In Shakespeare and the Solitary Man, pp. 49-60. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981.

Compares Richard’s voluntary isolation, resulting from his ambition and egotism, with his involuntary isolation, which stems from his physical deformity.

Doebler, Bettie Anne. “‘Dispaire and Dye’: The Ultimate Temptation of Richard III.” Shakespeare Studies: An Annual Gathering of Research, Criticism, and Reviews 7 (1974): 75-85.

Argues that Shakespeare used the popular contemporary symbolism of the ars moriendi tradition in order to portray the familiar example of the wicked king “who has lived badly and must be shown to die badly.”

Hassel, R. Chris, Jr. “Military Oratory in Richard III.” In William Shakespeare's Richard III, edited by Harold Bloom, pp. 73-83. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.

Studies the military oration in Richard III, particularly Richmond's speeches to his troops.

Moulton, Ian Frederick. “‘A Monster Great Deformed’: The Unruly Masculinity of Richard III.” Shakespeare Quarterly 47, No. 3 (Fall 1996): 251-68.

Examines the tensions related to the practice and the construction of masculine gender roles in the early modern patriarchy of Richard III.

Pearlman, E. “The Tragedy of King Richard III.” In William Shakespeare: The History Plays, pp. 48-64. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1992.

Focuses on Shakespeare's characterization of Richard, discussing the character as an allegorical figure, his credibility as a character, his theatricality, and his antagonists.

Rossiter, A. P. “Angel with Horns: The Unity of Richard III.” In Shakespeare: The Histories. A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Eugene M. Waith, pp. 66-84. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1965.

Analyzes Richard III as a carefully patterned sequence that illustrates divine retributive justice and the triumph of Richard as a stage personality.