To the struggle! There is a world to win and a world to defeat.
Rosa Luxemburg, "What Does the Spartacus League Want"
He is "incomplete," and by his own admission, "deformed." A believer in democracy, he is not! Brother to King Edward, and to George, Duke of Clarence, Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, is ambitious. He wants to be king!
The "winter of discontent" is his winter of discontent, with very political and public implications. The war between the Yorks and the Lancasters [1] is over, and King Edward is attempting to broker a "peace!" Peace, mind you! The Duke of Gloucester is not content with the prospect of peace. "I am determined to prove a villain/And hate the idle pleasures of these days." [2]
The Duke of Gloucester is at war! He is at war among those members of his family; he is at war with fellow citizens of the world. "--instead of mounting barbed steeds/To fright the souls of fearful adversaries," the King and the state of England are silent on the world stage.
The Duke wants no part of peace! How could "peace" possibly profit him who wants power?
American actors, in Al Pacino's 1996 docu-drama, Looking for Richard, ask themselves how they as Americans produce a Shakespearian drama for an American audience. How do they make this Shakespearian drama relevant for today's America?
Interestingly British actor Derek Jacobi assures them that Shakespeare, and particular The Life and Death of King Richard III, would resonate with an American audience.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
