RICHARD 111 CRITICAL HISTORY AND BROADER PERSPECTIVES

• richard alwasy pop figure with audience 
• rise and fall of demon king 
• 1700 play simplified by colley and cibber
• exclusisvely focused on rich
• disposed clarnce hastings etc 
• ww11=1939-1945-DOWNFALL OF HITLER-RICH 111 NEW LEASE OF LIFE 
• CENTRAL CONCERNS MACHINATIONS OF BLOODY TYRANT=TOPICAL FOR OUR TIME 
• ALOT OF DIRECTORS USED PLAY TO EXPLORE IDEAS ABOUT POLITICAL POWER 
• HOW WILELDED IN TOTALITARIAN STATES 
• 1990S NATIONAL THEATRE PRODUCTION-IAN MCKELLEN-POTRAYED RICH AS BALCKSHIRT FACIST
• 1955-DIRECTED AND STARRED BY LAURENCE OLIVER-HEVAILY CUT VERSION BUT STILL ALLUDES TO MESMEIRISNG CHARISMA
• 1996-AL PACINO LOOKING FOR RICHARd 

EARLY CRITICAL REPSONSES 

• 1815-JOHN BLACK-TRANSLATED AND PUBLISHED AUGSY VON SCHLEIGIS LECTURES ON DRAMATIC ART AND LIT
• INISTSED THAT SHAKSEPARE WANTED TO 'EXPLORE POWER AND LIMITATAIONS OF EVIL'
• ALSO considered the play to be history and tragedy play-in regards to his liust for power and HUBRIS-PRIDE THAT CAUSES HIS DOWNFALL
• BELEIVED SHAKESPEARE INETENDED TO INSPIRE 'TERRO RATHER THAN COMAPSSION' in audiences

EARLY 20TH CENT REPSONSES 

• many saw his histories as 'interesting failures'-inferrior to his comedies
• however 1940s wan to…