The introduction is well-illustrated and. Siemon also places King Richard III in its historical context as Elizabeth I had no heirs the issue of succession was a very real one for Shakespeares audience. Moreover, while many of Cibber’s changes were reversed in productions in the 19th century, others remain regularly performed, including in recent and well-regarded film versions of the play by Laurence Olivier (1956) and Richard Loncraine (1995, starring Ian McKellen). Siemon (Anthology Editor) Share King Richard III Third Series. While Cibber’s changes were both praised and mocked, his version of the play was wildly popular for some 200 years. Cibber made vast cuts, including cutting major characters (among them, Richard’s chief antagonist, Queen Margaret), adding monologues for Richard from other plays by Shakespeare, and writing additional material himself. Jealous and crippled, Richard of Gloucester wants to be King of England and uses manipulation and deceit to achieve his goal. In 1699, theater manager and actor Colley Cibber radically adapted the play. Yet approaches to it have changed over time. Like Hamlet, Richard III is the rare Shakespeare play that has been popular and much performed from its writing to the present. Image sources: The Huntington Library and University of Oregon Rare Books Collection Not yet king at the start of the play, Richard presents himself as an enterprising villain as he successfully plans to dispose of his brother Clarence. The play draws us to identify with Richard and his fantasy of total control of self and domination of others. Richard is usually depicted as having had a spinal curvature of some kind, and he is a king Shakespeare paints as a hunchback, which is, of course, how we think.

In The Dramatic Works of Colley Cibber, Esq. In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on a moral holiday. The Tragical History of King Richard III. London: 1700.Ĭibber, Colley, and William Shakespeare. The tragical history of King Richard III as it is acted at the Theatre Royal.

William shakespeare king richard iii