FreeThinker Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 One of my favorite Shakespearean quotes, from Richard III. And, now, it seems that a villainous wrong is about to be righted. Richard III has been found in a parking lot in Leicester. No, this is not a Monty Python skit. The bones of King Richard III have been discovered in an archaeological dig under a car park in the city of Leicester. The much-maligned king, killed by the army of Henry VII in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, has been identified by DNA testing and by the scoliosis of the spine for which he was noted. He will be given a proper royal burial soon in a ceremony at Leicester Cathedral. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/king-richard-iii-skeleton-found_n_2614269.html There are those who wish to resurrect his reputation, badly maligned by Tudors and by Shakespeare, and I am of mixed feelings about this. He probably wasn't as bad as they say, though anyone who could throw the princes, Edward and Richard, into the Tower, isn't high on my list of heroes. Speaking of the Princes in the Tower, I saw the famous painting by Sir John Millais from the Royal Holloway collection on tour several years ago.I have loved this painting since I was a teenager. Link to comment
Camy Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 It's a fascinating story. Richard was slain during the Battle of Bosworth Field which ended the Wars of the Roses. Richard's body was taken to Leicester in order for Henry VII to prove he was dead and thus take the throne, and finally buried in a church ... which, five hundred years later became a car park for the local council offices. They found his remains in the very first place they put a trench. The documentary is well worth watching if you can get Channel 4 in the U.K.. Link to comment
Cole Parker Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 I heard on the radio today that Shakespeare's account of R III was written after the Tudors were reigning and so was politically correct for the times. The radio account says he wasn't nearly as bad as the Tudor PR guys made him out to be and his cruelty and murders were mostly made up. Not being British, I have no idea, but that does sound like the way we do things over here. C Link to comment
Merkin Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 As I recall, political cartoonists here made much of comparing King Richard Nixon to Richard III. Link to comment
FreeThinker Posted February 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Isn't "I am not a crook" from Act Two of Richard III? Link to comment
Paul_and_Paco Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Arg! Cannot sleep!!! Paco and I are soon to look sort of like these two cuties, except we will be wearing knee boots with our doublets. I expect we will be like salt and pepper though. Speaking of the Princes in the Tower, I saw the famous painting by Sir John Millais from the Royal Holloway collection on tour several years ago.I have loved this painting since I was a teenager. Link to comment
FreeThinker Posted February 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Complete with shoulder-length blond hair? Oh, my... And, by the way, young man. What are you doing up and surfing Awesome Dude at 4AM? You should be spanked. I volunteer. Link to comment
Paul_and_Paco Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 You'll have to fight Paco for that privilege! My hair is longish blond, though Paco's is black and long-curly... like I said, salt and pepper. Link to comment
The Pecman Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 That is a great story. I thought it was interesting that they confirmed what Shakespeare had surmised: that Richard III had curvature of the spine, as he's been portrayed on stage for years. The closest I've come to seeing Richard III performed was in The Goodbye Girl, where Richard Dreyfuss reluctantly portrays the king as a lisping queen. "Now ith the winter of my disthcontent..." "A horth... a horth... my kingdom for a horth!" You had to be there. Link to comment
Mihangel Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Shakespeare of course toed the Tudor line. His Richard III is pure propaganda and has coloured the popular view ever since, but is still marvellous. Laurence Olivier's villainous portrayal, though old (1955), is still, in my view, the best ever. See on (it's two and a half hours long): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO03SGXeApI Link to comment
DesDownunder Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Then there was the TV commercial which announced, "Now is the discount of our winter sale." The debate on Richard III not being as bad as history and Shakespeare would have us believe, has long been discussed in the classical theatre. In the end, the play is accepted as being more an entertainment rather than a factual recreation of history. Some elements of truth, mixed with dramatic license and popularised propaganda. I have the soundtrack of the Laurence Olivier movie version on vinyl LPs no less, and it was a constant companion for me when I was 17, learning to overcome the inarticulate Australian accent. As for the other film versions, I find them less than satisfactory. If Sylvestor Stallone had gone to classical acting class, I wonder if he would have eventually made a version called Ricky 3. Link to comment
Cole Parker Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Didn't Lucy have a son named that? C Link to comment
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