If you’ve read my previous blog posts, then you’d know how I feel about Othello’s main antagonist, Iago. Sure, he is cunning, and manipulative, just like Richard, but what sets them apart? For starters, Richard actually has a motive for what he is doing. Iago, even up until the moment of his death, refused to reveal why he caused so much chaos and destruction. It is hard to imagine why he would start so much trouble in the first place. On the other hand, Richard stated the reasoning behind his actions in the very opening of the play. “And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover/To entertain these fair well-spoken days/I am determined to prove a villain/And hate the idle pleasures of these days” (Act 1.1, Line 28). Richard loathed the way society functioned during peacetime, and found himself at a loss when it came to forming relationships.
“Our bruised arms hung up for monuments;/Our stern alarms changed to merry meetings/Our dreadful marches to delightful measures” (Act 1.1, Line 6). When I first read these lines, it sounded like they were good things. The words bruised, stern, and dreadful made it seem like Richard was glad that his wartime difficulties had ended. A few lines later, I realized that most likely he was speaking sarcastically. Compared to the glory of battle that he once knew and was enthralled in, he was put back into the life of a civilian. In war, no one cares how you look, as long as you could get the job done. Just as Othello lacked relationship experience because of all his time spent in war, Richard lacked the physical appeal to find companionship and act in accordance to his social status.
He put extreme emphasis on how repulsive he thought he was and how he didn’t belong in “normal” society. “Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time/Into this breathing world scarce half made up” (Act 1.1, Line 20). To him, the world was made for “normal”, “good-looking” people, and left him as an outcast. The brilliant part about Shakespeare was that a character such as Richard can be relatable no matter what time period you are in. Especially in modern times, one’s own appearance plays a huge role on how people treat you, and how you are perceived. In a way, the reader feels bad for him (In a messed up sense), and understands the challenges people that are “different” face. Richard just wanted to fit in, but his physical demeanour posed a seemingly impossible task. What do you do when faced with an impossible task? That’s right. You curse the world, kill everyone in your path, and become a king!
Your post posed a good point about Richard’s physical appearance as a motivating factor for his madness, but I see it rather as an excuse than a reason. I do feel that because Richard has gone back to being a civilian that he is resentful because of it. He was so engulfed in the war and fighting that going back to the real world was something he was not really ever going to be normal with. He does not fit into society because of how he looks and now that he is seen as a monster he is seemingly just going to complete that persona and act like one too. I do like your comparison to Iago’s character in Othello, because he is definitely more insane than Richard because he has no cause and does not ever give up his reasonings.
In agreement with Sara, I feel as though Richard did, in fact, use his deformities as an excuse for his wickedness (as opposed to them being the sole reason he was so heinous and terrible). I think that Richard’s actual reason for blatant evil is his desire for revenge and power. He feels slighted being the fourth son and wants the power he feels he deserves–regardless of who he has to take down as part of his conquest. Neither of these reasons excuse his evilness, but I believe they are the main contributors for his manipulation, destruction, and chaos within the play. I personally believe it was a bit of a cop-out for him to play the pity card because of his hunchback and lame arm. Additionally, he cannot possibly be as hideous or lonely as he laments because the second he attempts to find a suitor, he does (Lady Anne). Richard is essentially an evil crybaby who cannot take responsibility for the evil he has orchestrated.