An insatiable thirst for power is Richard’s flaw as a Vice character. In the play, this aspect of his character is simply displayed by his actions to take the throne, as the audience of his time would see this as an abhorrent transgression against the divine order. In Shakespeare’s time, the mere deformity of Richard’s arm and back symbolically mark him as an evil character. The play is confined by its theatrical structure, progressing as one set of actors leave stage and another enters, often with Richard’s character using this opportunity for soliloquies, “Thus, like the formal vice Iniquity/I moralize two meanings in one word”. (III, i, 82-83) This quote displays Richard’s tenacity to do anything for power. Richard’s personal struggle with power leads him to be paranoid and demand …show more content…
It is swiftly countered by “More wonderful, when angels are so angry”. (I, ii, 74) The play uses soliloquy to juxtapose the facade of Richard’s character and the manipulation he uses against others. For example, when Richard callously remarks “I’ll have her, but I will not keep her long”. (I,ii,229) This asserts Richard’s interest in Anne was merely to secure power for his own ends. In the play, Richard frequently switches roles from concerned brother, romancer and devout holy man. Richard acknowledges his duality using divine imagery “And thus, I clothe my naked villainy/ And seem a saint, when I most play the devil”. (I, iii, 336/338) The divine imagery is used due to the context of the play’s audience, who would see this imagery within usurpation of divine order, as his personal struggles with power foreshadow his inability to overcome them. The way Pacino appropriates this scene in the docudrama is by utilising visual techniques. Richard is costumed in darm clothing and embellished with the prop of a riding crop. The docudrama has a film noir quality. Chiaroscuro shows his face half enclosed in shadows and half lit. This is a visual cue to alert the modern audience to his