Richard III In William Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar

Through his actions throughout the play Richard of Gloucester later known as Richard III, becomes embroiled in a tug of war with the idea of providence. A bigger question can be posed in whether his rise and downfall were the work of providence or was it Richard himself through his Machiavellian ideas that was the engineer of his own fate. It is important to remember that when these plays were written divine right and providence was a staple of English life. Without that how could monarchs justify their rule and their power. During this time the Tudor monarchs were seen to be reigning by providence and the will of god as well as saving England from the clutches of the evil Yorkist and Richard himself.
To begin with, Richard used many Machiavellian

The mysteries were pageant like mini plays that were put on by prominent guilds and smiths of that town. Some of the most popular characters were Herald, Ponti Pillos, and more importantly Julius Caesar. “I do not like the Tower, of any place. Did Julius Caesar build that place, my lord?” (Richard III, III.i. 68-69). Here Edward is referencing that fact that everyone knows what was the ultimate fate of Julius Caesar. He does not wish to end up like him and he knows to distrust of Richard and his motives. When it comes to the morality aspect throughout most of the play Richard is unrepentant of his actions and seems to want to be villainous. “And descant on mine own deformity. And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover. To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain,” (Richard III, II.i. 28-30). Here he shows not just that he sees himself as the devilish character which is always necessary in morality plays but that his ultimate aim is to become the villain of the story. The only time he repents his actions is at the end of the play when he is accosted by the ghost of all of those he murdered. “What do I fear? Myself? There’s none else by. Richard loves Richard; that is, I and I. Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am.” (Richard III, V.iii. 182-184). Here he finally admits that he is a murder and is scared of the consequences. In this

First his son and heir dies, then his wife, and then pretty much the entire country turns on him in favor of the more divine and kingly Henry Tudor. In the end he is betrayed be everyone and dies brutally on the battle field and loses what he had worked so hard for his crown. Here also come the famous lines, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse.” (Richard III, V.iiii. 7). This line shows that ultimately he died begging for mercy with no dignity just as he deserved for thinking himself above god’s