Supernatural In Richard III

Mayra Diaz
Professor Briggs
English 117A
February 11, 2018 Richard III Subconscious versus supernatural that is the question in the Tragedy of Richard the Third’s play by William Shakespeare. The subconscious is thoughts or feelings that exist in the mind and influence your behavior even though you are not aware of them. Supernatural is attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. Although the supernatural is important throughout Richard III, the most important phenomenon of the supernatural is planted in the prophetic dreams. Prophetic is you can predict the future. Clarence and Stanley have both dreams that prophesize either their own death, or

For example, “Methoughts that I had broken from the Tower, / And was embark’d to cross to Burgundy, / And in my company my brother Gloucester, / . . . / Methought that Gloucester stumbled, and in falling / Strook me (that thought to stay him) overboard / Into the tumbling billows of the main” (I.iv.9–20). In this passage, Clarence voices out that he dreamt that he was in a tower and he escaped with Richard to France, but once they were on the ship Richard betrayed him and pushed him overboard to drown. This part of the play is one of the prophetic dreams we see throughout the play and it adds impression that supernatural power are at work in propulsive the conspiracy. Clarence is a York family member and Richard is his brother. In addition to Clarence’s dream it predicts his death as well as the fact he also drowned. Psychologically, the speech is interesting because it reveals the distance down of Clarence’s trust for Richard. Comparatively than to take this exceptionally prophetic dream in which Richard deceives and kills him as a premonition, Clarence debris to recognition the belief that Richard wishes him dead. To us it may appear that Clarence’s unconscious perception is trying to tell him something, but if that is the case, Clarence’s conscious mind is not listening. When Clarence dreams that his disbelief in his own dream that creates the impact that Richard’s evil

For instance, “The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. / Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. / What do I fear? Myself? There’s none else by. / Richard loves Richard, that is, I [am] I. / Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am. / Then fly! What, from myself? Great reason. Why-- / Lest I revenge. Myself upon myself? / Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good / That I myself have done unto myself? / O no, alas, I rather hate myself / For hateful deeds committed by myself. / I am a villain” (V.v.180–195). In the passage, Richard makes this speech after he is visited by the ghosts and this is perhaps the only moment in the play that he admits any uncertainty, conscience, or repentance for his harsh conduct. Richard has woken up, he is covered in sweat and in fear. Essentially, he is saying that he has no one to fear because he is the only one there and that he is safe. But in realization he is left with a shocked that he himself is the person who he fears to be left alone with. Also, that he has committed crimes and that they were done by him, himself indicating that he is a murder. In addition to him having dreamt this, he feels scared and wants to depart from there, but he became aware of this that he cannot escape from himself. He then questions himself about his retribution against himself. When Richard explains to himself that he is not safe with himself he