Our values and morals remain timeless as they form the basis of our interaction with each other and are instilled as part of our humanity defining us as beings. The Shakespearean play, “King Richard III” and its hybrid doco-drama appropriation, “looking for Richard’ directed by Al Pacino, reveal inherent values of power in relation to our morality and justice.
As Shakespeare focuses on the human psyche and the role of god’s Devine retribution in the Elizabethan era, Pacino on the other hand emphasizes the American context to allow audiences to reevaluate the significance of the political and social values present in KRIII, thus enriching our understanding of the original text. The prominence of power within both texts highlights the eternal presence of ambition and the desire to achieve it within our society regardless of the sociological influences upon the individual.
Shakespeare portrays the power of manipulating language harnessed by the Richard highlighted through the line, “I Will deliver you”. The double entendre intended by the use of the word ‘deliver’ highlights both the deliverance to the afterlife and moreover the multifaceted nature of Richard. The contemporary, post-modern audience understands that humans are multifaceted and expect individuals to have many facades in their daily lives and thus, do not condemn his deception as immediately as the Shakespearean audience. In rder to implement this understanding upon a modern audience the contextual presidential election during the film influence the portrayal of power within our society. As stated by actor Vanessa, “The truth is those in power have total contempt for everything they promise and everything they pledge and that’s really what Shakespeare is about”. Upon saying these words, the shot quickly cuts to chaotic scenes of presidential rallying amongst the common Americans as the camera ironically lingers on the word ‘freedom’ as the word ‘contempt’ is stated.
This idea of language and the power of manipulating words resulting in the loss of integrity is echoed within the opening sequence of the film with an interviewee stating, “if we think words are things and we have no feelings in our words then we say things to each other that don’t mean anything. But if we felt what we said, we would say less and mean more. ” This focus on the social and political unrest is similar to that within the Elizabethan era towards the stability of the throne hence allowing modern audiences to draw parallels creating an insight towards the turmoil present due to the corruption of power by opposing parties.
Furthermore, the pretense of Richard’s refusal to be king within act 4 scene 7 conveys the political deceit and backstabbing employed by politicians to gain power in government, the low camera angle focusing up on Pacino’s face accompanied by the chiaroscuro lighting conveys the multifaceted nature of individual it to Shakespeare’s actor like characterization of Richard. the low camera angle foreshadows Richard’s rise to power as he towers over the citizens below him with a sense of arrogant superiority. n contrast the lack of power amongst the citizens highlighted through the distant high camera angle shots looking down upon from the balcony with a mournful nondiegetic music accompanying the utterance of the phrase ‘All hail King Richard, England’s worthy king’. the smirking glare of Richard in contrast to the naivety of the citizens within this scene is highlighted in looking for Richard with a facial close up of the psychotic look in Pacino’s eyes directed at the camera creating an evoking a sense of intimidation amongst the audience.
This smirk although cannot be visually represented within the original text due a differences in form as a consequence of contextual influences however the cacodemon nature of Richard is implied through characterization of Richard as ‘the vice’ p and amoral figure through the animalistic imagery as “thou foul dog”. Not only does this serve as political propaganda to support the Tudor myth but also likens the psychological manipulation present within the play to that used upon everyday people while rallying voter for an election.
The presence of power resonates within looking for Richard through the focus on the political turmoil within the American context widening the perspective of the postmodern audience towards the events occurring throughout the Elizabethan era. The extent to which society seeks justice within the texts presented to them defines how our beliefs incorporating cultural, social and religious influence our morals over time. This difference is highlighted between Richard and looking for Richard through the reasons the audience seeks justice towards the character of Richard.
The Shakespearean audience would hold the outlooks of Margaret from the beginning of the play as she states, “if heaven have any grievous plague in store exceeding those that I can wish upon thee o let them keep it till thy sins be ripe”. Shakespeare encapsulates the tension created by Margaret’s curses in order to question whether justice is truly defined by man or god. The deviation from the iambic pentameter followed throughout the act exemplifies Margaret from the blind sited courts men within the room, ignorant towards Richard’s devious schemes.
The omission of Margaret’s curses within the film and the omens present within the dream once more reflect the deflection from the religious traditions to address a more contemporary audience. The distinct emphasis on the psychological deterioration and conscience within character highlights before the murder of Clarence and the young princes stating, “Faith, some certain dregs of conscience are yet within me. ” Additionally, the hesitant manner of the murder conveys the role of our morality and personal beliefs in our action rather than those defined by god.
Throughout the play the moral order that transcends men’s actions is alluded to but never given a full appreciation whereas in contrast Pacino ignores the religious and spiritual references choosing instead to focus on our collective underlying morality which defines our actions and interactions encompassing us as beings. The lack of a collective spiritual belief in the postmodern ear is reflect within Pacino’s statement, “a person has an opinion. It’s only an opinion… t’s never a question of right or wrong. ” Not only does this stand in stark contrast to the Elizabethan value of a religious justice to the modern humanist view but also illustrates how society is guided by their own individual beliefs in morality rather than religion. Moreover, the hasty cuts and camera movements when encircling Pacino’s character highlights, the torment and mental instability punishing his sins rather than a physical punishment of death as acclaimed by Margate within the play.
The modern day audience likens the need for justice with their morality rather than warranted by God. However, the differences in the portrayal of this value provides and insightful look into the evolution of beliefs and broadens our understanding of the derivation of these timeless values from the parent text. The form and representation of a text needs to be reshaped in order to accommodate to the interests and beliefs of the modern audience.
Furthermore, the portrayal of the values or lack of them highlights the unchanging ways in which human psychological, regardless of the evolution of time, remains consistent. Pacino take’s advantage of Krill’s adaptability to create a more accessible form to relate to this modern American perspective yet still complementing the values persistent within the parent text in order to allow for a profound understanding of the inextricable link between the values present in both texts.