Shakespeares King Richard III abounds with religious, spiritual and mystical references. However, in some cases this presents the audience with conflicting messages. I feel that is the case in Act I, scene iv where Clarence delivers a speech about his dream. This takes place shortly before the murderers come to kill him in the tower.
Clarence begins to retell his dream (or nightmare) by stating that he is a faithful Christian man. This was an instance where the audience or reader may take pause at the religious reference. By his profession of faith Clarence was a Christian, although he also participated in the murder of Edward, the son of Henry VI, and other horrors of war. Clarence even refers to this later in the dream monologue saying, Thence we looked toward | England | And cited up a thousand fearful times | During the wars of York and Lancaster | That had befall'n us. (1.4.13) When reading the monologue with a filter for the religious and spiritual, imagine yourself as Clarence sharing your dream with a colleague who probably knows you pretty well. It would seem odd to offer a disclaimer right off the top proclaiming yourself as a faithful Christian man. You are either known as this by reputation or deed. I resign to believe that this statement is more for Clarence than it is for Brakenbury. Sometimes we have to call things that are not as though they are. Perhaps this affirmation helped ease Clarences mind as he began to recount the ghastly tale. I expected Clarence to continue in this religious vein, but his spiritual references fell short of being used as a god-fearing man might. For instance, there was no reference to God, at the point in the dream where he was drowning. Most Christians solicit cries to God for protection, grace, mercy and redemption. This is a minor detail, but for me it called into question Clarences motive to overstate and proclaim himself as a faithful Christian man. How interesting when we later see the devilish villain, Richard cry out for deliverance, Give me another horse! Bind up my wounds! | Have mercy, Jesu!. (5.3.189) Taking this moment to compare Clarence to Richard, our villain seems to be more honest since he presents himself to the audience as transparently as one could imagine, baring the very worst of himself. Richard points out is his character flaws as well as his physical impediments and doesnt make excuses for what or who he is. This paints Clarences statements as being those of someone who is either self absorbed , or in denialmaybe both.
Clarence also paints a picture of himself as a proud soldier, or at least a man full of pride for his country and nation. He tells Brakenbury that he dreams hes escaped the tower and is on a ship heading toward France. At a certain point while hes walking the deck with Richard recounting the horrors theyve seen (and committed) during the War of the Roses, they pause, Thence we looked toward England. (1.4.13) This is a vivid image for me as a reader, and I contemplate why he stopped to look back to where he was running from. I believe this mention would have resonated with the audience as well and translated into a selah momenta moment to take pause and reflect on the dynasty that was England the country and crown that Clarence had fought and schemed for. I also picture Clarences secret hopes and dreams of being king, fading in the distance as he gazes back at England as a fugitive.
A strong theme woven throughout the fabric of this play is the power of manipulation and deception. Richard always worked to manipulate and deceive others. Clarence seemed to constantly suffer from self deception. He could never see Richard for who he really was, not even in his dream. I now believe Clarence couldnt see Richard for what he was, because he couldnt see himself truthfully. It reminds me of a contemporary quote from Todd Solondz, the American independent film screenwriter and director, Narcissism and self-deception are survival mechanisms without which many of us might just jump off a bridge. Though in this case, the self-deception landed poor Clarence drowning in a vat of Malmsey.
Other themes toyed with and distorted throughout the play are the values of family and loyalty. Prior to the moment the brothers share on deck reliving their war stories, we learn how the two came to take the treacherous stroll on deck. And in my company my brother Gloucester | Who from my cabin tempted me to walk | Upon the hatches. Thence we looked toward | England And cited up a thousand fearful times | During the wars of York and Lancaster |That had befall'n us.(1.4.11) It seems odd for Clarence to use the word tempted here. It infers that he had to somehow be persuaded to walk the hatches; this seemingly was not of his own accord. Drilling down into the symbolism, the religious undertones beckon us to remember another character described as the ultimate tempter satan. Though the boar is Richards heraldic symbol, we know he could wear snakeskin equally as well. We must speculate that the only reason Clarence would go on deck against his will would be out of a sense of loyalty to Richard. Perhaps this shows his allegiance to the bonds of brotherhood, or that he felt beholden to his brother, since it was Richard who promised to get him out of the tower. No matter our opinion here, Clarence is still operating in denial and deception.
The force that lures Clarence out for a walk on the treacherous deck with his brother seems to be the same force that drives Clarence to try and save Richard when he trips on deck. Methought that Gloucester stumbled, and in falling | Struck me, that thought to stay him, overboard | Into the tumbling billows of the main. (1.4. 19) Here, Clarences protective instinct kicks in as Richard stumbles. Clarence alludes to the fact that the tumble seemed unnatural, but again, he never questions the obvious. In an effort to keep Richard from falling overboard he tries to grab hold of him and is hurled into the crashing waves. The irony in this scenario is that though Clarence has been unshakably loyal to Richard and even dreams he attempts to save his brother, his brother is plotting to have him killed. Later when the murderers share this with Clarence, he refuses to believe it.
The religious and spiritual aspects once again come to the forefront. Richard III contains a number of prophetic dreams (many of which come to pass), however, no one seems to pay much attention to them. In fact, the plot overall rests on omens, curses and prophetic dreams. Clarences dream seems to not only be a foreshadowing of his fate, but also a glimpse at haunting symbols of his past and Englands future. First, he makes reference to the death and destruction of ships and men, perhaps from his war-torn past. Methoughts I saw a thousand fearful wracks | A thousand men that fishes gnawed upon. (1.4. 25) He goes on to mention symbols of grandeur, directly representative of the monarchy, Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl, Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels, All scattered in the bottom of the sea. (1.4..27 ) Since a raging sea is universally a symbol for the unstable passions and emotions of man, the anchor and jewels around it could be representative of the Plantagenent familys eventual demise. The anchor could also be a symbol for a stable and strong England,. If so, the raging sea in that scenario could represent the struggle for power, with England buried at the bottom, as if fallen to ruin.
This would be a powerful image to promote since Richmond represents the white knight who comes in to save the day and right all of RIchards wrongs. In some respect this would also serve as the happy ending since Richmond was the grandfather of Shakespeares Tudor Queen Elizabeth. In modern terms wed see this as a marketing ploy by spin doctors or publicists to paint the lineage to the current throne as God-ordained and destined.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William, and James R. Siemon. "Act I, Scene Iv." King Richard III. London: Arden Shakespeare, 2009. 193-95. Lines 2 - 33. Print.
"Todd Solondz Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. 2001. Web. 30 June 2011. .
"Todd Solondz." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 30 June 2011. .
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