Richard III
In 1592, Shakespeare wrote Richard III, a play detailing Richard, Duke of Gloucester’s usurpation of the throne and his brief reign as King of England. After his brother King Edward dies, Richard kills the king’s sons, and eventually weds and then murders the crown prince’s widow. This play has long been a popular choice for actors because of the challenges posed both in making such an evil character the protagonist and in the extreme physical transformation required to play Richard, who is described as being deformed, with a hunchback, a clubfoot, and a withered arm.
For years scholars in the field of disability studies have analyzed this play, focusing on the question of a connection between Richard’s evil nature and his physical deformity. Richard’s physicality will be referred to as “deformity” rather than “disability,” as the idea of disability contains a social element in addition to the physical. Separating those two ideas is necessary for some of the analysis here.
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More, Thomas. The History of King Richard III. London, 1821.
Thanks to Shakespeare, Richard III has been immortalized as an evil, deformed usurper, but the description may not be accurate. Shakespeare got most of his inspiration for Richard III from More’s history and the Holinshed Chronicles. Henry VII, who seized the throne on Richard III’s death in 1485, was a Tudor. More’s history was first published in 1557, and Shakespeare’s play was first performed in 1592 or 1593. Later Tudors, Edward VII and Elizabeth I, reigned when the book and the play were written, and these works may reflect a politically motivated view of Richard. Exaggerating Richard’s physical deformity and moral deficiency may be due to political allegiance.
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[Clara Fisher as a young King Richard III]. 1818.
In 1818, Clara Fisher played Richard III, changing the way we think about a deformed king in much the same way that replacing him with a non-deformed king might. A key element of the play is Richard’s body and how he uses it; he sometimes uses stereotypes of impotence and straightforwardness implied by his physical form to further his political career, defying what one might expect from disability. Having a young girl take the role of Richard replaces one form of social marginalization, deformity, with another, girlhood and adolescence.
Born in 1811, Clara Fisher began performing on the London stage at age six. Considered the most successful child actor of her time, in her teens she had performed many of the leading roles in Shakespeare, both male and female.
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Edwin Booth as King Richard III. 1863.
Booth’s Richard shows only slightly the deformity one expects of the character, while embracing the luxury and the leadership of kinghood. He gestures grandly with a sword, on a battlefield. Does this portrait represent the persona of Richard III, or is it a reflection of Edwin Booth’s character and reputation? Actor and character, from Shakespeare’s time on, have melded together in a way that affects audience perception of the character. Maintaining a less visibly deformed exterior has an effect on the audience; playgoers in Elizabethan England would have seen external deformity on the stage as an indicator of moral corruption. How might 19th century American audiences have understood Richard III through Booth’s performance?
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Kruger, George E. Martin Harvey as King Richard III. 1910.
Martin Harvey portrays a kingly, brave Richard without any visible physical deformities. This man appears a strong, just leader – the bright colors and pose of the figure suggest bravery. Understanding Richard in this way may change how the viewer sees his evil actions. The original play seems to conflate evil and physical deformity, but there is no evidence that Richard was evil or extensively deformed. In analyzing Richard’s skeleton, discovered in 2012, scientists at the University of Leicester found that Richard did not have any physical deformities aside from scoliosis, which made his right shoulder higher than his left. Kingliness and physical difference need not be mutually exclusive, but Shakespeare’s play seems to suggest that Richard is evil because of his body, or his body’s differences are directly caused by his evil nature.
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Hurry, Leslie. Richard III. [1957].
In Hurry’s costume design for a mid-20th century production, Richard’s body reflects the physical deformities that Shakespeare described. He has a hunchback and his limbs seem weak. An evil, cruel nature is written all over his face, both in physicality and expression. Even his battle gear is yellow, representing cowardice. Leslie Hurry’s Richard seems to fit the expectation for what Richard’s deformity looks like and means. Many modern productions revert to the evil and deformity the audience has come to expect, because Richard’s character has become a trope and a reference to itself.