Richard III has long been famous for inspiring Shakespeare’s most performed play. Many famous actors, from Denzel Washington to Laurence Oliver to Danai Gurira, have acted as the villain.
Now, there is a new landmark in the history of the many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of actors that have taken on the role. It is the first time Royal Shakespeare Company has used a disabled actor to preform Richard. The actor, Mr. Arthur Hughes, has been best known for his roles in “The Archers” and “The Innocents”. He says, “to be playing him on one of the largest Shakespeare stages in the world and to be a disabled man doing it – it’s an honour [sic]. It’s also a good sign of where we’re moving towards.”
But while everyone agrees that Shakespeare’s Richard III is a villain whether the real-life Richard III was a villain remains in question? Richard III was the last Plantagenet king, and his defeat by Henry VII just two years into his reign began the Tudor dynasty. After the dead of Richard III’s brother, the English crown fell into the hands of Richard. Because he ascended the throne over the claims of his dead brother’s son, Richard instigated the “Princes in the Tower” murder when he murdered his own nephews to secure his position as king.
However, after years of comprehensive research, some historians believe that those accusations might not be true. The Missing Princes Project claims to have found evidence that Edward V was not killed but sent away under a new name. The BBC’s Tracey Sinclair claims that even if Richard murdered his nephews, he wouldn’t be more villainous than other kings. She says, “It’s easy to argue he’s no worse than other monarchs of the period, an era when killing off potential rivals – whatever their age or innocence – was simply ruthless pragmatism.”
Now, there is a new landmark in the history of the many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of actors that have taken on the role. It is the first time Royal Shakespeare Company has used a disabled actor to preform Richard. The actor, Mr. Arthur Hughes, has been best known for his roles in “The Archers” and “The Innocents”. He says, “to be playing him on one of the largest Shakespeare stages in the world and to be a disabled man doing it – it’s an honour [sic]. It’s also a good sign of where we’re moving towards.”
But while everyone agrees that Shakespeare’s Richard III is a villain whether the real-life Richard III was a villain remains in question? Richard III was the last Plantagenet king, and his defeat by Henry VII just two years into his reign began the Tudor dynasty. After the dead of Richard III’s brother, the English crown fell into the hands of Richard. Because he ascended the throne over the claims of his dead brother’s son, Richard instigated the “Princes in the Tower” murder when he murdered his own nephews to secure his position as king.
However, after years of comprehensive research, some historians believe that those accusations might not be true. The Missing Princes Project claims to have found evidence that Edward V was not killed but sent away under a new name. The BBC’s Tracey Sinclair claims that even if Richard murdered his nephews, he wouldn’t be more villainous than other kings. She says, “It’s easy to argue he’s no worse than other monarchs of the period, an era when killing off potential rivals – whatever their age or innocence – was simply ruthless pragmatism.”
