A study of the characters in Richard III.

It has long been acknowledged that this era (1452-1485) comprehends one of the darkest, the most complex, and the least authenticated portion of English history. Preceding this time historians have been guided by a series of trustworthy chroniclers who have made research comparatively easy. But as they near the close of the middle ages, historians find dependable authority lacking. Those whose writings are extant were swayed by violent prejudice and strong antipathy natural to a people who had long been the victims of civil discord. Practically all of the records that were available in Shakespeare's day were those written by the Lancastrians who were naturally biased in favor of their own party. It is a well-known fact that Shakespeare drew heavily upon Holinshed's Chronicles for historical material in Richard III. Holinshed had depended upon Sir Thomas More's The History of King Richard the thirde for much that he related about Richard. From the drama Richard III I have chosen the important characters for study, and have traced them through other works of Shakespeare, with the purpose of comparing them as found in Shakespeare's tragedies with those same characters as found in history. All quoted material has been given verbatim, and I have based my conclusions only on evidence which I have been able to find in the sources available.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1940

Author dc:creator

• Barron, Jewel, 1891-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Courtney, Luther W. (Luther Weeks)

• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. King Richard III.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14544

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14544