Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 3, No. 242. Tuesday, 6 October 1992.
From: Hardy M. Cook
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1992
Subject: New on the SHAKSPER FileServer: Paper on Richard 3
A new member of the SHAKSPER Global Electronic Conference, Romuald Ian
Lakowski, along with his brief autobiography, has sent a paper that I
have just added to the SHAKSPER FileServer. The author welcomes your
responses and suggestions as the introductory statement included below
indicates.
SHAKSPEReans may retrieve Romuald Lakowski's "The Misogyny of Richard III
in More's History of King Richard III and Shakespeare's King Richard the
Third" (MORESHAK RICHARD3) from the SHAKSPER Fileserver by issuing the
interactive command, "TELL LISTSERV AT UTORONTO GET MORESHAK RICHARD3
SHAKSPER." If your network link does not support the interactive "TELL"
command (i.e. if you are not directly on Bitnet), or if Listserv rejects
your request, then send a one-line mail message (without a subject line)
to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., reading "GET MORESHAK RICHARD3 SHAKSPER."
If you you have difficulty receiving this file, please contact the editor,
<This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> or <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>.
For an updated version of the file list, send the command "GET SHAKSPER FILES
SHAKSPER" in the same fashion. For further information, consult the
appropriate section of your SHAKSPER GUIDE.
Below is an excerpt from MORESHAK RICHARD3:
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Dear Members of SHAKSPER,
I am making this paper available for the
SHAKSPER mailing list as an "offprint." I retain all publication
rights to this material. Anyone who wishes to quote from this
paper should contact me first for permission. Having said this
I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions for revisions. I am
currently considering submitting it in a revised form to
"Moreana," but would be open to alternate suggestions for
publication.
Romuald Ian Lakowski
N.B. I have used the following sigla in this essay:
e t t
\ye = y [the]; \yt = y [that]; \wt = w [with]
In addition, footnotes have been indented and enclosed
in {} in the body of the paper.
Address: Romuald Ian Lakowski
c/o 3793 West 24th Ave.
Vancouver, B. C.
Canada, V6S 1L7
(604) 224-3018
4th October, 1992
EMAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
usercong@ubcmtsg
___________________________________________________________________
The Misogyny of Richard III in More's
History of King Richard III
And Shakespeare's
Tragedy of King Richard the Third
By
Romuald Ian Lakowski
Richard III stands out in the minds of many readers as one of the
great villains of English history. That this is so is largely due
to the combined efforts of Sir Thomas More's History of Richard
III and of Shakespeare's Tragedy of King Richard III. Whatever
one thinks of the veracity of the early historical accounts of
Richard III's reign, there is no question that the portrayal of
the character of Richard III in More's history and Shakespeare's
play is highly memorable. One characteristic that stands out,
especially in Shakespeare's play, is the strong element of
misogyny. Although the treatment of women in Tragedy of King
Richard III partly reflects strong Senecan influences,1
{See A. Hammond, ed., King Richard III (London:
Methuen & Co., 1981), 80--82, and H. F. Brooks, "Richard
III, Unhistorical Amplifications: The Women's Scenes and
Seneca," Modern Language Review 75 (1980), 721--37.}
the tradition of misogyny is also to be found in the historical
sources, especially in More's History of Richard III.2
{Vol. 2 of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More (New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1976), ed. Richard S. Sylvester.
Hereafter CW 2.}
Shakespeare, however, strikingly transforms and expands parts of
More's account in order to heighten certain aspects of his
portrayal of Richard III's antagonistic relationships with the
female characters.