ENG 331 essay - Conscience in Richard III: The Real Origin of Richard’s Pre-Battle Apparitions

Conscience in Richard III: The Real Origin of Richard’s Pre-Battle Apparitions

By: Julie Hale

In the article Richard as Waking Nightmare, Brian Carroll analyses how Richard’s pre-battle communion and royal blood connect him to the apparitions he sees in act five scene three in Richard III (Carroll 34).  I think this is an interesting conclusion, however I believe that blood and wine are not what unite Richard with those he helped to murder; but it is in fact Richard’s own guilt and lack of conviction which leaves him vulnerable to the hallucinations he experiences. Once Richard had obtained his goal of becoming king all that has motivated him is gone, this leaves him to reflect and agonize as Margaret had cursed him to do (1.3. 222-233). Wine may help Richard to sleep, but it is not what makes him see apparitions. Richard’s communion does not work to fully explain all of those that appear to Richard as the wine is only significant in the unique instance and circumstances surrounding Clarence’s death. Carroll’s theory also involves a heavy reliance of symbolism of blood and wine being representative of one another (Carroll 34). This is also flawed as he uses a blanket statement of royal blood being what connects Richard to these ghosts. It is a stretch to assume that wine and blood are interchangeable in the moment in which Richard takes wine. The premise of wine and blood connecting Richard to the ghosts is weak as royal blood does not connect Richard to all of the ghosts he sees, or cause him to see apparitions. In this paper I will dispel Carroll’s assumptions and reveal that it is conscience and guilt that expose Richard to ghosts not his communion.

Wine is significant with regards to the death of Clarence, as Carroll discusses how Clarence was ironically killed and resurrected in a dream by wine (Carroll 34). However, Richard’s communion before his final battle does not account for the other apparitions that appear. Carroll states that it is, “a before-battle communion that reunites him in his dreams with his brother Clarence… and with many other royals” (Carroll 34). Wine may work to reconnect Clarence and Richard due to the unique circumstances surrounding Clarence’s death; but, this does not apply to the other apparitions that appear to Richard in his dream in act five scene three. Carroll attempts to use the royal blood tie as the explanation for this discrepancy, as he equates blood with wine (Carroll 34). However, I find this to be a weak premise as some of those who appear to Richard are not of royal blood. Rivers, Grey and Vaughan appear to Richard in his dream, yet they are not of royal blood as Carroll asserts the apparitions are. Carroll says it is royal blood that ties the ghosts to Richard, yet these three ghosts are not of royal blood. Rivers, Grey and Vaughan are tied to Queen Elizabeth, and therefore do not posses any royal blood of their own, as Queen Elizabeth is from an aristocratic family and is only royal through marriage. Therefore the connection of blood and wine is not universal when it comes to Carroll’s assertion of the connection between the two. If Richard is connected to these ghosts through ties of royal blood then Rivers, Grey and Vaughan should not have been present in his dreams. Not all of those Richard conspired against through his plan were royals. They had royal affiliations but not blood which Carroll asserts is the basis of the connection. With blood ties disqualifying Carroll’s claim, my assertion is that it is in fact guilt, not blood connecting Richard to those in his dreams as this more unanimously accounts for all the various apparitions. Richard’s fall from ambition leaves him vulnerable to visions of those he destroyed not wine.

What initially drives Richard is his ambition to become king and surpass his brothers. His maniacal plans to put himself on the throne preoccupy him from his dismal life and give him purpose which fuels his murderous rampage. In his asides throughout the play Richard relies on his evil plans to give him purpose. Richard in one of his asides states, “…since I cannot prove a lover…I am determined to prove a villain” (1.1. 28-30). Richard’s disability restricts what he can do in his life this makes his focus shift elsewhere and makes him to aspire to the throne.  His ambition to get the throne gives him a purpose in his life which propels him forward to achieve his goal. This ambition can be seen when Richard states, “Clarence hath not another day to live: / Which done, God take King Edward to his mercy/ And leave the world for me to bustle in!” (1.2. 150-152). He plans his way around his brothers to reach the throne. This statement clearly shows Richard’s desire to surpass his brothers even if it means their death. His ambition is all consuming and drives his actions and life. Even when Richard has ascended to the throne he still has purpose in tying up the loose ends of his murderous plans. It is not until his nephews are dead that his murderous rampage ceases as his throne has finally been consolidated. When the mission that Richard had set out at the beginning of the play has been completed he returns to his lame state. He has no more plots to drive him forward and no one he must conspire to remove from his path to the throne. He has achieved what he believes was due to him, thus his ambition has expired leaving Richard to reflect on his actions. This leaves him vulnerable to the apparitions that he sees in act five scene three, not his pre-battle communion.

Richard after fulfilling his ambitions is left to reflect on his deeds and wallow in guilt. In this instance he falls victim to Queen Margaret’s prophecy as his conscious ‘begnaws’ his soul and he has a tormenting dream (1.3. 222-233). I believe it is Richard’s guilt that has attacked his thoughts following the deflation from his achieved goal. Without ambitions occupying his thoughts Richard falls prey to guilt and his conscience. Wine is not what exposes Richard to apparitions but it is his consciousness and guilt that wear down his malicious character. Up until the moment where Richard sees the ghosts he has been preoccupied with executing his plans. With his plan completed, and with no ambitions to consume his thoughts, Richard is left with the aftermath of his murderous endeavors, and as Margaret prophesized, conscience eats away at Richard. I believe that Richard sees the apparitions not due to taking communion, but because his conscience finally comes back into perspective after he comes down from the highs of executing his murderous plots. This more fully explains the reason why Richard sees apparitions of all those he has destroyed, even those of non-royal blood. The communion wine may help Richard to sleep but it is not what makes him see the ghosts. It is his guilty subconscious which brings forth the images of everyone he had plotted to murder. This explanation comes through Margaret’s curse and through the ability to explain the appearance of all of the apparitions. Blood does not connect Richard to all those he sees, but guilt does.

            Brian Carroll’s assertions that Richard is connected to the apparitions he sees in his dream through his communion and ties of royal blood miss the mark. The apparitions that appear are not solely connected to Richard through blood. Guilt is the factor that reunites Richard with those who appear to him in his dream. Wine helps Richard to sleep, but it is the guilt that he feels deep down that permeates his subconscious and creates the tormenting dream that Richard experiences. Carroll uses one cup of wine and symbolism to assert something that otherwise is not supported in the play.

Bibliography

Shakespeare, William. Richard III. Ed. Peter Holland. Toronto: Penguin, 2000. Print.

Carroll, Brian. "Richard as Waking Nightmare: Barthesian Dream, Myth, and Memory in Shakespeare's Richard III." Visual Communication Quarterly 20.1 (2013): 28-45. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.