Shakespeare's play--the last of four Shakespearean plays were about the Wars of the Roses between the houses of York and Lancaster. Richard III, third son of Richard Platagenet, Duke of York, and the brother of Edward IV seized the throne by force in 1493. The last Plantagenet to fight the first Tudor Monarch and lose--he appeared in Tudor histories and Shakespeare's plays as one of the most vicious rulers in history. In Shakespeare's drama Richard III, he is physically deformed, cruel and guilty of locking his nephews in the Tower of London and having them smothered to death. There is no historical truth to the story and Richard is said to have instituted many reforms, fought courageously at Bosworth Field in 1485 and met death bravely. But Shakespeare's play will forever influence a reader's opinion of Richard.
In our century, Peter Shaffer wrote a play titled Amadeus after hearing about Mozart's mysterious death in the late 18th century. Salieri, the court composer for the Emperor of Austria, was written as a jealous rival who would do anything to vanquish the young genius. It didn't happen but Shaffer's brilliant and vivid writing lives on. the play won five Tony Awards, including best play and eight Oscars, including best picture.
After reading the Memorial, I began to wonder if one of the reasons we write is to remember someone or something, hold on to a piece of history that we hold dear, shape it or perhaps be a part of it or have a bit of ourselves remembered forever.
Bests,
Elise
My small contribution--an eBook titled Scene Stealer is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Carina Press and wherever eBooks are sold. An audio version has been produced by Audible.com
I love that there was a tribute to Richard Plantagenet!
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered if one of the reasons we write is because we want a little bit of ourselves remembered forever. Interesting post, Elise!