Stage Direction #1 (Starting at line 107) [Richard is trying to persuade and seduce Anne; physically, being closer to her makes more sense for properly executing this task. Richard should come off as an oily, slimy character who slinks his way throughout the play - this is just another more subdued way of doing so. Each step signifies him getting closer and closer to his ultimate goal which is, even if for a short while, Anne.]
Anne: Oh, he was gentle mild and virtuous.
[With every sentence, Richard takes a small step towards Anne who is kneeling on the ground with her dead husband.]
Richard: The better for the king of heaven that hath him.
Anne: He is in heaven where thou shalt never come.
Richard: Let him thank me, that holp him to send thither,/ for he was fitter for that place than earth.
Anne: And thou unfit for any place but hell.
Richard: Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it.
Anne: Some dungeon.
Richard: (In a low voice, seemingly seductively yet unnatural) Your bedchamber.
Stage Direction #2 (Starting at line 126) (Note: in this scene, Richard’s character should overact in an attempt to beguile Anne. However, this should not be confused with the actor overdoing the part of Richard, but rather Richard should overdo the emotions he is pretending to feel. Throughout the scene, Richard should try to maintain a sickening sense of unctuousness in everything he does. In contrast, Anne, being cruelly duped, must show a scale of emotion so that her entrance is completely different in tone than her exit.)
Richard: Your beauty was the cause of that effect:
Suddenly, Richard kneels and is eye-level with Anne. He grabs her hand gently and tries to kiss it; she violently pushes him away. Her face is wild with anger, but there is fear in her eyes. Richard’s charade is unaffected. His actions seem methodical, almost rehearsed in smoothness and control.
Richard: (a sly smile) Your beauty, that did haunt me in my sleep….
Stage Direction #3 (Richard’s soliloquy from 156-175)
Richard, realizing that his original plan is not working effectively, begins to cry softly as he delivers this soliloquy. His head is hung low and he speaks in a dramatically shaky voice, occasionally peeking up to see Anne’s reaction. Like a child in a temper tantrum, Richard’s actions are driven almost entirely according to the reaction he receives.
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DeleteOur class at Hockaday is studying Philosophy through Literature, often focusing on the morality of the situation or the characters. We also talked about this scene where Richard wins over Anne. In some ways, we both end up discussing similar questions. I think that your approach of stage directing is a effective way of furthering our comprehension of the text. The first stage direction was how our class imagined Richard too. We saw the task of persuading to be almost a challenge for Richard. As the York house comes out of war as victors, Richard still needs to prove himself with another conquest. I think the physical action of being close to Anne adds to how we read the play. We talked about how Richard was acting slimy and pushy, but that surprisingly, sometimes that can be the most effective way to win her affection. Just curious to know, did your class think that Richard was inherently this slimy man or that he was just putting on an act to help him get what he wanted?
ReplyDeleteAs much as we analyzed Richard’s action, we watched Lady Anne’s possible reasons, or perhaps motives, for her responses to Richard. Some voices in the class believed that instead of her being cunningly seduced she was calculating how she could use Richard to her advantage. That might be making assumptions in reading the text; however, in our discussion of morals and motivations, some found it hard to believe Anne could be so naïve and thoughtless.
With Richard's insincerity and aggressive attempts to seduce Lady Anne, stage direction two seems fitting. We also thought that Anne’s emotions should be slowly changing throughout the scene from being appalled to wooed. However, as the stage direction suggests that Richard is faking these emotions, some members thought that Anne too was pretending to fall for his act, not immediately but with a somewhat precarious nature.
I think this part is fantastic: “Suddenly, Richard kneels… and control.” It portrays Richard as an evil and calculating villain, aware of his every move and reaction and Anne as scared and disgusted, but starting to be broken down by his persuasion. While this also is similar to how I imagined the scene, paired with our study of philosophy, I cannot believe that Richard is a pure villain. Maybe that is the way he would like us to see him, but he is not that transparent. Maybe Richard shows us the limit of his maniacal manner in this scene, but I cannot imagine his character without some depth.
After that thought, the third stage direction creates enough emotion depth—or at least variation—even if it might be false. I had not thought of tears, maybe desperation in his voice and a different pace of speaking, but the physical response shows the audience how Richard will get what he wants. I think your class's staging of this part is particularly effective at showing how manipulative and persuasive he might be while also showing the audience the artificial quality of his actions.
- Nicole Joseph