King Richard III
& Looking for Richard
This module considers the resonances and dissonances between Shakespeare's play Richard III and Al Pacino's Looking for Richard which adapts the classic play.
Resonances and Dissonances
How you examine the resonances and dissonances in this text will depend on your own personal understanding of each text, and the approach your teacher takes.
Some key ideas and significant qualities to consider are he tension that inevitably exists between Shakespeare’s original play and the creative licence used by future productions. Another is the significance of audiences’ knowledge of context and familiarity with language in shaping their understanding of the play as each audience member, and you as a student, will develop your own understanding of the play as a whole, and its relevance to 21st century audiences. There are also dissonances within each of the texts: think of Kimball’s frustration towards Pacino when he discovers he has been consulting academics
In terms of what ideas to explore in the body paragraphs of your essay, many students choose two or three from the following: the nature of power, appearance versus reality, fate, the role of women and the nature of evil.