The nature of power in Looking for Richard reflects what is represented in Richard III and extends or alters it to be incorporated into a modern context, appropriate for a wider and more contemporary audience. Richard III is a Shakespearean play set at the end of the Wars of the Roses, where a dramatic change of power had just occurred and Richard's rise to the throne had begun. Written in the Elizabethan era, Power is not only reflected historically and dramatically, but also socially and politically in terms of context, as Calvinism was the accepted ideology at the time. Looking for Richard, directed by Al Pacino and released in 1996, is a self-proclaimed "docu-drama", aimed at introducing Shakespeare, particularly Richard III, into modern society and making him relevant, meaningful and accessible some four hundred years later. the play was written. Using scenes from the play and incorporating modern interpretations, Pacino offers both Shakespeare's depiction of power, his own and that of society, to connect the past to the present and the new forms of power seen in today's predominantly secular society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Within both texts the power of the individual and their motivations are focused in relation to audience and context, and extended throughout Finding Richard to be relevant to modern society. The search for power is a theme that transcends time, and is therefore one of the main themes reflected in both texts. Richard's journey to the throne reflects all of humanity's greed and is still relevant to modern society. At the time Richard III was written and executed, the government was in the form of a monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth I as the autocratic ruler. He had a huge amount of individual power, controlling what could and could not be published and performed, therefore influencing the writing of Richard III himself. Since Richard III is historically Elizabeth's enemy, portraying him as the Herod-tyrant Machiavelli, Shakespeare not only creates a better situation for the monarchy, but also produces an intricate character through which the nature of power can be better understood. In Finding Richard, Richard's power is materialized by the fact that he carries a riding crop, a symbol of his autocratic power, making his position clear to modern audiences, with his internal power over his words and actions made external despite the his physical deformity. Pacino also plays on his past roles as characters like "Scarface" and "The Godfather" to reflect Hollywood's interest in the dark villain, a clear parallel to what Shakespeare created. In both texts the public's perception of power dynamics is very important, and the public's opinion itself is somehow represented within the texts. In the third scene of the play's second act, the citizens of the kingdom discuss their opinions on the state of the monarchy, connecting it to the audience and helping them gain power over them by encouraging them to believe their fellow contemporaries. One citizen states the opinion that Shakespeare hopes to engender in the people themselves and shows their fear of Richard's power, saying "When great leaves fall, then winter is at hand; / When the sun goes down, who does not seek the night ?" . This is an extended metaphor, relating the season to the characters: the leaves refer to Margaret and her prophecy, winter refers to Richard, the sun setting on Edward's death and the night represent anarchy that citizens expect to seeby Richard as their monarch. This shows that he holds great power, as the people believe he has the potential to plunge their newly peaceful kingdom into one of great unrest. The use of nature also produces a sense of restlessness and unease. In Finding Richard, power over the audience through people is also a vital element of the production. As Richard tries to win over people, so does Pacino, when throughout the film he adds clips of him using the hand-held camera to disturb passers-by on the street, the average person, to further appeal to the audience of mostly average Americans. Pacino himself has individual power as he is a famous actor, and he uses this quality to help educate others. Richard is known as a character with many sides, and Pacino becomes a further incarnation of one of Richard's "characters", as Pacino uses method acting to try to understand Richard as a character, allowing him to extend his power within of theatrical re-enactments, in real life scenes and among people. It uses a combination of mediums and processes within the film to appeal to a wide audience, altering Shakespeare's original power dynamics to fit a modern context. Individual power is heavily influenced by gender, and the portrayal of women's power differs greatly between texts, as their role within Looking for Richard exaggerates them as a mere object to gain power both within the show and among the public. In Richard III, women serve not only to demonstrate Richard's power, but also to provide the voice of providentialism and the morally correct, while in Richard III this is underestimated in favor of sexualisation, and the power that can be gained from it, to focus on the dynamics within the character of Richard himself. Trying to get to the core of the character requires some tweaking, and understanding Richard and his motivations is a major goal of Pacino's project. Consistent with the Calvinist ideologies of the time, Shakespeare presents women as a force of providentialism, in contrast to Richard who believes in the power of free will. They play an interesting role, since if they are considered powerless compared to men, they exhibit a prophetic power, out of control by men who intend to control women themselves. Their emotional strength elevates them to a powerful position in terms of controlling the audience's thoughts. Only when women enter the field do we truly see the emotional reality and price of this politically volatile situation. Margaret, the previous queen, whose husband was killed by Richard in the Wars of the Roses, plays a role that reflects belief in divine will and the supernatural, cursing Richard and his actions through the use of biblical allusions and seasonal metaphors to portray his character is vengeful and seeks to right the wrong. Using his power of prophecy he asks "If heaven has a grievous plague in store /.../Oh, let them keep it until your sins are ripe", alluding to the ten plagues that were inflicted on the Egyptians during the persecution of the Israelites, connects Richard to a murderous tyrant who will deserve God's punishment in his afterlife and foreshadows future events. Her images of maturation, once again an element of the extended seasonal metaphor, also link her to autumn, often associated with times of change, contrasting Richard with winter and King Edward with summer, demonstrating how Margaret plays an almost equally powerful role within the world. play. Throughout the work there are also parallels with representations of the Resurrection, which involve female triads performing actionswhich revolve around the tomb of Jesus. The appearance of the so-called "Three Marys", namely Elizabeth, the Duchess of York and Anne, gives them power in the sense that religion was an important part of the society of the time and represented the omnipotent force and divine. This also gives them power over Shakespeare's audience, as their appearances during the play's falling action and the fulfillment of their prophecies convince viewers of Richard's evil nature and the triumph of God and morality over all that Richard represents . As the three Marys are at the "grave" (the Tower of London), they arouse sympathy in the audience by showing pity for themselves and others due to Richard's crimes, Anne commenting how "In so short a time, [her] heart woman / Grossly became prisoner of her honey words". The use of alliteration and imagery not only emphasizes her naivety, but makes the audience sympathetic towards her, therefore giving her power, as she is just a pitiful and meek young woman who has been taken advantage of by Richard, while at the same time demonstrating her helplessness within the work itself. .The power dynamics between the sexes within Finding Richard took a very different approach to that of Shakespeare. Although Pacino uses them to add perspective and create some form of sympathy, his focus is not on God's portrayal of right or wrong, but on sexual power. Pacino, by focusing on exploring Richard's motivations and rise to power, diminishes the role of women. In the scene where Richard courts Lady Anne, Pacino sexualizes Anne, objectifying her to show Richard's power over her. This is shown in both the reenactment segments of the play and the seemingly "real world" situations, portraying Winona Ryder, the actress of Lady Anne, as submissive and meek, true to her character. Pacino previously states that he wanted to cast someone "very young" to achieve his goal of increasing Richard's individual power and bringing it into a modern context. In today's society, sexualization is a common tool used to gain power over the public and persuade them of something. Because society is now secular, there is more freedom and less censorship, giving Pacino the space he needed to transform a work heavily influenced by the Elizabethan context and harsh censorship laws into something that can be used to explore the concept of sexual power, rather than to spread what might be seen as Tudor propaganda. The use of film and modern cinematic techniques aids the process of making it accessible to modern contexts and is useful in creating parallels between the work and the modern world, such as in the scenes with Richard/Anne and Pacino/Ryder. The fact of choosing Winona Ryder, widely considered desirable, entices the viewer to be courted together with Anne and helps in her objectification. This sexualization is seen particularly when, instead of following the original script and having Richard and Anne separate with a formal goodbye, he has the two characters kiss passionately, showing the power Richard has to make Anne succumb to him. Using "MTV cuts", Pacino is able to switch between this and a handheld camera, showing a close-up of Winona turning to Pacino for safety. Later, Frederic Kimball interrupts Ryder to mock her and point out his superiority over her. The use of side lighting and receding camera angles reinforces Anne/Ryder's submissive role. This is juxtaposed with a shot of Pacino outside later yelling and laughing "I'll have her, but I won't keep her long", further objectifying Anne as a mere stepping stone to the throne,,.