Paper Summary:

This paper basis it's premise on the fact that at the center of Shakespeare's plays there exists a current of darkness, a cynicism about government, people and love, and a willingness to poke the eye, if only gently, of the establishment. Using this premise, the author discusses "Much Ado About Nothing", which highlights the foibles of the human heart, and "Richard III", which showcases the nature of corruption and power in the hands of the evil. The author asserts that while on the surface, these two plays could not be compared or even contrasted, at the thematic level, there exists a level of anxiety about female sexuality, of the supremacy of man over God in terms of destiny, of moral examples of how power wielded badly can result in truly horrific consequences, and a fear that if we simply accept the rule of others, then we too would be corrupted with power. Furthermore the author states that in both of these works, Shakespeare sends the message that women are of equal significance and power to men; that people control their own destinies, can either be a power for good or for evil and that loyalty to friends and family supercedes all other fealties.

From the Paper:

"Elizabeth is absolutely power-hungry. She is as corrupt and fickle as Richard's assessment of women. She is his equal in this manner. She is just as capable of manipulating her as he is of taking the dominant position - though he has usurped his brother's title, he proves his weakness is ultimately his desire to be truly loved for himself and not the power he wields. Where Shakespeare took this theme up to a positive resolution in Much Ado About Nothing, in giving both Benedick and Beatrice a satisfactory joining upon their mutual realization of respect and love, he showed the opposite side in Richard III. The power of the feminine sexuality proved to be Richard's undoing, his eventual collapse came because he could not absolutely dominate Elizabeth and Anne, to use young Elizabeth, and to manage the nation that is now his. The failure, of Richard, is in his absolutely corrupt nature. He is incapable of love and because of this, he approaches women in an awkward and rather juvenile way. He cannot actually succeed in love because he can never come to the kind of realization of mutual respect that Benedick and Beatrice did. So, in his brand of fear of feminine power, Richard is unable to escape from his own foibles. But, both Benedick and Richard express their fear of the power of women in the relatively same way - they attempt to dominate women with whatever their natural or coarsely gained power may be."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing.
• Shakespeare, William. Richard III

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