Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

English Advanced
Half-Yearly Paper ​(3 hours)​:

Module A:

Richard III
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

WHY
This is a reflection of the composer's context, beliefs & values.

WHAT
What the composer chooses to represent. Process of construction - ideas/plot/events of the text.

HOW​
The language forms and features that they choose to use in representing their ideas. Process of
construction - choice of textual form, point of view, techniques, etc.​ ​

WHY​
The audience in engaging with the text is positioned to accept a set of assumptions about the world
as the composer's agenda/perspective/values is privileged over others.

EFFECT
Messages are conveyed at a micro (textual) level. Messages are conveyed at a macro
(universal/conceptual) level. Composer successfully conveys their perspective and achieves their
purpose.

Rubric

Resonances & Dissonances

The Textual Conversations module asks students to “​explore the ways in which the comparative
study of texts can reveal resonances and dissonances between and within texts​” The central
focus of Textual Conversations is what the two texts share in common and how they differ. This is a
comparative study so you will be comparing two texts to see these similarities and differences and
how they develop meaning. A ‘resonance’ is a reflection or reverberation of something else, when a
text has a resonance, something from an earlier text is appearing or being referenced in a more
recent text. A ‘dissonance’ is an absence of agreement between two things, this is a way of
suggesting that two texts present different perspectives on an idea or that a specific theme or idea is
entirely absent from one of the texts.

How Composers Are Influenced By Other Texts

The Textual Conversations module states “​by comparing two texts students understand how
composers (authors, poets, playwrights, directors, designers and so on) are influenced by
other texts, contexts and values, and how this shapes meaning”. ​This point is asking you to
contemplate the influences on the composers of texts. When engaging in a comparative study you
need to consider the potential influences on composers. This rubric point is asking you to explore the
overt influences that other texts, social and cultural values, and beliefs can have on the meaning
composers place in texts.

Identify The Purpose of Two Prescribed Texts

The Textual Conversations module asks students to ​“identify, interpret, analyze and evaluate the
textual features, conventions, contexts, values and purpose of two prescribed texts”. ​This point
is telling you what you need to focus on in your study of the two texts and how you need to do it.

Identify – ​You have to engage with the texts and single out the points of interest.
Interpret ​– You need to interpret what meaning the specific features and influences of the text are
conveying or attempting to convey.
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

Evaluate​ – You have to consider the effectiveness of these features and influences.
Textual Features ​– These can be the use of specific techniques or structural aspects of a text, such
as perspective.
Conventions​ – These are accepted practices that have developed over time. Some examples are the
conventions of punctuation or the use of a two-shot in a film to show a relationship between two
characters.
Contexts​ – The range of historical, geographical, social, and cultural circumstances surrounding a
text and its composition.
Values​ – The ideas and beliefs presented in a text.
Purpose​ – Composers create texts for reasons other than entertainment, they are also vehicles for
persuading us about specific ideas. Your job, as a reader, is to come to grips with what those ulterior
purposes are.

Context

King Richard III

Shakespearian historical play written in 1593 that focuses on Richard III’s life and attempt to become
king. Set during the English Renaissance (late 1500s) while the Tudor’s were in power, and the play
features them; it is recent history. Set during a time of political and religious unrest (War of the Ross)
with the Catholics being persecuted. The play provides a contrast between providentialism and free
will while politics can be seen as Machiavellian, it was believed that the leader had to be godly; they
were appointed by God (Divine Right of Kings) and had to follow Catholic morals. Another important
point to note is that England during the period was a highly religious and pre-deterministic state. The
English largely believed in fate and assumed that people’s lives were already planned out by God.
There was no acceptance of free will or ambition, so, anyone who challenged God’s plan could expect
to suffer his retribution. Women were seen as weak within the time and as needing to be protected.
Looking For Richard

Documentary film made in 1996 directed by Al Pacino that is both a performance of selected scenes
of King Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare’s continuing role and relevance in
popular culture. Film is set within American contemporary society, post-cold war era, where
individualism was a rising ideology. This meant that an individual’s self-worth is determined by their
goals and achievements as opposed to being pre-determined by God. With this, came the ‘American
Dream’, a growing ideal where equal opportunities are provided to all Americans to achieve their
highest goals and aspirations. In addition, in the context of the 1990s there was an increased
understanding of the human psyche compared to the Elizabethan Era. As opposed to categorizing
people as ‘good’ or ‘evil’, society now recognizes that there is a deeper psychological understanding
of desire, guilt, inner conflicts and other human experiences that the Elizabethan Era categorized as
God’s or the Devil’s doing.

Plot

King Richard III

England is relatively stable under King Edward IV’s (Richard’s brother) reign until he begins to get ill,
as he approaches death Richard III, the Duke of Gloucester, sees this as an opportunity to take the
throne and to do this he must wipe out any possible heirs. Richard is manipulative, power hungry and
very, very intelligent. Richard frames his brother, Clarence, and sends him to the Tower of London,
where he is killed which wipes out a possible heir. Edward dies and Richard III is claimed as the Lord
Protector of England. This means that he is now ‘king’ until Edward’s sons become of age. Lord
Buckingham helps Richard campaign for the throne however a threat still exists, the young princes, so
Richard III sends the two princes into the tower where they are murdered. The ghosts of Richard’s
victims return to haunt him, foreshadowing his downfall, Richmond enters England and declares war.
At Bosworth, Richmond and Richard’s armies fight and Richard is slain.

Looking For Richard

Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

Al Pacino is the director, producer and actor within this historical docudrama, the film documents the
process of creating his project; making King Richard III more accessible to the 20​th​ Century American
audience. Pacino’s docudrama consists of discussing the original play and its history, as well as
debates about changes to the original script to make it more suitable for the 20​th​ Century audience.
There is an intertwining of storytelling, stage directions, rehearsals, and even interviews of scholars,
random people on the street, actors and critics. The film attempts to offer a deeper, more intimate
understanding of the director’s choices to perform and adapt King Richard III, actor’s opinions on
these changes, and the contemporary reception of the general public to Shakespeare’s work.

Purpose

King Richard III

Written for political propaganda and has a chronological/linear structure. The play was also used for
entertainment and melodrama and was composed for an audience familiar with the medieval
hierarchy. Shakespeare’s play perpetuates not only support for the Tudor throne but also cements the
Tudor myth.

Looking For Richard

Docudrama’s purpose is about making Shakespeare more available to American/ mainstream

audiences with the movie exploring answers to why the play is so popular and has a clear text of
‘discovery’ and ‘persuasion’ that could even be likened to propaganda for Shakespeare.

Genre

King Richard III

King Richard III is a historical play however that doesn’t mean that it is 100% accurate. Since Queen
Elizabeth was in power at the time Shakespeare wrote the play to support her reign as opposed to
Richard’s, he wanted to stay in her good books. At the time playwrights and writers needed to be
careful of the censors, this means that it is biased towards the Lancaster’s and, to that end, many
elements have been exaggerated or changed. Furthermore, Richard III is also a tragedy and
tragedies depict the downfall of the protagonist caused by their hamartia (their inherent or fatal flaw –
often jealousy, greed). In King Richard III his main flaw is his unbridled ambition for power and this
ambition leads him to do some dangerous, unsavory and diabolical things.

Looking For Richard

Looking For Richard is a docudrama which means that it is filmed in a documentary style but
everything is staged, so why exactly did Pacino choose a docudrama instead of the usual drama
adaptation? The genre of the film is deliberately chosen because it serves Pacino’s purpose.
Documentaries are usually viewed as “factual” so by creating a docudrama Pacino comments the
“truth” of society and humanity – existence of political machinations, innate human desires and the
human psyche – the genre of the film can be seen as a metaphor for his message. This form also
allows for a deeper exploration of Shakespeare’s historical drama as numerous perspectives can be
explored such as random people, scholars, actors etc.

Form

King Richard III

King Richard III is an interesting play to analyse because its form has noticeable differences from
Shakespeare’s other plays and these differences should be noted as they help Shakespeare get his
message across to the audience. For example, Shakespeare’s plays usually begin with characters
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

speaking of the protagonist or a chorus introducing the play but never the protagonist themselves.
However, King Richard begins with the famous soliloquy “now is the winter of our discontent” but why
is that important? The change in form is significant because Shakespeare is emphasizing Richard’s
flaw; his unbridled ambition that challenges God’s will. Here, Richard symbolically strives to take
control over his own life from the opening lines of the text. He usurps the narratorial conventions of a
text, challenging the playwright who, in a sense, represents God and as Richard seizes this
opportunity, he casts himself clearly and distinctly as a Machiavellian figure “determined to play the
villain”. Changing the form allows Shakespeare to foreshadow Richard’s downfall and characterize
him distinctly.

Looking For Richard

This docudrama consists of casting choices, on-street and academic interviews, vox populi (street
interviews), dress rehearsals, screen-reading and film production, each of these directorial choices
serves a different purpose. For example, the vox populi gathers the consensus that the 20​th​ Century
American audience doesn’t care about Shakespeare, whereas the discussions occurring during the
screen reading show an in-depth analysis of the changes made to the original script.

Connecting To The Rubric

- Need to compare both texts to identify the similarities and differences between them (do that
by thinking about Pacino’s decision to keep or change details from the original, what do you
think: does it confirm, challenge or extend Shakespeare’s message?)
- Texts are a reflection of the context that they are created meaning that the way the text is
composed ultimately conveys a message to the audience therefore must link the text’s
similarities and differences to societal issues, values, assumptions and/ or perspectives over
time.
- How someone reads and interprets a text is ultimately influenced by your perspectives that is
influenced by YOUR context this includes personal lives, social environment, culture and your
personal and wider history e.g. someone from the 1600’s would view Richard’s downfall as
God’s retribution while someone from the 21​st​ century would recognize that is is a result of his
inner conflict.

Key Values & Ideas

Conscience

King Richard Looking For Richard

- Richard is confronted by the ghosts of those
he killed and betrayed:
“O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict
me?”
- Shakespeare explores how individuals can
ignore their conscience and commit evil such as
the murderers of Clarence or Buckingham’s
blind supporting of Richard
“Some certain dregs of conscience are yet
within me”
- Richard sees conscience as a weakness
‘Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
devised at first to keep the strong in awe.’
- The scene of Richard’s dream and the cursing
of the ghosts is a representation of conscience
“The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul”
- There is a lack of conscience in American
society
“When we speak with no feeling, we get nothing
out of society”
- The battle scene at the end serves the same
purpose of the ghost scene. It is Richard’s
psychological awakening, simply adapted to a
situation that is believable to Pacino’s audience.
“The battle is the ghost scene, the ghost scene
is the battle”
- Pacino stimulates a ‘stream-of-conscience’
through the use of handheld camera when
engaging in vox populi interviews
- Pacino encourages the audience to consider
the point at which ambition, and agency become
corrupted by the pursuit for power.
“As soon as Richard gets what he wants...then
the whole thing...the emptiness of it”
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes
- Richard is surprised by Anne’s conscience.
However, this might reflect the female position
in society.
“To take her… having god, her conscience and
these bars against me… and yet to win her, all
the world to nothing!”
Politics/ Power/ Authority
King Richard
- KRIII is concerned with the behavior of those
in power and with ideas of good governance.
- Shakespeare’s concerns were to address the
significance of authority, as expressed by the
concept of divine order and Richard's objective
to overturn this order.
- Explores an archetypal Machiavellian desire
for power.
“That bottled spider… this poisonous
bunch-backed toad”
- Characterization of Richard as the ‘vice’
highlights consequences of an unbounding lust
for power.
“Fall into the rotten mouth of death”
- Symbolic descriptions of Richard as a ‘bloody,
usurping boar’ and a ‘foul toad’ highlight his loss
of human qualities and emphasize his bestial,
primitive lust for power.
‘There is no creature loves me, / And if I die no
soul shall pity me.’
- The terrible consequences of suppressing your
humanity for power. His villains die alone and
without respect of love.
- Power and authority in Shakespeare’s time
were conferred through heredity, not merit.
- Shakespeare emphasis Richard’s physical
deformity as a metaphor for the corruption of his
mind and soul as a consequence for valuing
power in a monarchical society. Boar motif to
suggest that he has lost human traits in his lust
for power. Shadow motif of death, contrasted
with “sun and “golden” images of king Edward
and Richmond, who are much fitter rulers
because they have gained the throne through
legitimate means.
Looking For Richard
“The truth is that those in power have total
contempt for everything they promise...and this
is really what this great play is about”
- The pursuit of power is still a concern in the
21st century, explaining the continuing
resonance of KRIII
- The actors in LFR are fascinated by the battle
for power.
“They are clawing at each other for the throne!”
- LFR makes the connection between
Elizabethan times and today stressing that there
will always be individuals who will betray others
for power.
- Pacino interprets Richard’s evil through the
use of entirely black costuming to represent
wickedness and the use of chiaroscuro lighting
- Pacino observes that Richard ‘has no friends’.
- His lack of humanity has resulted in solitary
defeat on the battlefield and has become:
“Alienated from his own body and his own self”
“Who’s gonna say action?... I don’t want to”
- Perhaps the power struggle has lessened in
today’s context? Or perhaps the audience are
aware of the burden of power.
“It has always been a dream of mine to
communicate how I feel about Shakespeare to
other people”. Close up camera angle.
Voiceover narration.
- Pacino’s recurring shadow motif conveys to his
audience Richard’s villainy and values.
- Richard works in the seat of power in his world
and one could argue that the high-rise buildings
in New York serve the same purpose for Pacino
in our globalized, capitalist world.
- Pacino embodies the Machiavellian ambition to
challenge the stereotypical inferior
understanding of Shakespeare in the 21
century.
- Pacino casts superiority upon ‘learned’
scholars to assert authority on his film, and
himself as director despite the fact that the
academic.
“simply (does) not know”
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes
Providentialism/ Determinism
King Richard
- Theocentric viewpoint.
Open with “unless to see my shadow in the sun”
(foreshadowing, connotation, symbolism)
- Aims to defy the divinely appointed King
“Determined to prove a villain”
- Duchess of York foreshadows the dire
consequences of his evil:
“Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end”
- Richard represents the Machiavellian
character scheming to undermine the divine
authority of the monarch. He is from the Yorks
and the reigning Tudors in Shakespeare’s time
are the Lancaster’s
“Now is the winter of our discontent, made
glorious summer by this son of York”
- Margaret is always cursing Richard and calling
on divine justice to punish crimes he committed
in the past. In this way, Margaret embodies the
divine will of retribution and suggests that
history is shaped by providential design. She
says Richard is a “foul defacer of God’s
handiwork”.
Free Will/ Humanism
King Richard
- Richard is never what he seems - His only
honesty is when he talks to the audience “Ill
marry Warwick’s daughter”
- Dramatic irony Pacino sings “so now all that's
left is winning the people!”
- This ensnares the audience and furthers the
understanding that Richard is a treacherous
character that defies the monarch
- He persuades Anne to marry him after killing
her husband ‘out of love for her’
“Thus I clothe my naked villainy… and seem a
saint when I most play the devil”
Looking For Richard
- Looking for Richard reflects a secular world
with no reference to determinism.
“A solemn vow, in this time, was a solemn thing.
Only people who wanted to go to hell were
willing to make vows and not keep them.”
- In Looking for Richard there is minor reference
to providentialism as the 21st Century context is
“absolutely the opposite” and supports views of
secularism.
- LFR is a self-determinist text
- Piety as a value is not explored as the focus is
on humanist self-determinism in order to relate
to the 21st Century audience.
- Much of the heavenly and diabolical
references have been excluded from the film
because of the existential secular belief that one
is responsible for their own destiny.
“The pursuit of power has totally corrupted him”
(with Church bells chiming)
- Has an eerie tone to it. A modern audience
would interpret this as a bad reflection on the
catholic church. That religion and power goes
hand in hand.
- The idea of the supernatural becomes comical
for the actors as they visit Shakespeare’s
original home, satirizing:
“I was almost expecting an epiphany, an
outpouring of the soul”
- Pacino re-interprets Richard’s visitation, by
adopting visual flashbacks in sharp and fleeting
motion as an experience that is
religiously-detached in connotation.
“How we think and feel today”
Looking For Richard
Pacino sings “so now all that's left is winning the
people!
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

Gender Roles

King Richard Looking For Richard

Obviously restrictive society in terms of
freedoms given to and expectations placed
upon women.
Camera angles of Richard saying “I’ll have her”
repetition during lady-Anne wooing scene
highlights the still common male dominance
over females.
- Pacino’s choice to give value to the powerful
tone of Penelope Allen when disputing the value
of women: “by diminishing their importance you
diminish a man’s actions”

Techniques

Leadership (Value)
Richard III

Quote Technique Effect

“... foul defacer of God’s Religious Imagery Gives insight into the
handiwork.” Elizabethan idea that a
villainous leader is one who
goes against God.

Furthers the idea of Richard

“hellhound” and “dog” Personification being a villain - he is against
God.

After Richard is slain,

“God say amen.” Ending Line Richmond - the king put in
place by God - takes power.
Ending the play with this line
emphasizes this.

Looking For Richard

Quote Technique Effect

“... those in power have total
contempt for everything they
promise ...”
“God say amen.”
Juxtaposition This juxtaposition of
Shakespeare’s view shows the
change in context;
post-modern America expects
their leaders to be
Machiavellian.
Removal
This line is removed, taking
Richmond’s victory away from
God.

The ending scene. Close Up Shot and Lack of

Sound Focuses on Richard (the
physical world) and takes away
the focus from metaphysical
world; the world of the divine.
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

Women (Value/Attitude)

Richard III

Quote Technique Effect

“... being the mourner.” Separating Noun Lady Anne is weak; she is
isolated in her mourning.

Lady Anne is weak; she needs

She is surrounded by men Mise-En-Scene the men surrounding her to
protect her.

Lack of physical Stage Directions Lady Anne is a general

characteristics. statement about women;
Elizabethan people see women
as weak/inferior.

Looking For Richard

Quote Technique Effect

“... someone young enough to Colloquial Language Post-Modern values are
believe in Richard’s rap.” different; Pacino wants to
portray Lady Anne as Naive,
not weak.

Pacino needs this to be done,

Argument with other actors. Quick Camera Movements and is willing to sacrifice for it;
this emphasizes the change in
value due to the change in
context.

Pacino mocks Lady Anne’s

“Ha!” Intercut nativity, thus placing emphasis
on it and not portraying women
as weak.

Religion (Value)/ Free Will v Providentialism

King Richard III

Quote Technique Effect

“... God ... hath plagued thy
bloody deed.”
Metaphor Shows the religiosity of people
in the Elizabethan Period; this
metaphor shows the belief in
providentialism: God will
interfere with human events.

“Despair and die” and “... win Contrast Shows both the beliefs in
the day.” religious moral righteousness
(due to Richard’s villainy being
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes
“See where his grace stands,
’tween two clergymen.”
“England’s worthy king” and
“Amen”
Looking For Richard
Quote
“... God ... hath plagued thy
bloody deed.”
Changes to the ghost scene.
Intercutting to them promoting
the play to a post-modern
crowd.
Redgrave’s interview.
Pursuit of Power/ Conscience
King Richard III
Quote
the antitheses to Richmond) as
well as the supernatural.
Mise-en-scene Show how Richard is deceiving
people through the religion;
their values.
Irony Shows how Richard - the
demon - has manipulated them
through their value.
Technique Effect
Metaphor Shows the religiosity of people
in the Elizabethan Period; this
metaphor shows the belief in
providentialism: God will
interfere with human events.
Turns the ghost scene into
Richards conscience plaguing
Flashbacks, Red Filter, him, not God punishing
Nightmare, Voiceover him/delivering justice. It has
been changed to fit with the
secular American values.
Intercutting and Parallels This parallels how Richard is
manipulating to crowd,
emphasizing how they are
deceived in different ways due
to their differences.
Juxtaposition and Form By placing this at the end of
Richard being crowned, it
shows how while the
post-modern society are still
manipulated by “those in
power,” it is not through religion
Technique Effect
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes
“I have not that alacrity of
spirit.”
“O coward conscience, how
dost thou afflict me?”
“Miserable England”
Looking For Richard
Quote
“They are clawing at each
other for the throne.”
“... those in power have total
contempt for everything they
promise ...”
Cross cutting between Al
Pacino as himself and Richard
after the ghost scene.
Human Weakness
King Richard III
Quote
“What, do you tremble? Are
you all afraid?”
Metaphor Richard’s villainy has taken its
toll on him; he has lost the
liveliness of his spirit.
Rhetorical Question Richard is suppressing his
conscience for his pursuit of
power.
Personification Hastings has realized the
consequences of his pursuit of
power: he has given Richard
the crown.
Technique Effect
Metaphor Acknowledges that it is not just
Richard - the ‘devil’ - that is
trying to seize power; they all
are.
Juxtaposition This expectation for the leaders
to lose their conscience shows
what effect a change in
context, and thus Pacino’s
changes, have.
Cross Cutting When it cuts to Pacino, he says
lines like “I love myself,” while
Richard says, “I hate myself.”
This shows how Pacino (the
post-modern audience) is
fascinated by this character
who has abandoned their
conscience.
Technique Effect
Rhetorical Question Lady Anne’s weakness (that
society placed on her) allows
for Richard to have power over
her.
Clarence’s fear allows for
Personification Richard to manipulate and
dispose of him.
Year 12 2019 Examination Study Notes

“I have done these things, /

That now give evidence
against my soul ...”

The conscience is weak when

Juxtaposition there is a large enough reward.
“... be damned for killing him
...” and “Zounds, he dies! I had
forgot the reward.”

Looking For Richard

Quote Technique Effect

“... [Richard] has killed Anne’s Question Pacino uses this emphasizes
husband ... and he still the human weakness shown by
manages to win [her].” Shakespeare.

Keeping the above scenes in Reimagining By keeping the scenes in and

while removing a lot of the removing a lot of the religious
religious scenes. imagery, Pacino further
emphasizes the innate human
weakness.

Essay Structure

Attack The Question

- Underline the verb (explain, analyze, discuss, evaluate, identify)

- Circle the focus (what do I have to target?)

Key Concepts

- What: concepts, ideas, assumptions

- How: technical features (literary, visual, persuasive, poetic)

General Tips

- Use quotations even if the question doesn’t ask for them

- Be succinct (answer the question explicitly)
- Be sensible in the amount of time you spend on each question
- Rephrase the question in your own words
- Brainstorm synonyms for key words