The nature of power in Looking for Richard both reflects that which is represented in Richard III and extends or modifies it to incorporate it into a context modern, appropriate for a wider and contemporary audience. Richard III is a Shakespearean play set at the end of the Wars of the Roses, where a radical change of power had just occurred and Richard's ascension to the throne had begun. Written in the Elizabethan era, power is reflected not only historically and dramatically, but also socially and politically in terms of context, with Calvinism being the accepted ideology of the time. Looking for Richard, directed by Al Pacino and released in 1996, is a self-described "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 representation of power, his own and that of society, to connect the past to the present and present the new forms of power that the we see in today's predominantly secular society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In both texts, the power of the individual and their motivations are focused on audience and context, and expanded in Searching for Richard to be relevant to modern society. The quest for power is a theme that transcends time and is therefore a major theme reflected in both texts. Richard's journey to the throne reflects all of humanity's greed and still remains relevant in modern society. At the time Richard III was written and performed, the government was in the form of a monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth I as the autocratic ruler. She had immense individual power, controlling what could and could not be published and performed, thus influencing the writing of Richard III himself. As Richard III is historically Elizabeth's enemy, portraying him as the tyrant Herod Machiavelli, Shakespeare not only creates a better situation for the monarchy, but also produces a complex character through whom one is better able to understand the nature of the power. In Looking for Richard, Richard's power is physicalized by his carrying a riding crop, a symbol of his autocratic power, making modern audiences understand his position, with his inner power over his words and actions made external despite his physical deformity. Pacino also plays on his past roles as characters such as "Scarface" and "The Godfather" to reflect Hollywood's interest in the dark villain, a clear parallel between what Shakespeare created. In both texts, the audience's perception of power dynamics is very important, and the audience's opinion itself is somewhat represented in the texts. In act two, scene three of the play, the citizens of the kingdom discuss their own opinions on the state of the monarchy, connecting it to the audience and helping to gain power over them by encouraging them to believe their fellow contemporary citizens. A citizen expresses the opinion that Shakespeare hopes to arouse in the people themselves and displays his fear of Richard's power, saying: "When the great leaves fall, then winter is at hand;/When the sun goes down, who don't search at night? . This is an extended metaphor, linking the season to the characters: the leaves referring to Margaret and her prophecy, winter referring to Richard, the sun setting upon Edward's death, and thenight representative of the anarchy that citizens expect from Richard as monarch. This shows that he holds great power, as the people believe that he has the potential to throw their newly peaceful kingdom into a state of great turmoil. Using nature also produces a feeling of apprehension and unease. In Looking for Richard, power over the audience through people is also an essential element of the production. Just as Richard tries to convince people, so does Pacino, when throughout the film he adds cuts of him using handheld cameras to heckle passersby in the streets, the average person, to further attract the audience consisting mainly of average American. Pacino himself possesses individual power as he is a well-known actor, using this quality to help educate others. Richard is known as a multi-faceted character, 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 expand his power in re-enactments of the play, in real-life scenes, and among people. It uses a combination of mediums and processes within film to appeal to a wide audience, changing Shakespeare's original power dynamics to fit a modern context. Individual power is strongly affected by gender, and the depiction of women's power differs significantly from text to text, as their role in Looking for Richard exaggerates them as a mere object to gain power in both the room and among the audience. In Richard III, women serve not only to demonstrate Richard's power, but also to give the voice of providentialism and that of moral correctness, while this is underestimated in Richard III in favor of sexualization, and the power that we can draw from this, focusing on the dynamics of the character of Richard himself. Trying to get to the heart of the character requires some modifications, and understanding Richard and his motivations is one of the major goals of Pacino's project. Consistent with the Calvinist ideologies of the time, Shakespeare presents women as the force of providentialism, unlike Richard who believes in the power of free will. They play an interesting role, because if they are considered powerless in relation to men, they exercise a prophetic power, beyond the control of men who claim to control women themselves. Their emotional strength elevates them to a powerful position in terms of controlling the public's thoughts. It's only when the women appear that we truly see the emotional reality and consequences of this politically unstable situation. Margaret, the former queen, whose husband was killed by Richard during the Wars of the Roses, plays a role that reflects the belief in divine will and the supernatural, cursing Richard and his actions using biblical allusions and metaphors seasonal to describe his character is vengeful and tries to correct evil. Using her power of prophecy, she asks "If heaven has a grievous plague in store/.../Oh, let them keep it until your sins are ripe", referring to the ten plagues that befell the Egyptians during the persecution of the Israelites, linking Richard to a murderous tyrant who will deserve God's punishment in his afterlife and foreshadowing future events. Her maturation imagery, again an element of the extended seasonal metaphor, also links her to autumn, often associated with periods of change, as opposed to Richard with winter and King Edward with summer, demonstrating how Margaret plays an almost equally powerful role within the universe.play. Throughout the play, there are also parallels with the Resurrection plays, which involve female triads performing actions around Jesus' tomb. The appearance of the so-called "Three Marys", namely Elizabeth, Duchess of York and Anne, gives them power in the sense that religion was an important part of society at the time and represented divine force omnipotent. This also gives them power over the Shakespearean audience, as their appearances during the descending action of the play and the fulfillment of their prophecies persuade viewers of Richard's evil nature and the triumph of God and morality over all that. that Richard represents. As the three Marys are at the "tomb" (the Tower of London), they generate sympathy for the audience showing pity for themselves and each other following Richard's crimes, with Anne commenting how " in such a short time, [her] womanly/grossly heart became captive to her honeyed words.” The use of alliteration and imagery not only highlights her naivety, but makes the audience sympathetic towards her, thus giving her power, as she is just a pitiful, meek young woman who was exploited by Richard , while simultaneously demonstrating his helplessness within the play itself. The gender power dynamics in Looking for Richard took a very different approach than Shakespeare. Although Pacino uses them to add perspective and create some form of sympathy, his focus is not on representing what is right or wrong according to God but on sexual power. Pacino, by focusing on exploring Richard's motivations and his rise to power, diminishes the role of women. In the scene where Richard woos Lady Anne, Pacino sexualizes Anne, objectifying her to show Richard's power over her. This is seen both in the play's re-enactment segments and in seemingly "real world" situations, portraying Winona Ryder, the Lady Anne actress, as submissive and gentle, true to her character. Pacino said earlier that he wanted to cast someone "very young", in order to fulfill his goal of increasing Richard's individual power and introducing him into a modern context. In today's society, sexualization is a commonly used tool to gain power over an audience and persuade them of something. With society now secular, there is more freedom and less censorship, giving Pacino the leeway he needed to turn a play heavily influenced by its Elizabethan setting and harsh censorship laws into something that would be used to explore the concept of sexual power, rather than to spread what could be considered Tudor propaganda. The use of modern cinema and cinematic techniques helps make it accessible to modern contexts and is useful in creating parallels between the play and the modern world, such as in the scenes with Richard/Anne and Pacino/Ryder. His choice of Winona Ryder, widely considered desirable, encourages the viewer to be courted alongside Anne and contributes to her objectification. This sexualization is particularly visible when, instead of following the original storyline and separating Richard and Anne with formal farewells, he has the two characters kiss passionately, showing Richard's power to make Anne succumb to him. Using "MTV cuts", Pacino is able to cut from this to a handheld camera, showing a close-up of Winona turning towards Pacino for safety. Later, Frederic Kimball interrupts Ryder to mock her in order to emphasize his superiority over her. The use of side lighting and viewing angles,.