Now that
production for The Hobbit is almost
completely at the end, over the next two years or so, Richard Armitage will
have some time between movie premiers and appearances to figure out what he
wants to do next. He has mentioned that these films and especially this
character is one of the best things he will ever do in his career and, while I
don’t disagree with that, I personally hope that he will also go back to his
project of bringing the life of King Richard III of England to the big screen.
With the
recent discovery of Richard III’s remains under a car park in Leicester and the
involvement of screen writer Philippa Langley, this seems to be very much a
case of “now or never”. Ms. Langley has
even been reported as saying that she can simply not look past Richard Armitage
for the portrayal of ‘her’ Richard III, meaning the character of Richard III
that she has created in a screenplay. For the moment, Richard is keeping his
mouth securely shut when it comes to this screenplay. Yes, he has acknowledged
that he has read it and that he’s very much interested in Richard III and in
telling the ‘true’ story of the King. He has even said that he would love to
play Richard III, but at the same time, he’s always very quick to add: “but I’m
probably a bit too tall and a bit too old to play him.”
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| Facial reconstruction of Richard III, based on the remains found in Leicester |
Ever since
Richard announced his interest in this project and he revealed his personal
dedication and affiliation to the medieval king, the fans have been rallying
support, hoping that he would one day be able to make this dream a reality.
Have you signed the petition yet?
Of course,
in order to be able to support a project, you need to learn more about it and
about its subject. I have taken a specific interest in Richard III, and especially
in his wife and queen, Anne Neville. I even turned to her when it came to
naming this blog, and I try to learn more about Richard and Anne by reading
both fiction and non-fiction about them.
I recently
read The Stolen Crown, a historicalfiction novel by Susan Higginbotham. The novel tells the story of Richard III
from a completely different angle. It takes the point of view of Henry (Harry)
Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham and his Duchess, Katherine Woodville. That
last name should definitely ring a bell to anyone who has investigated this
period. Katherine was the youngest sister of Elizabeth Woodville, queen consort
to Edward IV, Richard’s older brother, and mother of Edward V and Richard, Duke
of York, the ‘princes in the Tower’ and of queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry
Tudor, or Henry VII who took the crown of England by defeating Richard III in
the battle of Bosworth.
As was
often the case in those days, Kate and Harry were matched by their families and
married at a very young age. Kate was only 7 years old when she became a
married woman and the novel describes very well how she and Harry don’t
particularly like each other at first, but they grow to care for one another
over the years. So much so that when the time comes for them to consummate
their marriage when Kate is sixteen, she is very eager to please her husband
and he, in return, would love only her from that day on, which is quite
remarkable for a time when husbands of noble birth were almost expected to have
mistresses and illegitimate children.
Susan
Higginbotham shows us the very strong and slightly obsessive friendship between
Harry and Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester who will later become King
Richard III. Harry’s relationship with King Edward IV is rather difficult and
he is not given the honours at court that even much lesser nobles are receiving
because of his family’s previous Lancastrian affiliations. Harry focuses on his
friendship and love for Richard and ultimately allows him to manipulate him
into doing his bidding when it comes to taking the crown of England instead of
pledging allegiance to Edward V. Looking back on the story, it seems as if
Richard has been manipulating Harry all along, comforting him in difficult
times, getting him into king Edward IV’s favour, taking him out drinking and
becoming his ‘blood brother’ in a drunken show of appreciation and undying
love. And Harry falls for it. He loves Richard unconditionally and would die
for him if necessary. He never questions any of the stories Richard feeds him
about a previous promise of marriage between Edward IV and Eleanor Butler which
would make his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville (Harry’s sister-in-law) invalid
and their children bastards, making Edward V’s claims to the throne
illegitimate. When Jacquetta, Katherine and Elizabeth’s mother, is accused of
witchcraft, when Richard’s brother George is executed for treason and when
Kate’s family is persecuted, Harry remains loyal to the monster that is
Richard.
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The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower, 1483 by Sir John Everett Millais, 1878,
part of the Royal Holloway picture collection |
So did
Richard really go as far as to kill his nephews, the princes in the Tower? From
this story, you would not be surprised if he did because it’s exactly the kind
of thing this manipulative, egotistical, power hungry Richard would do.
This is a
fictional story. Yes, it is based on certain historical facts, but so many of
the details are uncertain or completely unknown that many fiction writers have
been able to interpret them in many different ways. All of these stories
definitely provide food for thought. I would gladly believe that Richard III
was a good man after all, but the many different theories provide for great
stories and probably the necessary perspective and background to make the
characters more than one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs of themselves. In that
respect, this was a great story and I enjoyed it very much!
