Similarities Are More Revealing Than Differences

Throughout Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard and Shakespeare’s King Richard III, there are many similarities between both texts.

This can be seen through values such as the importance of integrity as well as trust. However, it is only to a certain extent that both texts portray these similar values. Throughout Al Pacino’s modern remake of Looking for Richard, many modern cinematic techniques such as the specific use of colours, rearrangement of the original text as well as comparisons made in commentary are heavily included.Instead of using such visual, modern techniques, Shakespeare uses much literary techniques in order to convey the importance of certain values. It is through the different methods taken to convey the importance of such values that it can be said that it is only to a certain extent that similarities are more revealing than differences. A values that is used in both King Richard III and Looking for Richard is the value of integrity.

In order to claim power to the throne, Richard uses much deceit and the misuse of power throughout the play, which highlights Richard’s lack of integrity.It is through such devious and detailed schemes that the audience is able understand the importance of the value of integrity throughout one’s life. One of the clear misuses of power can be seen in the scene of the innocent murder of the princes where Tyrrel expresses “The tyrannous and blood act is done, the most arch deed of piteous massacre that ever yet this land was guilty of…within their alabaster innocent arms. Their lips were four red roses on a stalk…A book of prayers on their pillow lay.Through this quote, Tyrell describes the murder as the most ruthless in the country and pledges the innocence of the princes through their pure, white skin, red lips and uses religious imagery to describe their angelic innocence. The juxtaposition of the evil deed of their murder and the description of the innocence of the princes highlights the evil that has come out of the crime.

This not only emphasises the lack of integrity Richard holds but his lack of this value also stresses the significance of the value of integrity throughout the play.Integrity is not only heavily emphasised throughout King Richard III but it is also explored throughout Looking for Richard. Although both texts share the same portrayal of such values, their similarity is limited by the way Pacino approaches in portraying this value. He take on a modern take of the Shakespeare play by stepping out of the norm of many Shakespeare remakes, and rearranges the original script of the play.This is seen through after the death of the princes, where Richard states, “I am in so far in blood that sin will pluck on sin.

It is in this quote that we begin to see a hint of remorse as a result of Richard’s devious schemes as he states that he has committed so many crimes, the sin has created a life of its own. Originally, this quote was said before the death of the princes but the rearrangement of the script has allowed the innocent and evil murder of the princes to be emphasised, resulting in Richard’s lack of integrity to be highlighted.The emphasis that has been placed in this flaw of Richard has also enabled us to understand that the value of integrity is one that is significant in one’s life, especially in one’s reign. It is through the use of the rearrangement of the script that Pacino shows the difference in both texts whilst similarly, portraying the same values Shakespeare addresses. Richard’s use is deception and duplicity not only highlights the value of integrity but also highlights the importance of trust, a value that is portrayed in both King Richard III and Looking for Richard.As a result of Richard’s constant use of deception in his scheming methods to claim the throne as seen throughout King Richard III, many character’s place have had their trust misplaced which can be seen through such characters falling victim to such duplicity.

An example of misplaced trust is through Hastings, who states, “I thank his grace, I know he loves me well. ” The use of irony in this quote shows the deception being used on Hastings as we know that Richard plans to eliminate Hastings due to his strong opposing opinions on Richard being King.As a result of Hasting’s naivety, his trust has been gravely misplaced. Through signifying this misplaced trust, Shakespeare has heavily emphasised the importance of trust in one’s life, especially where it should be placed. It is also in Looking for Richard that the value of trust is heavily explored through exploring Richard’s duplicitous and deceiving schemes.

Although a similar value is being explored, the differences of both texts can be seen here through Pacino’s use of cinematic techniques.One of the many cinematic echniques Pacino uses to creatively reshape the values explored in King Richard III is through the use of commentary by the actors in order to aid its modern viewers to understand the complexity that is King Richard III. During the scene where Buckingham suggests Richard to be king, Kevin Spacey compares this scene to real-life politics, where politicians often lie to be elected. The use of a comparison through commentary in this scene is helpful in making the purpose of this scene more accessible to the audience by relating it to a situation, which is experience in modern society.

Through relating this situation to a modern situation, it enables us to comprehend that Richard needs to put on this false, Christian facade in order to gain public support and claim the throne, as a politician would do to be elected. This enables the modern day audience to understand the misplacing of trust throughout the play as it has been in their own lives. The significance of misplaced trust allows the highlighting of the importance of the values of trust after seeing the consequences if trust and honesty is misplaced in someone such as Richard.Not only that, through the exploration of similar values that Shakespeare conveys, we are also able to see the different ways in which both texts chooses to convey the importance of these values. Throughout King Richard III, values such as integrity and trust are conveyed throughout events of the play, especially through the use of deception and duplicity in Richard’s actions.

However, throughout both plays, each play portrays these values in diverse ways. In King Richard III, we see Shakespeare use various literary techniques in order to convey the importance of such values.However, through Al Pacino’s modern remake of the play, Looking for Richard and his creative methods in reshaping and conveying the values that the modern audience is able to understand the significance of such values. Through the various methods that are used through both texts in order to convey the importance of similar values, it can be concluded that it is only to a certain extent that Looking for Richard and King Richard III explores the fact that similarities are more revealing than differences.