King Richard 111 and Homer\'s Odyssey

Richard III and the Odyssey

The focus of both, Shakespeare's "Richard III" and Homer's "The Odyssey," is the struggle between good and evil. Each work shows the consequences of following temptations and how in the end good triumphs over evil.

Richard is evil personified. Due to his lack of any compassion or humanity there is no other conclusion to draw except that Richard is psychopathic. He is basically a serial killer with a self-promoting plan (Shakespeare 1996). His every intention is to be in complete control at any cost, nothing and no one is going to stand in his way. Although in the beginning Richard might easily be taken as simply a jealous cripple out to take revenge on his older brother, by the end of the play, he has become a monster, the epitome of evil, feeding on power and death in a mad frenzy to obtain his goal (Shakespeare 1996). Like most psychopaths, Richard is able to mask his evil and present an innocent face to those around him. He lures by gaining sympathy for his physical condition and is convincing that he is unloved because of his deformity (Shakespeare 1996). His strongest challenger is the Earl of Richmond, who finally gathers forces to battle Richard for the throne. Throughout, Richard has no remorse for any of the murders, however, the night before the battle with Richmond, all the people he has killed visit him in a dream. They curse him and tell him that he will die in battle the next day and the next morning Richard is indeed killed in battle (Shakespeare 1996). Richmond is crowned king and marries the young Elizabeth, and England is promised an era of peace. It is as if Richard believes he is justified in the murders, victimized and isolated because of his deformity by those who should love him, however, his madness progresses and pure evil takes total control, leaving a wake of death (Shakespeare 1996).

Odysseus is basically a good soul. He is heroic, courageous, confident and fearless. He is also intelligent and articulate, and has the ability to think on his feet in tough situations (Homer 1998). However, he is human, and so is subject to human frailties and temptations. Odysseus is charming, so charming in fact that Athena has a soft spot for him and aids him through his journey home (Homer 1998). Odysseus wins the attention of many females throughout his journey, some of whom do not have his best interests at heart. Although Odysseus easily manipulates, such as winning Nausicaa's trust on the island of Scheria, he too is easily enticed to succumb to charms, such as those of Circe with whom he enjoys a life of luxury, even though he declares his devotion to his wife, Penelope (Homer 1998). Odysseus pride and love of glory is what entangles him with evil and allows him to become victimized to its consequences. When he obeys Athena, all goes well for him, however, when he strays, he falls. To gain back his wife and position, he becomes disguised as a beggar, thereby humbling himself (Homer 1998).