The Animality and National Allegory in Richard III's Deformity

Abstract

Abstract: William Shakespeare's history play, Richard III, is a classical text that explores physical deformity in early modern England. In the play, Richard III's deformed body is debased not only as the animal other that embodies evil and immorality, but also as a rhetorical carrier for the disordered and sickly state during the War of the Roses. What is subversive is that Richard III destructs the stereotypes toward deformed body. His dynamic performance of body politics reflects the dismantling of the hierarchical order by the early modern rationalism and egalitarianism on the one hand and, on the other, the awakening of modern subjective consciousness. The complex image of Richard III is constructed, jointly, by politics, religion, history, and social prejudice.

Key words: Shakespeare, Richard III, deformity, animality

Wang Jing. The Animality and National Allegory in Richard III's Deformity[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2022, 44(1): 131-139.

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