Shakespeare at his most twisted
Monaghan plays Shakespeare’s anti-hero at his twisted best
The unscrupulous Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is a recognisable super-ambitious politician up to all the dirty tricks: insinuations about the opposition, buying off possible enemies, professing to be living a life of propriety in public, while doing the exact opposite in private. He’s arguably Shakespeare’s greatest villain. He just wants to be king. If you get in his way, tough luck.
By the end, through manipulation and fear, he has chalked up at least seven killings; including the young princes in the Tower of London, and possibly his wife – (you go to Shakespeare for drama not strict historical accuracy). And yet he’s such an arresting, twisted character, that you can’t help admiring him, especially as played by Aaron Monaghan in this absorbing Druid Shakespeare production directed by Garry Hynes.
Monaghan gives an exhilarating and exhausting performance, switching from mockery and flattery to rage and deliciously black humour. His voice changes to a high pitch of outraged indignation at the thought that anyone could accuse him of villainy. And the scene in which Richard, in the company of two ‘right reverend fathers’, declines the offer of the crown while he pretends to read his prayer book, is an outrageous piece of comedy.
The physical emphasis here is not on Richard’s humpback, but on his general deformity that has him using two sticks. The sticks don’t quite fit in with his acrobatic display in the final swordfight with Richmond (later Henry VII). But when this Richard is onstage you can accept almost anything.
The character towers above all the others. The play is a kneebending, history-bending homage to Elizabeth I, whose grandfather, Richmond, defeated Richard. But there’s no doubt that the antihero Richard is the character Shakespeare put his heart into.
The production is set on a stage that looks like a combination graveyard and prison, in which the court are ironically clad in elaborate glittering finery while death in the shape of a gleaming skull hangs over their heads.
The grieving female characters are used to show Richard at his conniving best. Marie Mullen (as Queen Margaret) makes the most of her speeches cursing Richard; and she also has a lovely cameo as the gullible Lord Mayor.
From the time he becomes king the atmosphere darkens considerably, Richard changing from witty, to paranoid and malignant. In his long verbal exchange with the sharp-witted mother of the young princes (Jane Brennan), Richard almost meets his match as he tries to wangle an incestuous marriage.
Rory Nolan as the unscrupulous Buckingham and Garrett Lombard as Hastings are impressive at the dubious and doomed game of trying to balance divided loyalties against the ruthless ambitions of a tyrant.
‘There’s no doubt that Richard is the character Shakespeare poured his heart into’