Many critics and theorists have studied William Shakespeare's "Richard III" in an attempt to explain the external and internal inadequacy of character and physical appearance . Richard III is capable of deceiving those around him on the basis of these incongruities and thus aroused the interest of the academic community. Some more recent critics have argued that Richard's success stems primarily from his conformity to the expectations of his times through the use and manipulation of manners and courtly decorum, while other critics argue that his success stems from "the 'sinister aesthetic' found in the room. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The first set of critiques assert that Richard's use of decorum is his most powerful weapon in his ascension to the throne. Dolores Burton, author of "Discourse and Decorum in the First Act of Richard III" states that Richard's use of discourse and decorum allows him to win over his entire audience. His use of deliberate speech in his opening monologues, Burton argues, places him in the role of the classic orator whose powers of persuasion give him power over his audience. Burton's central claim is that Richard's use of ethical appeal in his public speaking is the means by which he gains his power. The elements of his speech work together to persuade the audience that the speaker is a pleasant person, is not overly complicated, accommodates their tastes, is witty, and he has the right touch of self-deprecation. Another critic who follows this same theory is James Siemon in his work "Between the Lines: Bodies/Language/Times" in which he discusses that historical bodies and languages ​​are always plural and yet interactive, distinct and linked to the class, to the group and to the class. professional struggles for position and advantage that involve each other. Idiolects, group jargons and eras do not emerge without traces of their co-formation through antagonistic intersections with each other. Likewise, postures, intonations and even bodily movements imply differential categories of social definition, distinction and tastes. Furthermore, bodies and languages ​​are integral to each other and therefore integral to Shakespeare's story of Richard III. Contrary to this view, some critics argue that Shakespeare's use of a "sinister aesthetic" in the play is the main explanation for Richard's rise to power. . In Joel Slotkin's "Honeyed Toads: Sinister Aesthetics in Shakespeare's Richard III", he argues that Richard is a character who violates norms of morality and aesthetics by triumphantly asserting his own malevolence and taking narcissistic pride in his ugliness . Slotkin analyzes Richard's problematic appeal by focusing on the play's use of a "sinister aesthetic": in other words, a set of cultural conventions governing the representation of evil, which valorize darkness and hideous as admirable poetic subjects and, by association, risk encouraging the same values ​​that they describe as bad. He argues that the play asserts a poetics in which Richard is attractive and powerful because he is evil but also because he is ugly. Slotkin's analytical approach to explaining Richard's success allows the reader to appreciate the full range of moral and aesthetic appeals available to Shakespeare and hisaudience. Furthermore, Hugh Richmond, in his collection of essays “Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Richard III,” supports the idea of ​​a sinister aesthetic as playing a primary role in Richard's violent rise to the throne. Richard III's success cannot simply be attributed to one of these statements, but elements of both views must be analyzed to fully grasp the idea of ​​the internal and external man. The way Richard was able to manipulate his external appearance to gain power while following the constraints of his internal self is what made him a powerful force in his time. Richard's success in creating a respectable persona for himself stems largely from his ability to conform to people's expectations and sense of decorum. Dolores Burton argues that Richard's success is due to his "mastery of all forms of persuasive speech recognized by classical rhetoric: deliberative, forensic, and epideictic" (Burton 55). To a certain extent, this theory is true. Richard uses his past to give himself an air of respectability, so that the audience will believe what he is trying to communicate to them. By showing himself to be a good and loyal soldier, Richard makes himself a sympathetic character because, once the war is over, his options for his future are limited. "Through the technique of evasion, [Richard] ignores any consideration of appropriate roles such as advisor and statesman to assert that at Edward's court the only option open to him is that of a lover” (Burton 57). This option Richard quickly dismisses as ridiculous due to his distorted appearance and shows the audience that the only truly viable option is for him to become a villain. Richard is able to captivate an audience and gain their trust through his use of rhetoric. His speech at the beginning of the first act showcases his mastery of the language. The words used in Richard's speech reflect the dialects spoken by commoners, the only words used that even contain multiple syllables are "victorious", "old-fashioned", and "deformity". Richard's logical description of his intentions and the reasons behind his current actions gives his audience a sense of inevitability. The audience, because the outcome is presented as inevitable, accepts Richard's course of action and considers him an honorable man for communicating his intentions in a frank and honest manner. Richard also uses gentleness in his speech, according to Burton. "Gentleness, an attempt to satisfy the senses, appears chiefly in descriptive passages about the winter of war giving way to the summer of peace and in lines that describe the orderly marches of war changing into more pleasant measures of dance” ( Burton 61). This gentleness connects Richard to his readers through a shared experience. He describes the seasons, which they all experienced, as having a pattern similar to that of a dance, something that the audience enjoys. “Now is the winter of our discontent/This glorious summer has been made by this son of York;/…Our severe alarms are turned into joyous reunions,/Our fearful marches into delightful measures” (Shakespeare 1-2 , 7-8). This appeal to the senses produces sweet memories in his audience as they recall their experiences and connect Richard's words to their emotions. By making this connection, the audience is more willing to take what Richard says at face value and less likely to question his motives. Richard also appeals to the ethics of his audience in his opening speech by aligning himself with them. “Modesty, [which] characterizes the ethical style [of speaking], addresses the speaker's need to fit in with the audience…Humbling oneself and enlarging the other is another technique of modesty” (Burton 61) .Richard, in his self-deprecating speech, describes himself as "distorted, unfinished, sent before my time/ Into this barely half-invented breathing world ---/ and so lame and old-fashioned/ Let the dogs bark at me, while I stand by them…” (Shakespeare 20-23) This criticism of himself makes the audience feel compassion for him. After all, they reason, poor Richard cannot be held responsible for. his outward appearance, only God controls a man's appearance The audience believes Richard and feels sympathy for him because they think there is a disconnect between his ugly outward appearance and his heart. This concept of. internal and external disconnect is unique to William Shakespeare in this period. The aristocratic ideal is that a person's exterior is an accurate representation of their internal state. All famous epics from before this time, such as Beowulf and The Odyssey. , show a hero who has a body as attractive as a heart. There is no conflict between the internal man and the external man until Shakespeare examines the issue. Joel Slotkin states that Richard addresses this disconnect between the internal man and the external man and the resulting call of evil in two main ways. “The character of Richard symbolizes in a paradoxical form the Renaissance debates on the epistemological value in determining moral truths. In his deformity, which the other characters take as a sign of his infernal nature, Richard embodies the union of outward appearance and inner truths” (Slotkin 6). Shakespeare uses this to ask the reader what they should do when they encounter a character, like Richard, whose internal and external image do not match. The idea of ​​conscience is created where people can create their own definition of what is right and what is wrong. This is exactly what Richard does, he uses his outward ugliness to hide his equally hideous heart. Richard clearly states his own intentions: "Relying on my own deformity/ And therefore, since I cannot prove that I am a lover/ To entertain these well-spoken fair days,/ I am determined to prove that I am a wicked one” (Shakespeare 127-129). Conscience, until then, made a man weak in the eyes of Richard III, incapable of doing what was necessary to succeed in life. Conscience was a representation of the law of God and the law of man; however, by redefining consciousness, Richard places himself outside the law and therefore free to pursue whatever course of action he deems appropriate. Aesthetics play an important role in Richard's success because it serves to redefine what is attractive. Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the idea of ​​what is beautiful and what is ugly. They help establish the meaning and validity of critical judgments regarding the principles that underlie or justify the text and how the audience responds to it. Slotkin writes: Richard combines two important sets of sinister conventions; a poetics of malicious theatricality and a poetics of deformity. The play uses these conventions to address the conflicting theories about the relationship between aesthetics and ethics that plagued Renaissance theorists...Richard seduces most of his victims, not through successful deception...rather through a cunning move but transparent for deception. The “pleasurable devices” allow the characters a complex and conscious engagement with Richard. (Slotkin 7). Richard is central to the aesthetic of "deformity" and becomes less ugly in the eyes of the other characters when he tricks them into believing he has good intentions. Slotkin argues that Richard's "sinister aesthetic" is his means of success. “To fully understand the extent to which evil can. 7. 1, 5-32.