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Henry VI meditates on the brutality
of civil war, watching son kill father
and father kill son, in this amalgam
of Shakespeare’s works titled Forests,
by Catalan director Calixto Bieito.blood, he describes her famously as
the “She-wolf of France” (1.4.112)—a
“tiger’s heart wrapped in a woman’s
hide” (1.4.138). She is an “amazon”
who does not behave as women
should—“soft, mild, pitiful, and
flexible” (1.4.142). In Shakespeare’s
play, she seems to represent a world
turned upside down. While enemies
describe Margaret in disparaging
terms, her strength inspires great
loyalty among her supporters.
However, when her own son is
killed, she responds with tender,
motherly outrage: “O Ned, sweet
Ned—speak to thy mother, boy. / ...
No, no, my heart will burst an if I
speak; / And I will speak that so my
heart may burst...You have no
children, butchers; if you had, / The
thought of them would have stirred
up remorse” (5.5.50, 58–59, 62–63).
In her exasperation at her husband’s
weakness, Margaret bans him fromTHE FREELANCE WRITER
the battle, although she could also
be seen as a strong woman who is
protecting a childlike man.The shape-shifter
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, will
have his own play in Richard III,
but his personality emerges here.
In a soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 2,
he explains that his character
has been shaped by his physical
deformity. Deprived from birth
of normal love by his misshapen
body, he has turned himself into a
Machiavel, a political player who
sets himself apart from common
humanity. He is interested only
in the tactics that bring the
highest prize, the crown, and
becomes the consummate actor:
“Why, I can smile, and murder
whiles I smile” (3.2.182).
By means of this soliloquy and
other asides, Shakespeare allowed
audiences to join the characters on
their psychological journeys. This
was a new form of stage drama. ■Revenge in the play Revenge drives much of the action
in this energetic piece—which
features no fewer than four battles
(Wakefield, Towton, Barnet, and
Tewkesbury), more than any other
of Shakespeare’s plays. Both the
Lancastrians and the Yorkists are
hungry to wreak vengeance on
the other side to right various
wrongs that have been committed.
Clifford, in particular, is eaten up
with the desire to revenge the
death of his father. Margaret
exults in the murder of Rutland
(Richard’s son) by Clifford, only
to have to suffer in retaliation the
murder of her son before her eyes.Richard’s sons, Edward,
Gloucester, and Clarence seek to
avenge his death, along with the
previously loyal Warwick, who
after suffering a humiliation at
the French court, turns against
Henry and joins his enemies.
Even Gloucester’s ambitions
for the crown appear to be an
urge to even the score for the
unkind treatment he received as
a boy. Near the end of the play,
when he kisses King Edward’s
baby, he whispers the ominous
“so Judas kissed his master”
(5.7.33), promising more betrayal
and vengeance to come.