Vision of evil in Richard III and Macbeth Shakespeare's play Macbeth is in some respects a relatively simple work. Like Richard III, its structure follows a standard conventional form: the rise and fall of a great man. The first part of the play follows Macbeth's rise to power. In 3.1 he assumed the kingship. The rest of the play follows the disintegration of all he has achieved, a process that culminates in his death and the installation of the new king. In this sense, there is very little difference in structure between Richard III and Macbeth. But, obviously, they are very different works. The fundamental difference is the psychological portrait of the hero. In Richard III there is an amalgam of different theatrical representations of evil and the predominant one was the Vice-Machiavelli, the Devil incarnate, who is presented in such a way that we are not encouraged to probe much into his motivation, his psychological behaviour. response to events as they unfold and its disintegration. We have some clear clues to a possible psychological source for Richard's conduct (the opening soliloquy points to his deformity and his inability to love), but I have suggested that these are more symbols of his wickedness than their cause. This approach to the character of Richard allows us to develop in more detail an appreciation for how much the effects of this play depend on Richard's theatricality, on his outward behavior (which he invites us to admire in a shared understanding of how intelligent he is compared to all others), rather than on any internal complexity. Macbeth is totally different. There is nothing theatrical about the presentation of his character. He doesn't confide in us or try to and... middle of paper... will always be people like this, often among the best and brightest: politicians, business and community leaders, entertainers and sports figures. So overcoming a particular person is not the final triumph of something. It reminds us how fragile the basic moral assumptions we make about ourselves can be. In this sense, Macbeth, like all great tragedies, is potentially a very emotionally disturbing work. It does not reassure us that the forces of good will always prevail, rather that the powers of darkness are always present, despite all our pious hopes and beliefs. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Richard III. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1997) Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longmann, 1999.