Richard III: Stranger to the Ground

Richard III: A Stranger to the Ground

The next morning from the Flock came the gull,
wobbling across the sand, dragging his wing, to
collapse at Jonathan’s feet.
“Help me,” he said quietly, speaking in the way
the dying speak. “I want to fly more than anything
else in the world…”
“Come along then,” said Jonathan. “Climb with me away
from the ground, and we will begin.”
“You do not understand. My wing. I can not move my wing.”
“Gull, you have the freedom to be yourself, your true self,
here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.”
“Are you saying I can fly?”
“I say you are free.”
(Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull)



“Richard III” is by far the most complicated and controversial of Shakespearean tragedies, and the Duke of Gloucester is the most overlooked character in Shakespearean criticism. Analyzing this particular character one should not forget that moral and political imperatives of medieval society were d...