Watching a show about Richard the Third (Shakespeare). This character, based on the real Richard

[kerry-is-my-prez]

is reminding me of Trump. He was also an evil malignant person who manipulated everyone around him and managed to snag the crown by killing off all the people who were ahead of him in the succession. When they performed the play, people turned against Richard, etc. Too bad Shakespeare isn't around to do a play on Trump.

[Yuorik57]

1. Really?

Richard III was a masterpiece of political propaganda which justified the ascent of the Tudors at the end of the War of the Roses. Since Henry VII had no real legitimate claim to the throne accept for the fact that he was the last of the Lancasters, Shakespeare was commissioned to produce a play demonizing the last of the Yorks... Richard as portrayed by Shakespeare is a deformed villain. The play is magnificent but is a superb example of the fact that the victors write history.

[choie]

3. spot on!

Shakespeare's historical plays are brilliant - but they're not history!

[Raine]

9. EXACTLY and it's so wrong to

compare him to Trump at all!

[RockRaven]

2. Given that Shakepeare wrote that play during the reign of a grandkid of the guy who usurped him,

and during said reign the crown and royal court were very sensitive about the legitimacy of her rule, loyalty, and potential usurpers, it is by no means an accurate representation of Richard III's real behavior/personality. But it is a good fictional character. I wish Trump was just fiction.

[defacto7]

4. Richard III as depicted by Shakespeare may not have been accurate but

there are a multitude of examples of that type of behavior throughout history. Ancient Rome was full of it. The list is too long but Tiberius, Caligula and Commodus come to mind let alone European monarchs... I could just go on and on through history. It is the way of absolute authority and will never change. The relatively good ones are few and far between and the bad ones have a lot of Trump similarities.

[rampartc]

6. bin salman's clearing out the overpopulation of princes

and potential rivals has reminded me of richard iii and the tower princes. this is by no means uncommon in western cuvuluzation.

[rampartc]

5. ian mckellen played richard in a modernized movie. recommend

i think the play with nixon juxtaposed as richard iii was "dick deterred" but i might be wrong.

the real richard may not have been as bad as shakespeare portrayed him. he may have been worse.

[demigoddess]

7. trump reminds me of Henry VIII. Got a lot of money from his father, spent it

building castles and buying land. Had many wives, had many mistresses, and spent a lot of time fighting off debt, spending scads of money. Left the throne to a young prince who was ordered about by older men and who died young. He also threatened people and was flamboyant and showed off a lot. Used his followers prejudice about religion to gain power.

[eppur_se_muova]

8. But most notably, when he finally got to be king, he didn't seem to like the job. nt

[Raine]

10. Don't read/watch Shakespeare as history

read actual British History and you will find that Richard III and Trump are in no way alike!