By JAMES D. WATTS JR. Scene Writer on Feb 4, 2013, at 11:55 AM Updated on 2/04 at 11:55 AM
Kevin Spacey as King Richard III
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"Bloody thou art, bloody will be thy end;
Shame serves thy life and doth thy death attend.”
-- Duchess of York in "Richard III," William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's portrait of England's King Richard III -- a villain whose physical deformities were not nearly so hideous as his blackhearted cruelty -- has been called into question by historians for years.
But it's difficult to argue that there is some truth in the Duchess of York's words from Act IV, Scene iv -- Richard III's end certainly was bloody. And there can be no honor in having one's grave paved over with a parking lot.
Earlier today, archaeologists announced that the skeleton discovered in September 2012 under a car park in Leicester, England, has been identified as that of Richard III, who ruled England for two years before his death during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
Photographs of the skeleton showed a dramatic curvature of the spine, which has led actors who have played the role in Shakespeare's tragedy to emphasize Richard's physical weaknesses, from the hunchback of Lawrence Olivier's film version, to the Dr. Strangelove-like mechanized look of Kevin Spacey's portrayal on New York and London stages.
These photographs also show that Richard sustained a host of injuries in his final battle, including a massive blow that sheared away a portion of his skull.
Here's a link to
the Guardian's story about the discovery.
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