When I read Richard III for the first time, a while back at this point, one thing really stuck with me over the years, namely the famous last words of the fallen king, right at the end of the play:
“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”I found (and still find) something just so haunting in that final phrase, a plea of such desperation and sublimely sad denouement. Richard is going down, and he knows it. Also, in thinking about this line some more this morning while brushing my teeth (I know, inspiring, right?), it is a pretty strange thing to say as you are being done in, isn’t it? And why a horse? Why not a better sword? Or a bigger army? And what is a horse going to really do for you, even one that costs an entire kingdom? Or, is Richard trying to escape? Or…is he simply just trying to get back up on a horse so he can fight better?
One of my favorite things about this play (and I do have lots of them) is its seemingly endless nuance and subtly. Just about everything in it feels like it has multiple layers and meaning, with the puzzles and enigmas solving and then unsolving themselves as you dig deeper. I just love that. This play can be turned over and over, and still stay fresh. I find myself thinking about it throughout the day, while standing at line in the grocery store or wading through the commercials during the latest game on the tube. “Why a kingdom for a horse…?” Hmmmm. That means it’s a good play, right?
So anyway, I have finished the play and now plan on watching the well regarded movie version starring Ian McKellan. Should be a blast. While I wait for Netflix to deliver the disk, it’s onwards with King John, a play (unlike Richard III) that I know literally nothing about at this point except the title.
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