Lord Hastings: A Justification To Omit Regret :: essays research papers fc

Lord Hastings: A Justification to Omit Regret We, the audience, lend our ears and nod our heads at the exactness of Lord Hastings's uttering: I think there's never a man in Christendom, Can lesser hide his love or hate than he, For by his face shall you know his heart. (3.4.51-53). Ironically, we do not assent to his words because they are exactly in the right, but because they are exactly in the wrong. By Act III, Richard III exhibits a pallet of personalities including the devoted brother, the witty wooer, and the loyal subject. We see that these almost Platonic ideals are tarnished black under the rule of Richard's perfectly evil intent to manipulate. Lord Hastings, however, could not see until it was too late. The time to weigh the validity of the supernatural signs and omens in Stanley’s dream had past. Before his death, Lord Hastings misperceives the "subtle, false, and treacherous" Richard, and only saw the face (i.e. the theatrical abilities of Richard), not the heart (1.1.37). Why, then, do we nod at wrongness? The answer lies in the fact that we are plummeted into absolute awe. We have reached a catharsis of our emotions in response to the summit of Richard’s manipulative character, where Lord Hastings had actually believed tha t Richard was a man incapable of manipulating. Our response is a sign of assent because Lord Hastings is completely justified for trusting Richard and ignoring Stanley’s forebodings entirely. If Lord Hastings had the chance to relive his death scene, he would have two choices: to reiterate his regret for not listening to Stanley, or take a different course, and omit his regret. The study of this paper involves what types of justification Lord Hastings could offer if he had the opportunity to omit regret. His justification would necessarily contain an assessment of Richard’s compelling theatrical abilities. In other words, Lord Hastings would have to prove that Richard was too good of an actor for anyone to realize his acting. Lord Hastings now carries the burden of proof on his shoulders. Lord Hastings would probably refer to the ideal representation of brotherly love Richard shows to Clarence. â€Å"We are not safe Clarence, we are not safe,† Richard says, probably placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder while stressing â€Å"we†(1.1.70). In those words, Clarence felt warmth, despite the cold chains draping from his wrists; felt security, despite his insecurities about the reason as to why he was placed under arrest.