Richard III’s Double Dimension in “A Game of Thrones”: a comparative study

Abstract

There can be no doubt that King Richard III is, perhaps, one of the most controversial kings of England, due to the shortage of contemporary records and chronicles and to his biased reputation as a result of physical and moral portrayal in both the Tudor propaganda and the Shakespearean play which, basically, pictured him as a physically deformed villain and murderer. This dissertation deals with a comparative analysis of the historical figure of King Richard III and Eddard Stark and Tyrion Lannister, two of the most prominent characters in “A Game of Thrones” (1996), the first book of George R.R. Martin’s Saga “A Song of Ice and Fire”. Whereas Eddard Stark may resemble the ‘historical’ Richard, Tyrion Lannister may be considered a fictionalised version of the mythological character created by Shakespeare. The methodology to be followed will entail a through and detailed comparison of the double dimension of Richard III’s historical figure (i.e. his physical and moral descriptions in Shakespeare´s play and in the Tudor chronicles) with that of the characters could be considered as a reinterpretation of the controversial reputation of the English king. The study will be supported by a careful reading and reviewing of the most relevant bibliography on the subject