Sun Imagery in Shakespeares Richard III Essay example -- Richard II R

Sun Imagery in Shakespeares Richard III Shakespeares Richard III is a play pervasive in figurative language, one of the most historied being the symbolic image of the sun and the shadow it casts. In an examination of a short passage from the text, it will be argued that Richard is compared to a shadow in relation to the sun, which has traditionally been held as a symbol of the king. The passage is significant not only because it speaks volumes about the plots of Richard, but also because it is relevant in sagacity the overall plot of the play, which in the first few acts is almost indistinguishable from the plot of the scheming Duke of Gloucester. The comparison of Richard to a shadow is especially clear in an exchange between Richard and Queen Margaret Richard Gloucester Our eyrie buildeth in the cedars top, And dallies with the wind, and scorns the sun. Queen Margaret And turns the sun to shade. Alas, alas Witness my son, now in the shade of death, Whose bright outs hining beams thy cloudy peevishness Hath in eternal darkn...