Ian McKellen's Richard III: Sexual Fantasy and Its Failure

Abstract

Shakespeare’s Richard Ⅲ has been generally regarded as a history play which supports the political ideology of the Elizabethan period called “Tudor myth.” Tudor myth, in a way or another, has formed every aspect of Richard's deformed body and character. But Richard's history is a fiction and it is deformed from the outset. This might testify that his history has been calling forth a desire for reconstruction from anyone who has interest in him, and Ian McKellen is one of them. In his film Richard Ⅲ, adapted from Shakespeare’ original play, setting its historical background in 1930s fascist England, he chooses to anchor his filmic interpretation on the psychological and sexual cause of Richard’s evil doings. McKellen places his Richard in the middle between his wishful sexual self-image and undeniable sexual impotence, and lets him fill the empty space with will for power. The opening scene in which Richard's tank with its giant gun breaks through the wall of Henry Ⅵ’s headquarters seems to display his hyper-masculinity with the symbolic phallus of warlike soldier. Iin the following scene of the royal ball his withered left hand hidden in the pocket also seems to arouse an expectation for a fantasy of a giant phallus. In his public address of the “summer of York,” however, the camera closes up his face that is distinguished with exaggerated deep circles and tarnished uneven teeth which underscore his pass over the age of sexual virility. In men’s room scene, while looking down at his urinating penis, he comments on his frustration with “Love.” His frustration with love has come from disfunction of his sexual organ as he has no sex with Anne to whom once he approached in a fantasy of romantic lover. He is a man of political ambition who is not able to produce and continue linear royal line. Richard's fascist ideology and exclusive devotion to his career as a full-time soldier are associated with homosexuality which prevents him from enjoying heterosexual relationship with women. While endeavoring to display his masculinity in sexual fantasy, his sexual incapacity threatens the patriarchal order of royal reproduction. The film proposes Richmond as Richard’s opposition in possession of masculine sexuality, as seen in the scene of the first night of the newly married couple of Richmond and Prince Elizabeth. The final victory of Rivers over Richard in the Bosworth field battle is the victory of one who authorizes himself to be worthy of throne since he can make royal succession possible.