‘Poor mortal living ghost’– The ghost of Margaret past/present/future in Richard III

Abstract

In Shakespeare’s Richard III, Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, rises from the dead and haunts her rivals’ stage. Like a ghost, she appears as a supernatural vision from the past, and is called a ‘poor mortal living ghost’ by the Duchess of York who labels Margaret a ghostly vision. She certainly serves as an echo of dynastic loss; she stalks the Yorkist court, cannot undertake any action, and instead waits as a cursing shadow demanding vengeance for the murder of her family. In a production, she might resemble the ghosts that later visit Richard III and curse him. Margaret is not a ghost; and yet she is. The question is whether her appearance might be classified alongside similar visions. This paper examines the nature and function of Margaret’s apparitions as ghostlike scenes, not unlike those of a revenge tragedy and claims that she can be labelled a ghostly figure.