Richard III (1699 Play) - Famous Actors

Famous Actors

During the middle of the eighteenth century the actor David Garrick began to establish himself at the London stages and later on became one of the most widely known actors for the role of Richard III in the year 1741. He was also portrayed in what later became his most famous role. The painting of David Garrick in the role of Richard III became one of the best known images of eighteenth century theatrical world.

Nevertheless, his career as an actor found its historic triumph at Goodman’s Field on October 19, 1741, where the historical play The Life and Death of King Richard III was staged. The role of King Richard III is the one he was even portrayed in.

The artist William Hogarth portrayed the actor in 1746 as Mr. Garrick in the Character of Richard the 3rd . : Painted by Wm. Hogarth Engraved by Wm. Hogarth & C Grignion, 1746. The original painting is slightly larger than 6 x 8 feet.

The painting shows the actor in his most famous scene (Act V, scene 3), the tent scene, in which King Richard is haunted by the ghosts of people he has killed on his proceeding to the throne. The night before the obliterate fight at Bosworth Field is presented on stage in a luxurious tent in which Richard tries to find some peace and quietness. Instead of resting he is haunted and not even his comfortable bed can change the situation. Richard cries out:

Give me another horse! bind up my wounds!

Have mercy, Heaven! Ha!--- Soft!---‘T was but a dream.

But then so terrible it shakes my Soul!

(Act V, Scene 2)

The painting has had an enormous impact on history painting ever since its creation. This influence has been reflected upon more than once.

Hogarth painted the picture in commission for Mr. Duncombe of Duncombe Park who paid the immense sum of £200 for the work. This scene from The tragical history of Richard III has become one of the most famous 18th century dramatic images. In the same way that Garrick's performance marked an important step in the eighteenth-century revival of Shakespeare, so Hogarth's work represents a crucial development in the evolution of history painting during the period. Hogarth's portrayal, which draws on Le Brun's celebrated Family of Darius before Alexander the Great, shows the halting steps by both actors and artists to achieve an historically exact rendering of the past. Though such an accessory as armour, specially loaned from the Tower of London, is included in the left foreground, and Garrick is shown without his wig, his vaguely Elizabethan costume points to the relatively approximate sense of period which still dominated the British stage. Famed for his 'naturalistic' acting style, Garrick is displayed frozen with fear in a pose familiar from pictorial manuals on gesture and expression, a source widely used by Georgian actors to achieve appropriate dramatic effect. Midway between a theatrical portrait and an historical rendering of an episode from the nation's past, Hogarth's work offers a fascinating insight into eighteenth-century actors' stagecraft. At the same time, it represents an important episode in the pictorial reconstruction of British history which so preoccupied both Hogarth's contemporaries and his successors (Welcome to William Hogarth’s Realm, 12.11.2006).

The painting helps to get a closer insight on the art of performance and creative work on stage during the time of the eighteenth century.

Edmund Kean (1787–1833) was another famous English actor who was celebrated for the role of Richard III. A frenetic and lively manner characterized Kean's style of performance. His tendency to drink too much alcohol before coming to work caused rumour and criticism. Nevertheless, the audience adored him for creating entertaining theatre. He mostly played villains such as Richard III. Moreover, Kean performed this role out of Britain. On 29 November 1820 he played Richard III in New York. (Theatre History Online – People Play UK, 03.01.07)

John Philip Kemble (1757–1823) played a large number of Shakespearian characters. Before he began to establish himself on the London stages he earned his living on the roads as a strolling actor, similar to the life his parents had lead. In Hull he appeared for the first time as Macbeth on 30 September 1783. The picture above shows him in the role of Richard III. In contradiction to David Garrick, Kemble’s style was a return to a rather motionless performance. Kemble dominated the London stage for three decades both as an actor and a manager. (Theatre History Online – People Play UK, 02.02.2007)