A Study On The Ethics Of Kingship In Richard ?

The play "Richard iii" mainly concerns two monarchs: Richard iii and Henry vii,through whom the evil of England is filled and the evil of England is brought to an end.This paper applies the core category and research method of ethics to the practice of criticism.With the help of literary ethics criticism method,this paper takes "the ethics of kingship" as the entry point and focuses on its core concepts of "interests" and "morality".How the moral connotation of the ethics of kingship can be embodied in Richard iii;On this basis,it describes the restoration of royalty ethics brought about by the rise of Henry vii.The introduction is mainly based on three parts: research value and significance,literature review at home and abroad,research content and research methods.The body part is divided into three chapters:The first chapter discusses the chaos caused by the conflict of interests of the crown and the other bad consequences.The first section is based on the Elizabethan concept of order and Shakespeare's own concept of order: support for hierarchy and desire for order are popular concepts in Elizabethan era.Based on this,Shakespeare's concept of order also includes the emphasis on ethics and morality.The second section analyzes the chaotic order reflected in the power relations between the monarch,the nobility,the public and the church.The third section discusses that the chaotic social order makes the kingship unstable,implying the possibility of being overthrown again at any time.The second chapter discusses the moral concept contained in the ethics of kingship.The first section analyzes Richard's image.As a monarch,he is a tyrant who kills his relatives to usurp the throne,and as an individual,he is the embodiment of the spirit of The Times.Analysis in the second quarter Richard ethical situation facing in the process of the usurper,mainly from the ethical choice and analyze ethical dilemmas: Richard born disabled,often unfair fate,but he has a noble identity and strong personal ability,and there is a precedent Henry iv tried to do the reference,such situation ethics and ethical status led him to make the wrong choice,then make his ethical dilemma,have to make a choice,until the Richmond appear to break the cycle;Section 3 looks at Richard's actions as a sovereign from a moral perspective,showing that he is capable of acting against virtue.The third chapter discusses the restoration of royalty ethics.The first section analyzes Richard's position in the formation of kingship ethics: from the theocratic ethics formed in the early middle ages to the mature development of kingship ethics in the Henry viii era,Richard was the trough between the two peaks of power and the other extreme of the peak of kingship ethics in the process of the transition from theocratic ethics to kingship ethics.The second section analyzes the motivation behind Richmond's restoration of the kingship ethics destroyed by Richard.The third section describes the reflection on the ethics of English kingship.Through Richard,Shakespeare shows the paradox between rights and ethics,as well as his pursuit of order.The conclusion summarizes how Shakespeare demonstrated his moral and ethical thoughts through the play Richard iii,as well as his moral ideals,and affirms the positive significance of his thoughts to the current ethical and moral construction.In a word,Richard iii is a play with rich ethical thoughts.This paper takes the concept of "the ethics of kingship" as a starting point to analyze the connotation of the ethics of kingship and the particularity of Richard iii as a usurper in the construction of the ethics of kingship,from which we can get a glimpse of Shakespeare's own ethical thoughts.