Macbeth's usurpation is said to have been foretold by the three witches; and Richard's tyranny through omens. John Black's study of the Elizabethan era reiterates that "despite its scholarship, scholarship, and realism, the Elizabethans were permeated with superstition." Thus Shakespeare effectively used imprecations and prophecies to arouse suspense in his audience, as he placed strong credibility on the forces of the supernatural. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The audience is first introduced to the powerful element of prophecy in Richard's first soliloquy as it exposes us to his natural propensity to be evil. It is because of Richard's rancorous envy of those who have greater advantages of figure than he does that he is "reduced by this fair proportion" which causes him to swell with insecurity and thus thrive on infamy. Richard's psychological acuity towards the people around him works to his advantage as he cleverly uses the prophecies as the catalyst for his plot to "prove himself a villain". In Act 1 Scene 1, the word prophecies is mentioned twice in the phrase "With drunken prophecies, slanders and dreams" and "About a prophecy that says that "G" that leads the audience to realize the power of prophecies and his dramatic effect on the play as King Edward IV who "hears prophecies and dreams" and arrests his brother simply on the basis of a soothsayer's premonitions that the prophecies are personified as "drunken" places further emphasis on the effect of a prophecy, which manages to influence and overcome the ability to think rationally. Furthermore, the prophecies act to foreshadow future events which cause the audience to anticipate Clarence's unfortunate fate at the hands of King Edward IV as both have fallen prey to the "subtle" plans. , false and treacherous" of Richard to cause conflict in the monarchy. thus manipulating his brothers into being "in mortal hatred against each other". The prophecies serve to link the past, present and future and have elements of connection and self-containment in the work, as stated in Aristotle's Poetics. Only two scenes later, in Act 1, scene 4, Clarence's fate is revealed as his nightmare containing "So full of fearful dreams, of evil visions" serves to foreshadow his death at Richard's hands at the end of the scene. A person's dream is a series of thoughts, images and sensations that emerge from their subconscious. Thus Clarence recalls his nightmare in which "Gloucester stumbled, and, falling, struck me, that thought of holding him at sea" which reveals Clarence's subconscious sense of Richard's threat and his evocative intentions. Clarence's dream invokes self-realization as he speaks of "wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearls, priceless stones, worthless jewels, all scattered on the bottom of the sea" as he was drowning. However the dream shows a mocking tone of the uselessness of wealth which is represented in the sentence "And he mocked at the dead bones that lay scattered." This alludes to the fact that countless lives were lost in sheer futility during the Wars of the Roses. It is only through Clarence's dreams that he is able to realize that materialistic possessions such as wealth and status have no value when one's soul is absolved from the face of the earth. His dreams drag him to hell. Pass by the "melancholy river" which in classical mythology is the River Styx which leads to Hades, the underworld and the "Kingdom of Perpetual Night" which represents the afterlife. His journey into the depths of hell evokesa strong sense of fear and pity in the audience as we see Clarence purge his regrets and admit the crimes he committed. In this scene he is accused of perjury by Warwick through the phrase "What scourge of perjury can this dark monarchy afford forgeries?" Clarence" and is cursed by Edward, Prince of Wales who he stabbed "in the field near Tewkesbury", which echoes Richard's own fate when he is visited by his victims in Act 5 scene 3 which serves as a parallel comparison that exposes Richard's life lack of penance in comparison to Clarence even as death remains eminent the phrase "Dabbed in blood, and he screamed aloud", both the reader's auditory and visual senses are activated as the horrible, ghostly image of Edward, Prince of Wales appears, showing his repugnant disgust for Clarence through the double emphasis of his high pitched sound as he "shrieked aloud". two murders will fulfill Richard's promise to deliver him 'from the bondage of this earth to the joys of heaven' as seen in the use of double entendres to deceive Clarence with his line 'I will set you free or I will lie for you' in act one, scene 1. In Act 3, Scene 2, Lord Stanley sends a messenger to Lord Hastings at the wicked "at the stroke of four", implying that the message is of crucial urgency and importance. The context of the dreams comes into play when Stanley "dreamed that the boar tore off his helmet", which derogatorily refers to Richard as the white boar in his coat of arms. The phrase “shaved off the helmet” incites fear and gives the reader a tactile sense as Richard is described as tearing Stanley's head off. which provides the reader with a poignant visual image of the boar's repugnant audacity in achieving his means. Characters who receive dreams are given a sense of foresight and knowledge about what might happen in the future, so they are seen as wiser than the rest of the characters, however Stanley's initial realization of Richard's betrayal proved helpful to survive the play compared to Clarence's Dream which occurred only the eleventh hour before its execution. Stanley's dreams accurately prophesy "that two councils are held, and that one may be decided in one which might make you regret and him the other", which is soon reflected in Hastings' conversation with Catesby as he unknowingly expresses his disapproval for the coronation of Richard III as king. Therefore, Hastings' arrogance is largely reflected in Act 3 Scene 2, when he foolishly dismisses his only chance to escape "the peril his soul divines" by immediately sending Stanley's messenger while misunderstanding Richard and trying with confidence of convincing Stanley's messenger that "his fears are superficial, without instance" and "the boar will treat us kindly". Stanley's dream begins to materialize as the rising action of the scene begins with the audience's anticipated arrival of Catesby to evaluate Hastings' vision of Richard's reign through the line "Till Richard wears the garland of kingdom." Hasting's inability to read warning signs is described in his response: "I will have this crown cut from my shoulders before I see the crown so misplaced." He sealed his own fate by stating his will to die rather than see Richard III crowned, which happens in Act 3, Scene 5 with the bloody entrance of Lovvell and Ratcliffe with the head of Hastings. Hastings's strong objections "To exclude the heirs of mine.