Portrayal of "Richard III" by Lawrence Olivier.

William Shakespeare wrote "Richard III" in 1592. He amalgamated his text from a variety of historical records and legends. In doing so, he created a dramatically heightened play and gave Richard, his villainous antihero, intense political and social dimensions. Laurence Olivier adapted the play from the medium of the theatre to film in 1955. It is unusual for Shakespeare's plays to be performed in their entirety. He condensed Shakespeare's text into a coherent script. Olivier used traditional …

…to be. Works Cited: Books Davies, Anthony. Filming Shakespeare's Plays: The Adaptations of Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Peter Brook, and Akira Kurosawa. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. pp. 70 Eccles, Mark, "Richard III on Stage and Screen." Richard III, New York: Signet, 1998 pp. 240 Jorgens, Jack J. Shakespeare on Film. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1977. pp. 146 Pollard, A.J. Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991, pp. 13, 14 Shakespeare, William, Richard III: 1592-94, New York: Signet, 1998