Cold Soul
(to Shakespeare’s Richard III)
It must be cold
there
in that dark
and (to me)
unfamiliar
place
where you live
(or don’t really
Live) but
shrivel
and warp
inside until
you (finally)
die
like the many
you killed
heart and body
or tried to drag
(with you)
Down
to be company
for your misery
But instead,
they go
away
to a warm
and (to you)
unfamiliar
Place
Robbed (by you)
of life, but still
(though imperfect)
not
so soul dead
as you,
living wraith
and dying
man
You chose,
instead
(you wanted)
to stay
to live (or not really
Live)
in that cold
and dark
and (to me)
unfamiliar
place
where you (still)
are.
My first goal after reading Richard III was to find any neat poetry or songs either about Richard III, or that I thought expressed him well.
Shakespeare creates a lot of super deep, intriguing characters, and this Richard guy made me almost want to do a psychological profile on him; it was an interesting task trying to come up with words and phrases to describe him.
As I searched online, I found some interesting poems, but I wasn’t finding a lot that I really loved. I started messing around with more creative phrases to search, and one of the first ones I tried was “poetry about cold souls”. A little weird maybe, but that was the best way I could think to describe this character. He is just cold… not even really raging evil, he’s almost… hollow. He seems to have absolutely no concept of the feelings of others; like a sociopath. Maybe that’s partly what makes him so creepy and so difficult for most of us to understand.
Well, searching “cold souls” didn’t get me much online either, but instead, it kind of inspired me to write my own poetic description of Richard III, which I’ve posted above. I totally loved writing it, because it got me involved in thinking about, analyzing, and exploring my emotional experience of the play.
Here are a few of the other poems I found…
I’m still kind of a technological toddler of sorts, so I wasn’t able to find a whole ton (if anyone has suggestions of good poetry or art sites give me a holler…)
For each poem, I’m including a link to where I found it, and a quick note explaining why I felt it related to Richard III.
I’m still kind of a technological toddler of sorts, so I wasn’t able to find a whole ton (if anyone has suggestions of good poetry or art sites give me a holler…)
For each poem, I’m including a link to where I found it, and a quick note explaining why I felt it related to Richard III.
I see thy smile; at times, May's warm, young sun,
At times, December's cold and threat'ning sky;
Thy woman's hand aplucking at thy sword,
The lightning lurking in thy deep-set eye.
Alone, thy face a stage whereon doth play
Ambition, Hate, Lust, Murder; flitting out
And in the gloomy wings of thy dark soul -
A fearsome and a most unholy rout!
And yet withal a kingly look oft-times
Conveys an air of high-born royalty
That overshadows all thine awful crimes
And stamps e'en them somewhat with majesty.
Liar, Traitor, Murd'rer through all thy life -
Hero and King at Bosworth's fatal strife!
*My Notes* This one’s fairly obvious; it was written about him, and does a good job describing the inconsistency between the persona that Richard tries to project outwardly, and who he really is.
by John Clare
I am - yet what I am, none cares or knows:
My friends forsake me like a memory lost:
I am the self-consumer of my woes --
They rise and vanish in oblivious host,
Like shadows in love's frenzied stifled throes
And yet I am, and live-like vapours tost
Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,
Into the living sea of waking dreams,
Where there is neither sense of life or joys,
But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteem:
Even the dearest that I love the best
Are strange-nay, rather, stranger than the rest.
…(cont'd)
*My Notes* The second half didn’t really fit (if you’d like to finish it, just follow the link), but these first two verses I thought described a level of miserable alone-ness that fits Richard very well. He’s alone because of what he chooses to be, and miserable because of it as well.
by Moeze Lalji
Is a hot tennis ball in life
For the winnings of no care
The mind manipulates
The normal give and take of life
Hiding the honesty on which
Learning survives
To open the world
For all
Humans get destroyed as an excuse
Setting a fire of generations
Those win who say no to evil
Sometimes by moving away from its path
Sometimes by facing it in great sacrifice
Braveness is not in everyone
To face such a game of darkness
*My Notes* This one, also a little more obvious, just kind of describes how Richard lives. I also liked the last verse, because it actually called to mind Buckingham, and some of the more cowardly “supporters” of Richard in the play.
by Barbara Combs Williams
He stands wide on two pretentious legs
You better believe his kind never begs
No one knows from whence he came
But all want to play his morbid game
All and all he still has a tainted air
A predator let loose from his solitary lair
An ominous purpose only drives this man
He will force upon you his terrifying plan
About him there’s something slightly sinister
But to your fears he will tenderly minister
I can’t help but wonder what he tells
That makes one consider his kind of hells
Now he stoops upon a knurly cane
His demeanor doesn’t seem quite the same
Reaching out to touch with a simple grin
Asking only to be your one true friend
Which one is real, demon kind or man
As he smoothly takes your proffered hand
Do you know the dangerous game you play
You will be stretched out, every which way
There’s something slightly evil about him
Carelessly scattering your wits to his whim
Switching from majestic to humble old man
Playing games with your mind as only he can
Take heed to that whisper in your mind
You will never understand this fiendish kind
Thinking you know about what you do
He has doomed thousands, maybe you too
*My Notes* Another pretty good description of the two-faced way of living that Richard has. I liked this one because it helped portray the idea that everyone kind of knows he’s evil on various levels, but the uncertainty and/or fear is enough to frequently keep anyone from actually acting to stop him.
