Richard III

Well, I went home for Columbus Day (Canadian Thanksgiving.) and saw Serenity. It is an incredible movie. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a movie to go see. Joss Whedon does his usual brilliant job of writing and directing. Enough on that for right now, don’t want to let any spoilers slip out.
I don’t know why, but I’ve decided to write about my favorite English King today. My favorite is Shakespeare’s evil uncle, Richard III. I think I know why I decided to write about him. I was back in my room at home, and I saw my postcard of his portrait from the National Portrait Gallery in London. It is a truly striking painting, very lifelike, and brilliantly executed. If you ever have a chance, stop by and pay it a visit. I believe it is on the third floor, but don’t hold me to that. Here’s a picture of the painting that I found:

This doesn't due the original justice.
I can’t write a short defense of Richard, there are simply too many allegations against his character to sum up why they are all false. Well, maybe not. All of the allegations date from after Richard’s reign, when history was being written by the Tudors. The Tudors needed to legitimize their claim to the throne (tenuous at best), and vilified Richard immensely. I recommend reading “Daughter of Time” by Josephine Tey, to anyone who likes a good mystery and learning the truth (that should be most Chesterton fans.) This book exonerates Richard much more fully than I ever could.
Yours in Christ,
Thursday