Exploring the Character of a Fifteenth Century Knight: Literary and Historical Representations of William, Lord Hastings, from 1455 to Shakespeare

Ainscough, Jill (2025) Exploring the Character of a Fifteenth Century Knight: Literary and Historical Representations of William, Lord Hastings, from 1455 to Shakespeare. Masters thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

William, Lord Hastings, is a central character in Richard III,* where his execution is the pivot point in Shakespeare’s portrayal of the tyrant. Hastings is accused of treason - if true, Richard is vindicated, but if false, Richard has murdered an innocent man. Shakespeare’s history plays cover the entire Wars of the Roses in a few hours, so his characterisation of Hastings is necessarily brief. The real Hastings is a more complex character, prominent for twenty years in the political machinations of the late fifteenth century. This study explores the evidence in a broad spectrum of sources: his own words in historical documents including letters, contracts and indentures, and literary texts from the medieval chronicles to the Tudor histories, leading to Shakespeare.

Hastings was integral to the kingship of Edward IV and rose to become Lord Chamberlain, Master of the Mint and Captain of Calais from a position of relative obscurity. As a parallel, it could be argued that Hastings was to Edward what Thomas Cromwell was to Henry VIII. This study focusses on the discovery of Hastings’ character through contemporary literature and language and the use of form and style. It is interdisciplinary, describing and comparing the historical evidence alongside the literary portrayals. This allows an examination of Hastings’ actions, personality traits, motivations and strategies, leading to a potential reinterpretation when compared to the dramatic characterisations as they emerge in the late fifteenth century onwards, culminating in Shakespeare.

*William Shakespeare. Hammond A. ed. Richard III. The Arden Edition. London: Methuen, 1981.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	21 May 2025 10:26
Last Modified:	21 May 2025 10:26
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99321
DOI:

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