Sessions & Richard III

In Shakespeare's Richard III, he has given us a kind of universal syntax of tyranny -- a hidden grammar of villainy, as it assumes its merely superficially different forms in various places and climes. As such, it seems only reasonable that some modern director ought hastily to stage that drama with 21st century costuming, if they haven't done so already, and cast our current governing regime in its chief roles.

At first I supposed the haggard prophetess Queen Margaret -- she of the defeated Lancasters, wife of Henry VI - might best be portrayed by someone in the garb of lady liberty or lady justice. It occurs to me now, however, that Hilary Clinton would be best for the part. Margaret, after all, is not quite morally unblemished. With bloodied hands herself (think Libya, Honduras) and guilty of past intrigues and ethical breaches, she is -- for all that -- so wronged by her successors as to be able to gather the full force and justice of heaven into her curse.

Eavesdropping on the scene of the new administration, Margaret sees that -- no sooner had they usurped the crown for themselves -- than they are already squabbling over the spoils and laying traps to intrigue against each other.

Hear me, [says Margaret] you wrangling pirates, that fall out
In sharing that which you have pill'd from me!

So too every power-hungry goon and coward shill who thought to ride to power on Trump's coattails has discovered that there is no honor among thieves. One by one, he has turned upon those who made his usurpation possible. Chris Christie -- thwack! Jeff Sessions -- ack! It doesn't matter how diligently you did the tyrant king's evil bidding -- your reward will still be betrayal.

Perhaps Lord Hastings should be dressed as Christie -- an early casualty, a dupe dispatched toward the middle of the play, who could say that those who survived this earliest purge would eventually fall victim to the next. He cries:

Come, lead me to the block; bear him my head. 
They smile at me that shortly shall be dead.

And the Duke of Buckingham should obviously be Sessions. The scorpion who made possible his master's worst crimes, who buttressed his reign at every step. He assumes that his loyalty and service must eventually be rewarded. But no - he too is eventually dismissed when he has served his purpose. Thinks Buckingham/Sessions:

Is it even so? rewards he my true service
With such contempt? made I him king for this?

There is no would-be dictator who doesn't have his own night of long knives. There is no Richard III who does good at last for anyone but himself -- and ultimately not even for that.

And finally, operatically, they always overplay their hand.
They do something so evil it offends God and man.
In Richard III, it's the assassination of the princes in the Tower.
For Trump it's his flagrant cruelties of executive power,
Directed likewise against those with no ability to fight back
Children, asylum-seekers, refugees... as if he lacks
Any ability to swim against the inevitable current of evil
That, once gushing forth, will carry him beyond retrieval.