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monarch King Richard III as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The legendary English theatre company are staging the controversial

production of the classic play in their upcoming season, in which all 37 of

William Shakespeare's plays will be performed.

Although the Elizabethan playwright portrays the king as a power-crazed

monster, critics insist the Hussein comparison is going too far.

Dr. Philip Stone of the Richard III Society, which strives to protect the late

monarch's reputation despite the fact he's been dead for over 500 years, says,

"We have our work cut out for us as it is without going to this extreme.

"The problem is that Saddam Hussein is very much alive and people have very

definite ideas about him. Shakespeare's Richard was a nasty piece of work but

he was also a lot of fun. A lot of women fell for him in the play.

"I don't think there are many people who have fallen head over heels in love

with Saddam."

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