Henry VI part III, act II
In Act I, I wondered about how Richard might respond to the loss of the father he seems so close to, and explored the ongoing death of chivalry and nobility.
It doesn’t take long to see both of these ideas addressed in Act II …
Continue reading “PTS 03/016: Young Skywalker is in pain …”
‘I am the first person who owns the body portraying the man. It’s hugely exciting for me.’
I’ll read or listen to almost anything about Richard III, and chanced upon this today. I’ve not seen the programme, but some of you will recognise Mat Fraser from American Horror Story: Freak Show. For those of you who don’t know him, he describes himself as a ‘thalidomider’. He’ll soon be playing Richard in Hull …
I’ve made a small addition to my ‘Thy name? Thy quality?’ page recently, talking briefly about my choice of the tavern’s name for my site title. In the course of this I was wonderfully surprised to find …
Slightly late, not least because all the songs I could think of seemed to be about Jack Cade.
What have I missed?
Continue reading “PTS 02/015: The Henry VI (II) Soundtrack Album …”
You are holding in your hands one of the most interesting, influential – and readable – books in British history.
Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland have long been famous as the key source of Shakespeare’s history plays. Given the role of Shakespeare’s view of Tudor history in shaping English nationalism, Holinshed’s long-term influence on British culture and English literature can hardly be overstated. Michael Wood (intro), Holinshed Chronicles (The Folio Society: London, 2012)
‘When ignorant men are overwhelmed by forces totally beyond their control and their understanding it is inevitable that they will search for some explanation within their grasp. When they are frightened and badly hurt then they will seek someone on whom they can be revenged. […] What was needed, therefore, was a suitable target for the indignation of the people, preferably a minority group, easily identifiable, already unpopular, widely scattered and lacking any powerful protector.’
Philip Ziegler, The Black Death, (The Folio Society, London: 1997) Cover image: Francis Mosley
The plague was too immediate, too visceral, for Shakespeare to include more than a passing reference to it in his plays. In Romeo and Juliet it’s a factor in the tragedy, but at a safe distance.
Alison Weir, The Princes In The Tower (The Folio Society, London: 1992)
w/c 17 July 2017
Richard of Gloucester was typical of the magnates of the period: acquisitive, hungry for wealth, land and power, brave in battle, tough, ruthless, energetic, and keenly interested in warfare, heraldry, and the manly pursuits such as hunting and hawking.
Read the full post for previous QUOTE OF THE WEEK entries …
‘Elizabethan London was livelier, noisier, smellier, probably more dangerous and certainly more colourful than the city we know today.’
Gamino Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld, (The Folio Society, London: 2006)
Just another Saturday night at The Boar’s Head, Eastcheap?
I needed cheering after going back to school today at the end of the Easter Holidays. And, look what I collected from the Post Office on the way home …
So. I owe the inspiration for this post – wanting to do something to celebrate the birthday – to ohforamuseofire, who herself got the questions from Folger Shakespeare Library project. I wonder how, if at all, my answers might change over the next few years, as the PonyTail Shakespeare project progresses …
What does Shakespeare mean to you?
Henry VI part III: Act I
So …
Part III begins, as Part II ended, with Warwick, perhaps reinforcing his role as ‘kingmaker’, and with the suspicion – to be dealt with later, maybe – that Henry is a ‘Jonah’ on the battlefield. Whoever’s side he appears on (note I don’t say ‘fights’ on) he seems to suck the fighting spirit out of the army like a Dementor whose puppy has just been killed in a hit-and-run accident …
Continue reading “PTS 03/014: Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable …”
The Boar's Head, Eastcheap 