The Lion in the Winter, by James Goldman, is about a dysfunctional family and their fight for power. The story is centered around three son who all want to rule England. They quickly turn their backs on their family and themselves as they fight for the crown. The whole play is what I imagine a medieval reality television series would be like. The play starts in the middle of all the action where Richard, Geoffrey, and John along with their mother Eleanor are all planning against Henry, their father and the king of England, to take the crown. As they all realize their original plans will not work they beginning making more alliances within the family and with King Philip, of France. The characters are constantly turning their backs against each, …show more content…
The play was like watching one of the middle episodes of a television series but not watching any of the rest. Before the play even starts Henrys family had launched countless plans against him trying to take the throne and he had enslaved his wife in a prison for 10 years. The main point of the play is the constant fight for power and affection between the siblings and the parents. When the play ends the basic story line does not progress at all. After all is said and done Eleanor does go back to jail, none of the children are shown any affection or approval, and Henry does not name a successor to his throne. It is almost as if all of the drama in the play is pointless because it doesn’t progress the basic plot, at all. The play leaves so many questions unanswered questions like what happens between Philip and Richard, will Eleanor ever get let out of jail, does anyone ever notice Geoffrey, will Henry and Alias get married, and who will rule England after Henry passes away? The play is very short in the retro specked of how much is actually a part of the story. I wish the play would have done something to explain what happened to the characters after the play was finish because I feel like it left off with a lot of loose ends and without finish any of the problems that were set up in the beginning of the
My least favorite aspect of this play was the ending. The ending confused me and was anticlimactic. It was not funny and not entertaining at all.
I feel that Richard gains our sympathy when he resigns the crown, refuses to read the paper that highlights his crimes, and smashes the mirror, which represents his vanity. In terms of kingship, I interpret the play as an exploration between the contrast with aristocratic pride in the law and the king's omnipotent powers. It also shows the chain reaction on kingship as past events in history determine present
The play was complete in itself being that it led the reader to use his or her imagination to put together all of the complexities of their interactions. That being said, I would recommend the film over the written play because of how powerful the messages shown by the actors through body language are. They brought a level of depth to the message that the original author was unable to achieve.
The theatrical film The Lion In Winter stars Peter O’Toole as King Henry II, and Katharine Hepburn as his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Adapted from his stage play of the same title, author James Goldman provides a fictional, but plausible, account of intra-family deceit and political conniving within the large and powerful Angevin Empire, which spanned much of the land that is now Britain, and much of what is now Northeastern France, within the medieval world. Directed and edited by Anthony Harvey, the story, set in the winter of 1183, details the succession crisis faced by the aging King Henry II, as his three surviving sons vie for the crown, and Queen Eleanor plots, both with and against them, to regain her freedom, and become the power behind the throne occupied by her choice of successor. King Philip of France patiently waits, seeking political advantage within the internal fracturing, for the opportunity to destroy the Kingdom that Henry II has worked a lifetime to build.
In conclusion, this production was one of my favorites that I had ever seen. The storyline was interesting and intense throughout. The designers and actors brought the message across perfectly, which made the play a great success. There were a lot of messages portrayed in this play; however, I believe the most important would be the need for justice. It is important to give the people a fair trial and that it is dangerous to be stereotypical in life.
In Michael Pollan’s “An Animal’s Place,” he wavers between the idea of if it is right to eat animals. Pollan first begins to think about the issue after reading “Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer. In this narrative, Singer argues why it is wrong to eat animals. Singer states that animals deserve rights because they are able to suffer just like humans. While Pollan reads it, he tries to understand Singer’s views and counteract his arguments. Throughout Pollan’s work, he appears to not make a definite stance on the issue until later on in the text. Towards the end of the text, he provides evidence based on evolution to show it is ethical to eat animals. Pollan believes it is ethical to consume animals and animal products due to the concept of
In J.M. Coetzee’s novel Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate comes to discover the humanity of the barbarian through his interactions with the blind girl, which eventually leads him to learn about the nature of his own humanity. Although the Magistrate is more lenient on the Barbarians than Colonel Joll, he still unknowingly objectifies them, while placing himself above them. It is only when he is imprisoned that he comes to realize the fragility of his own humanity. Ultimately Coetzee uses the magistrate’s journey from empirical leader to broken and fearful prisoner to express that peace and stability between people can only be obtained when all humanity is valued.
middle of paper ... ... In conclusion, the character of Henry dominates the play throughout. overshadowing the other characters in the story. He is a religious man, reinforced.
Ethan Allen Hawley, of The Winter of Our Discontent, lived for many years in New Baytown as a man who wanted nothing more than to make his wife and children happy. He was a simple man created by John Steinbeck, who had as many men dreams. Dreams of money and power. Ethan may have had the money and power he wished for if it wasn’t for his father, who had lost the family fortune. As a consequence of this, he was forced to work as a grocery clerk for a living. He felt as if his wife was embarrassed to be married to such an indigent man. Ethan wanted to be a man of power and fortune so badly he went to extremes. He made an anonymous tip to an Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding his store owner to get him in trouble for his own benefit. Also, Ethan gave money to his childhood friend that had become a drunk, evidently knowing what he would do with the money. Everything he did wasn’t wrong on his own accord. He was becoming a degrading man who lived for money. Ethan couldn’t be blamed for all of his decisions to gain wealth. He was influenced by Margie-Young Hunt who told him to be more outgoing and ruthless. And the local banker who told him to make bargains. Also, his friend Joey, a bank teller, taught him how to rob a bank. Ethan was thinking of following through with this action one day, but was luckily interrupted by a man before preceding. His morals were beginning to regress, just like the rest of New Bayton. This wasn’t only shown through Ethan, but his own son. Steinbeck showed what America was becoming through this story: a country full of people who were more focused on material wealth rather than honesty and ideals. It was the beginning of America’s moral degeneration.
In the novel, The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga the main character, is Balram, one of the children in the “darkness” of India. Adiga sheds a new light on the poor of India, by writing from the point of view of a man who was at one time in the “darkness” or the slums of India and came into the “light” or rich point of view in India. Balram’s job as a driver allows him to see both sides of the poverty line in India. He sees that the poor are used and thrown away, while the rich are well off and have no understanding of the problems the poor people must face. The servants are kept in a mental “Rooster Coop” by their masters. The government in India supposedly tries to help the poor, but if there is one thing Adiga proves in The White Tiger, it is that India’s government is corrupted. Despite the government promises in India designed to satisfy the poor, the extreme differences between the rich and the poor and the idea of the Rooster Coop cause the poor of India to remain in the slums.
We recommend that you stop reading the book at the end of Henry's story (p. 86). You won't want to, because the ending is very bleak and you will be looking for some respite from the story, something to encourage you. Unfortunately, the final part of the book consists of H.L. Roush's theological reflections on the story, and for the most part they aren't edifying. Best to think through the story yourself, perhaps even read it to your children, and together as a family consider what went wrong for Henry, how he might have avoided the downward spiral, and what lessons can be applied to your own circumstances.
The Walrus and the Carpenter Lewis Carroll The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might; He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright— And this was odd, because it was
In the end we see good overcoming evil; in the death of main character, who by the end was an evil figure. We see virtue restored, taking its place as saviour and leader of humanity. Evil is completely diminished, and the remaining characters seem pure and valiant, all embodiments of complete goodness. It must also be said that although this play was written many years ago, the themes it includes are still valid in this day.
The beginning, middle and end of the play do not rise up to the level of a good play, so absurd. Though its theme is logical and rational yet it lies in umbrage.
The most significant part of the play is towards the end when the audience finds out that Nora is leaving, standing up for what she believes in, and in the process leaves her husband and children behind to find herself. Inciting Incident As you start to read the play, you begin to have a feel for the characters of Nora and Torvald. Nora