William Shakespeare

News: 37 Shakespeare plays performed in 97 minutes

Arun Chullikkal — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:58:35 +0000

All 37 Shakespeare plays will be performed in just 97 minutes at the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham on Wednesday, February 20, and Thursday, February 21, at 7.30pm.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare will blow the theory straight out of the water, that it is just for thespians and dusty literary buffs.The world’s greatest bard-busters, direct from the West End, will take you on a doublet wearing, singlet sporting roller-coaster ride through every single play that Shakespeare wrote as you’ve never seen them before.

Hamlet is performed forwards, backwards and sideways, Titus Andronicus is the Elizabethan answer to Keith Floyd and Othello gets down with the kids in a rap version of the literary classic.

Definitely not for purists – this is Shakespeare but not as we know it.

On the Death of Shakespeare

Arun Chullikkal — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:24:11 +0000

The cause of Shakespeare’s death is a mystery, but an entry in the diary of John Ward, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford (where Shakespeare is buried), tells us that “Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted.” Ward, a self-proclaimed Shakespeare fan, wrote his diary fifty years after Shakespeare died and most historians agree it appears to be a baseless anecdote. It should be noted though that a serious outbreak of typhus, known as the “new fever”, in 1616 (the year Shakespeare died), lends credibility to Ward’s story.Martin Mitchell, in his insightful biography of Shakespeare’s physician and son-in-law, Dr. John Hall, presents the following hypothesis: “I have formed the opinion that it was more likely than not in the nature of a cerebral hemorrhage or apoplexy that quickly deepened and soon became fatal. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, the hurried reconstruction and inter-lineated clauses of the Will not allowing time for it to be copied afresh before signature; Secondly, the earliest and clearest impressions of the Droeshout frontispiece of the First Folio show outstanding shadings, suggesting marked thickening of the left temporal artery – a sign of atheroma and arterio-sclerosis; and thirdly, such a termination is quite common in men who have undergone such continuous mental and physical strain over a prolonged period as our actor-manager-dramatist must have been subjected to throughout his, undoubtedly, strenuous career. Richard Burbage who daily shared the same theatrical life, himself died of such a seizure after twenty-four hours illness, and within a year or two of Shakespeare’s death” (Mitchell, 79).

Unfortunately, Shakespeare’s death at the age of 52 will almost surely remain a mystery. We do know, however, that in a world where plague, syphilis, typhus, scurvy, tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria, dysentery and toothaches shortened a Londoner’s life expectancy to 35 years, Shakespeare fared quite well, leading a relatively long and healthy life.

The Shakespeare Wars – Criticism by Ron Rosenbaum

Arun Chullikkal — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:49:46 +0000

Ron Rosenbaum has created a book. Through just the first two chapters he brings to life the wonderful exploration of meaning that connecting to literature can bring. He is poetically taken by Peter Brook’s Mid-summer Night’s Dream (some stuff on this production can be found here).

If you want to understand what reading is about, what language should be – what can happen when you find yourself touched in a profound way be words, then read Rosenbaum’s The Shakespeare Wars.

One of the best ways to learn, is from a person who understands his or her own learning…

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Arun Chullikkal — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:26:43 +0000

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet and fall in love in Shakespeare’s lyrical tale of “star-cross’d” lovers. They are doomed from the start as members of two warring families. Here Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and that she loves the person who is called “Montague”, not the Montague name and not the Montague family. Romeo, out of his passion for Juliet, rejects his family name and vows, as Juliet asks, to “deny (his) father” and instead be “new baptized” as Juliet’s lover. This one short line encapsulates the central struggle and tragedy of the play.

News: Henry V, Theatered by Craig Johnson

Arun Chullikkal — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:18:50 +0000

Sometimes it’s enough for a play to be presented as a story without metaphors. That appears to be the ambition of Theatre in the Round’s ensemble staging of “King Henry V” that opened last weekend in Minneapolis.

In our time, Shakespeare’s epic about England’s medieval warrior king has often taken on the trappings of somewhere else. Versions have been set in Vietnam and, more recently, in Iraq. Of the two great film versions, the one by Laurence Olivier made during the struggles of World War II emphasized British triumph against overwhelming odds, while the one made by Kenneth Branagh in the late 1980s seemed to emphasize the horrors and waste of war.

TRP’s version, which was adapted and directed by Craig Johnson, attempts only to make the play more palatable to modern audiences. And on that level, it works pretty well.

Johnson’s adaptation, with its nips and tucks and fast-moving staging, has reduced the performance time to two 70-minute acts from what is often a three-hour experience. He’s also replaced Shakespeare’s narrator with the story-theater technique of splitting narration between members of the ensemble before they step into their roles.

The performance takes place across a nearly bare arena that has been painted by set designer Kathy Pepmiller to depict a map of medieval England and France. The battle sequences, always a trick, are very convincing – often consisting of hoards of warriors shouting as they rush toward an unseen enemy offstage. The battle of Harfleur is particularly effective, with Henry bathed in smoke as he ascends a siege ladder held by his men while he utters those well-known words, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends… .”Fundamentally, however, it is Ian Miller’s starless performance as Henry that gives this production its tone. Miller, whose work I’ve seen in other productions, is a good actor. But a big Shakespearean hero is beyond him. He settles instead on depicting a warrior king who is more on the order of U.S. Grant or Dwight Eisenhower – a thoroughly successful, though bland-seeming leader of men who does what’s necessary to get the job done.

So his big speech to his men before the triumph at Agincourt (”We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”) isn’t the stem-winder that many expect. It’s only in the last scenes, where he woos the deliciously dithered French princess (Valerie Rigsbee) that we see the kind of winning performance that Miller is capable of giving.

In the end, we come away appreciating the heroic tableaus, but remembering the lighter scenes with the bragging Frenchmen, the rapscallion soldiers, the English-fracturing French ladies and some of the elegiac narratives. Particularly effective are David Tufford as Pistol, a tall, clumsy camp-follower, and Andy Babinski as Fluellen, the Welsh officer who is a mixture of charming ethnic caricature and cold-blooded battlefield killer. And at play’s end, Muriel J. Bonertz completes the narration with the sad view of the future.

Henry V was a tremendous warrior, but the fruits of his victories were fleeting. In a different production that could be a contemporary metaphor.

BY DAVID HAWLEY
Special to the Pioneer Press

Summary: King Lear

Arun Chullikkal — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:13:08 +0000

Lear, the aging king of Britain, decides to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom evenly among his three daughters. First, however, he puts his daughters through a test, asking each to tell him how much she loves him. Goneril and Regan, Lear’s older daughters, give their father flattering answers. But Cordelia, Lear’s youngest and favorite daughter, remains silent, saying that she has no words to describe how much she loves her father. Lear flies into a rage and disowns Cordelia. The king of France, who has courted Cordelia, says that he still wants to marry her even without her land, and she accompanies him to France without her father’s blessing.
Lear quickly learns that he made a bad decision. Goneril and Regan swiftly begin to undermine the little authority that Lear still holds. Unable to believe that his beloved daughters are betraying him, Lear slowly goes insane. He flees his daughters’ houses to wander on a heath during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and by Kent, a loyal nobleman in disguise.
Meanwhile, an elderly nobleman named Gloucester also experiences family problems. His illegitimate son, Edmund, tricks him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is trying to kill him. Fleeing the manhunt that his father has set for him, Edgar disguises himself as a crazy beggar and calls himself “Poor Tom.” Like Lear, he heads out onto the heath.
When the loyal Gloucester realizes that Lear’s daughters have turned against their father, he decides to help Lear in spite of the danger. Regan and her husband, Cornwall, discover him helping Lear, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the countryside. He ends up being led by his disguised son, Edgar, toward the city of Dover, where Lear has also been brought.
In Dover, a French army lands as part of an invasion led by Cordelia in an effort to save her father. Edmund apparently becomes romantically entangled with both Goneril and Regan, whose husband, Albany, is increasingly sympathetic to Lear’s cause. Goneril and Edmund conspire to kill Albany.
The despairing Gloucester tries to commit suicide, but Edgar saves him by pulling the strange trick of leading him off an imaginary cliff. Meanwhile, the English troops reach Dover, and the English, led by Edmund, defeat the Cordelia-led French. Lear and Cordelia are captured. In the climactic scene, Edgar duels with and kills Edmund; we learn of the death of Gloucester; Goneril poisons Regan out of jealousy over Edmund and then kills herself when her treachery is revealed to Albany; Edmund’s betrayal of Cordelia leads to her needless execution in prison; and Lear finally dies out of grief at Cordelia’s passing. Albany, Edgar, and the elderly Kent are left to take care of the country under a cloud of sorrow and regret.

Summary: King John

Arun Chullikkal — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:11:21 +0000

A messenger from France arrives in the English court, demanding that King John abdicate his throne in favor of his nephew Arthur. The messenger speaks for King Philip of France, who supports Arthur’s claim as the rightful heir to the throne; when John refuses to step down, France threatens war.
The Bastard and his younger brother enter to dispute their inherited lands. John rules that the Bastard has the right to the lands, because a wife’s offspring become a father’s heir, no matter who the actual father. John’s mother, Eleanor, takes a liking to the Bastard, because it is rumored that his father was her son and John’s brother, Richard the Lionhearted. She proposes that he leave his lands to his younger brother and join her armies under the name of the Bastard of Richard the Lionhearted. He agrees, and John knights him.
In France, Philip and his forces prepare to attack the English-held town of Angers unless its citizens swear allegiance to Arthur. John and his armies arrive; Arthur’s mother, Constance, and Eleanor insult each other, as various members of each side argue. Each king asks Angers’s citizens whom they support as the King of England, but the citizens say they support the rightful king. Philip and John’s armies go to war, but are so equally matched that neither side wins. The citizens of Angers still won’t decide between them. The Bastard suggests that the English and French armies unite to conquer the disobedient town of Angers, then fight each other later. They agree and prepare to attack. At this point, the citizens of Angers suggest an alternative. Marry Philip’s son Louis to John’s niece Blanche, they suggest, then peace can be settled. Louis and John are pleased with the idea, because it strengthens John’s ties to the throne, and Louis gains English-held French territory. The Bastard marvels at the changeable minds of the nobles.
Constance is upset by the turn of events and blames Philip for having abandoned his support for Arthur when presented with a more fruitful bond to the English throne. Louis and Blanche are married when Pandolf, an ambassador from the pope, arrives. He charges John with having disobeyed the pope in the matter of a posting of an archbishop, but John is not about to obey the orders of the distant pope. Pandolf excommunicates John and charges Louis with the duty of overthrowing John. Philip, whose family has just been linked to John’s by marriage, hesitates while his nobles try to influence him. Pandolf reminds him that his ties to the church predate his connection with John and threatens excommunication. Finally Philip gives in and breaks with John.
After inconclusive battles in which the English capture Arthur, John prepares to return to England, leaving his mother in charge of English-held French territories and sending the Bastard ahead to collect the finances of the English monasteries. John instructs Hubert to look after Arthur and then asks him surreptitiously to kill him. Meanwhile Pandolf tries to encourage the French to fight, suggesting to Louis that he now can lay the same claim to the throne of England as Arthur, because he has married into a branch of the English royal family. Louis agrees to attack England.
Hubert tries to kill Arthur but he is so enchanted with Arthur’s innocence that he is unable. He tells Arthur that no one can know he is alive. Meanwhile John’s lords have asked for Arthur to be released, so John agrees to order Arthur’s freedom. Hubert enters and reports that Arthur is dead; the lords believe Arthur was assassinated and depart to join Louis’s army. The Bastard returns from the monasteries, reporting that the people are not happy about John robbing the monasteries, and they predict John’s downfall. John yells at Hubert, accusing him of having tricked him into ordering the death of Arthur, which he claims he never wanted. Finally Hubert reveals that Arthur is alive. A relieved John sends him after the departed lords to report the news.
Arthur tries to flee England but foolishly leaps off a castle wall and falls to his death. The lords come upon his body and are horrified at the brutality they believe was used to kill the boy. Hubert enters and reports that Arthur is alive; the lords point out Arthur’s body and accuse Hubert of having killed him. Hubert says Arthur was alive when he left him. The lords depart to meet Louis.
John strikes a deal with Pandolf; he agrees to honor the pope if Pandolf can turn away the French army. The Bastard arrives to report the departure of the lords; John tells him about his deal with Pandolf. The Bastard wants to fight the French and leads John’s army at his behest.
John’s departed lords swear allegiance to Louis. Pandolf arrives with news that John has reconciled with Rome and tries to dissuade Louis from attacking, but Louis says he won’t be ordered around by anyone. The Bastard arrives to speak to Louis and threatens him with terrible destruction at the hands of the English armies unless Louis retreats. Each side prepares for battle.
A French lord is wounded, and he tells the English lords that Louis planned to kill them if he won. He urges them to rejoin John, and they do so. Louis’s reinforcements are lost at sea, greatly dimming his prospects of victory. Meanwhile the Bastard meets Hubert, who reports that John has been poisoned by a monk at a monastery, where he had been awaiting reports from the Bastard. The English lords and John’s son Prince Henry gather around the ill King. The Bastard reports that he has lost many of his men, who drowned in a tide.
John dies from the monk’s poison. The Bastard prepares to attack Louis, but the nobles report that Pandolf had just brought them a peace treaty from Louis. The Bastard and the lords swear allegiance to Henry, and the Bastard speaks of England and how it will never be taken by foreign conquerors unless it is first damaged by internal strife.

Summary: Julius Caesar

Arun Chullikkal — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:36:31 +0000

Two tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, find scores of Roman citizens wandering the streets, neglecting their work in order to watch Julius Caesar’s triumphal parade: Caesar has defeated the Roman general Pompey, his archrival, in battle. The tribunes scold the citizens for abandoning their duties and remove decorations from Caesar’s statues. Caesar enters with his entourage, including the military and political figures Brutus, Cassius, and Antony. A Soothsayer calls out to Caesar to “beware the Ides of March,” but Caesar ignores him and proceeds with his victory celebration (I.ii.19, I.ii.25).
Cassius and Brutus, both longtime intimates of Caesar and each other, converse. Cassius tells Brutus that he has seemed distant lately; Brutus replies that he has been at war with himself. Cassius states that he wishes Brutus could see himself as others see him, for then Brutus would realize how honored and respected he is. Brutus says that he fears that the people want Caesar to become king, which would overturn the republic. Cassius concurs that Caesar is treated like a god though he is merely a man, no better than Brutus or Cassius. Cassius recalls incidents of Caesar’s physical weakness and marvels that this fallible man has become so powerful. He blames his and Brutus’s lack of will for allowing Caesar’s rise to power: surely the rise of such a man cannot be the work of fate. Brutus considers Cassius’s words as Caesar returns. Upon seeing Cassius, Caesar tells Antony that he deeply distrusts Cassius.
Caesar departs, and another politician, Casca, tells Brutus and Cassius that, during the celebration, Antony offered the crown to Caesar three times and the people cheered, but Caesar refused it each time. He reports that Caesar then fell to the ground and had some kind of seizure before the crowd; his demonstration of weakness, however, did not alter the plebeians’ devotion to him. Brutus goes home to consider Cassius’s words regarding Caesar’s poor qualifications to rule, while Cassius hatches a plot to draw Brutus into a conspiracy against Caesar.
That night, Rome is plagued with violent weather and a variety of bad omens and portents. Brutus finds letters in his house apparently written by Roman citizens worried that Caesar has become too powerful. The letters have in fact been forged and planted by Cassius, who knows that if Brutus believes it is the people’s will, he will support a plot to remove Caesar from power. A committed supporter of the republic, Brutus fears the possibility of a dictator-led empire, worrying that the populace would lose its voice. Cassius arrives at Brutus’s home with his conspirators, and Brutus, who has already been won over by the letters, takes control of the meeting. The men agree to lure Caesar from his house and kill him. Cassius wants to kill Antony too, for Antony will surely try to hinder their plans, but Brutus disagrees, believing that too many deaths will render their plot too bloody and dishonor them. Having agreed to spare Antony, the conspirators depart. Portia, Brutus’s wife, observes that Brutus appears preoccupied. She pleads with him to confide in her, but he rebuffs her.
Caesar prepares to go to the Senate. His wife, Calpurnia, begs him not to go, describing recent nightmares she has had in which a statue of Caesar streamed with blood and smiling men bathed their hands in the blood. Caesar refuses to yield to fear and insists on going about his daily business. Finally, Calpurnia convinces him to stay home—if not out of caution, then as a favor to her. But Decius, one of the conspirators, then arrives and convinces Caesar that Calpurnia has misinterpreted her dreams and the recent omens. Caesar departs for the Senate in the company of the conspirators.
As Caesar proceeds through the streets toward the Senate, the Soothsayer again tries but fails to get his attention. The citizen Artemidorus hands him a letter warning him about the conspirators, but Caesar refuses to read it, saying that his closest personal concerns are his last priority. At the Senate, the conspirators speak to Caesar, bowing at his feet and encircling him. One by one, they stab him to death. When Caesar sees his dear friend Brutus among his murderers, he gives up his struggle and dies.
The murderers bathe their hands and swords in Caesar’s blood, thus bringing Calpurnia’s premonition to fruition. Antony, having been led away on a false pretext, returns and pledges allegiance to Brutus but weeps over Caesar’s body. He shakes hands with the conspirators, thus marking them all as guilty while appearing to make a gesture of conciliation. When Antony asks why they killed Caesar, Brutus replies that he will explain their purpose in a funeral oration. Antony asks to be allowed to speak over the body as well; Brutus grants his permission, though Cassius remains suspicious of Antony. The conspirators depart, and Antony, alone now, swears that Caesar’s death shall be avenged.
Brutus and Cassius go to the Forum to speak to the public. Cassius exits to address another part of the crowd. Brutus declares to the masses that though he loved Caesar, he loves Rome more, and Caesar’s ambition posed a danger to Roman liberty. The speech placates the crowd. Antony appears with Caesar’s body, and Brutus departs after turning the pulpit over to Antony. Repeatedly referring to Brutus as “an honorable man,” Antony’s speech becomes increasingly sarcastic; questioning the claims that Brutus made in his speech that Caesar acted only out of ambition, Antony points out that Caesar brought much wealth and glory to Rome, and three times turned down offers of the crown. Antony then produces Caesar’s will but announces that he will not read it for it would upset the people inordinately. The crowd nevertheless begs him to read the will, so he descends from the pulpit to stand next to Caesar’s body. He describes Caesar’s horrible death and shows Caesar’s wounded body to the crowd. He then reads Caesar’s will, which bequeaths a sum of money to every citizen and orders that his private gardens be made public. The crowd becomes enraged that this generous man lies dead; calling Brutus and Cassius traitors, the masses set off to drive them from the city.
Meanwhile, Caesar’s adopted son and appointed successor, Octavius, arrives in Rome and forms a three-person coalition with Antony and Lepidus. They prepare to fight Cassius and Brutus, who have been driven into exile and are raising armies outside the city. At the conspirators’ camp, Brutus and Cassius have a heated argument regarding matters of money and honor, but they ultimately reconcile. Brutus reveals that he is sick with grief, for in his absence Portia has killed herself. The two continue to prepare for battle with Antony and Octavius. That night, the Ghost of Caesar appears to Brutus, announcing that Brutus will meet him again on the battlefield.
Octavius and Antony march their army toward Brutus and Cassius. Antony tells Octavius where to attack, but Octavius says that he will make his own orders; he is already asserting his authority as the heir of Caesar and the next ruler of Rome. The opposing generals meet on the battlefield and exchange insults before beginning combat.
Cassius witnesses his own men fleeing and hears that Brutus’s men are not performing effectively. Cassius sends one of his men, Pindarus, to see how matters are progressing. From afar, Pindarus sees one of their leaders, Cassius’s best friend, Titinius, being surrounded by cheering troops and concludes that he has been captured. Cassius despairs and orders Pindarus to kill him with his own sword. He dies proclaiming that Caesar is avenged. Titinius himself then arrives—the men encircling him were actually his comrades, cheering a victory he had earned. Titinius sees Cassius’s corpse and, mourning the death of his friend, kills himself.
Brutus learns of the deaths of Cassius and Titinius with a heavy heart, and prepares to take on the Romans again. When his army loses, doom appears imminent. Brutus asks one of his men to hold his sword while he impales himself on it. Finally, Caesar can rest satisfied, he says as he dies. Octavius and Antony arrive. Antony speaks over Brutus’s body, calling him the noblest Roman of all. While the other conspirators acted out of envy and ambition, he observes, Brutus genuinely believed that he acted for the benefit of Rome. Octavius orders that Brutus be buried in the most honorable way. The men then depart to celebrate their victory.

Summary: Henry VI Part 3

Arun Chullikkal — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:34:11 +0000

The Duke of York enters the throne room with his sons and followers, wondering where King Henry has fled to after their recent battles. Warwick urges York to take the throne. As York sits, Henry enters with his followers, who want to fight York right there. Henry urges calm and asks York to descend from the throne. York makes public his alleged claim to the throne, while Henry defends his hereditary possession of the crown. Suspecting that his claim to the throne may be spurious, Henry asks York to let him rule while he lives, and he will pass the throne on to the house of York on his death. York agrees and departs, but Henry’s nobles are astonished that he would deny his son the birthright of becoming king on his father’s death. Margaret, Henry’s queen, arrives and accuses him of being an unnatural father for having disinherited his son and a bad ruler for thinking that York will let him rule.
Back in the town of York, Richard’s sons Edward and Richard, and his follower Montague, urge York to take the throne immediately, rather than await Henry’s death. York insists he has sworn an oath to let Henry rule, but Richard easily convinces him that the oath was not binding. Meanwhile, Margaret’s forces arrive to challenge York.
Richard’s other son Rutland is captured and killed on the way home by Clifford, who wants to avenge his father’s death at York’s hand. York’s troops are losing the battle, and York is captured by Margaret and Clifford. She offers him a handkerchief dipped in Rutland’s blood and challenges him to wipe his tears with it. He rails against her, calling her unnatural, and Clifford and Margaret stab him to death.
Edward and Richard wonder about the fate of their father, when they see a vision of three suns on the horizon, which Edward believes is a sign that the three York brothers must become as one. Richard isn’t so sure, preferring to keep his allegiance only to himself. A messenger arrives with news of York’s death, and the brothers are devastated. Warwick and Montague prepare to march to spar again with Margaret’s forces, this time bringing the aid of York’s other son George’s troops.
Margaret and Clifford, with their followers, meet Henry at the town of York. Clifford urges Henry to undo his disinheritance of his son, but Henry isn’t convinced that sons automatically appreciate that which their fathers leave them, since he didn’t enjoy his father Henry V’s legacy. Edward and his men burst in and demand the throne. The nobles from each side insult each other, and Henry tries to speak, but none will listen to him. Edward blames Margaret’s pride for the civil war, and he declares that they will have to argue on the field of battle, since she won’t let Henry speak.
Richard hunts Clifford on the field of battle in order to revenge his brother’s and father’s death. The tides of the battle ebb and flow as Henry watches from afar. He sees two soldiers drag dead bodies away from the scene of the fighting, trying to find valuables to steal. As the soldiers remove the armor from the bodies, one discovers he has accidentally killed his own father, and the other, his son. Henry mourns that the battles of the nation have come to this level of unnaturalness. Henry’s son Prince Edward urges him to flee.
Clifford is wounded and dies. Edward sees he has won the battle, though Henry is nowhere to be found. They head to London to crown Edward and to give new titles to Richard and George. Meanwhile, as Henry wanders through the forest, he is arrested by two men who support Edward. Edward sends Warwick to France to ask for the hand of the king of France’s sister, and Margaret goes to France to ask for aid against Edward.
In London, Lady Gray petitions Edward to get her land back. He takes a liking to her and asks her to marry him. His brothers are annoyed to hear Edward’s enthused announcement of his imminent marriage. Richard, alone, considers his potential route to the throne. Many people stand in his way, but what alternative is there? He could enjoy the pleasures of the court, but his physical abnormalities, including a hump back and withered arm, make him undesirable. Therefore, nothing remains for him but to connive and plot to get the crown. He decides he will play the role of the good brother and subject, while he plots ways to eliminate everyone in his way to the throne.
In France, Warwick and Margaret arrive at the same time. King Louis decides to give the hand of his sister, Lady Bona, to Edward, thus, denying Margaret aid, when a messenger arrives with news of Edward’s marriage. Insulted to have been sent on a futile errand, Warwick changes sides, pledging his allegiance to Henry. Louis gives Margaret troops to fight with Edward.
In England, Edward and his brothers and lords discuss his marriage. They receive news that Warwick and Margaret have joined forces. George is so upset by Edward’s new marriage that he leaves with Somerset to join with Warwick. In preparations for the coming battles, Edward is captured. Seeing George on the enemy’s side, Edward gives up the throne and consents to be imprisoned at Warwick’s brother’s estate. Yet Richard and Hastings soon spring Edward from his gilded prison.
Warwick, George, and their nobles find Henry in the Tower and free him. Henry says he wants to be king in name only, and he names Warwick and George as joint protectors of the kingdom. They receive word that Edward has escaped to Brittany, from where he soon returns with reinforcements. Returning to the town of York, Edward thinks he wants only to be the Duke of York, but his followers urge him to seek the crown.
Henry’s followers go to gather troops to battle Edward. Edward and Richard capture Henry and send him to the Tower before they march to meet Warwick’s army. Edward’s army meets Warwick’s forces, and Edward asks Warwick if he will again swear allegiance to him. Warwick refuses. Warwick’s supporters arrive, including George. Richard convinces George to break with Warwick, and the forces prepare to fight.
Warwick is wounded in battle and dies. Warwick’s surviving supporters, Somerset and Oxford, go to join Margaret’s army. Margaret urges on her forces, and they meet Edward’s army. Edward wins this battle; he sends Somerset and Oxford away, kills Prince Edward, and imprisons a mourning Margaret. Richard sneaks off to the Tower, where Henry awaits.
Henry prophesizes that thousands will suffer because of Richard’s deeds, for Richard was born under all the most inauspicious and evil signs. Richard kills Henry and declares himself separated from the ties of family and brotherhood. Since he was punished by the heavens with such unfortunate physical attributes, he will fight for himself alone hereafter. And with Henry and his son out of the way, Richard’s next goal is to eliminate George and Edward.
Edward’s son has been born, and George and Richard kiss the child. Edward calls for festivities to celebrate his attainment of the throne. At last there is no one to oppose him–except his own brother.

Summary: Henry VI Part 2

Arun Chullikkal — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:20:34 +0000

Henry enters the court with his various lords. Suffolk has returned from France with Margaret, whom he presents to the king as his new wife. He also brings a peace treaty from France, which Gloucester reads. He falters when he comes to a passage about the French keeping the territories of Anjou and Maine in return for Margaret. Gloucester is upset at this loss of land, once hard-won by Henry V and by the other lords in recent French wars. He prophecies the imminent loss of France and leaves. Beaufort speaks against Gloucester, suggesting to Buckingham and Somerset that they plot to oust him. Salisbury and Warwick talk with York about trying to suppress the influence of Suffolk and Beaufort, two ambitious and prideful nobles. York, left alone, speaks of his belief in his claim to the throne and his frustration that Henry willingly allows lands that are rightfully his own to be returned to the French. Yet he can’t make his claims yet; he plans to side with Warwick and Salisbury.
Gloucester speaks to his wife, the Duchess. He had a dream that his staff of office was broken, but she dreamed that she was about to be crowned queen. He urges her not to speak of her excessive ambition, since she is already the second woman in the kingdom, behind Margaret. Hume enters, and the Duchess and Hume discuss her desire to hire a witch and conjurer to summon spirits to ask about the future of Henry’s reign.
Petitioners come to the court to ask for Gloucester’s help. They encounter Suffolk and Margaret and believe Suffolk is Gloucester. One petitioner, Peter, accuses his boss of saying York is the rightful king, and Suffolk sees he has found a way to weaken York. Henry and his court enter, discussing who should be the regent of English forces in France. Gloucester suggests York, but after hearing Peter accusing his master Horner and casting doubt on York, he recommends Somerset. Margaret insults Gloucester and asks him why he is still protector of the kingdom; she also insults the Duchess. Gloucester suggests that justice will be best served by single combat between Peter and Horner.
The Duchess welcomes the Witch and the conjurer, Bolingbroke. They summon a spirit and ask it Margaret’s questions about Henry’s rule. The spirit gives ambiguous replies, then York, Suffolk, and Somerset enter and arrest the Duchess for dabbling in the occult.
Henry and his queen and lords are hunting. Gloucester and Beaufort bicker. They meet a poor man who claims to have had his sight restored by miracle, but Gloucester sees he is lying and chases him away, “curing” his lameness, too. Then, Buckingham arrives with news of the Duchess’ arrest.
Richard speaks to Warwick and Salisbury, explaining the complex family tree that makes him the more rightful heir to the throne than Henry. Both men believe him, call him the true king, and swear allegiance.
Henry and his lords judge the Duchess and her sorcerers. She is banished and ordered to do penance by being led through the streets of London before departing. Gloucester gives up his staff and his office. Then, Peter and Horner enter for their combat. Peter thinks he can’t fight, but he is able to defeat and kill Horner, who arrives drunk. Later, Gloucester waits in the street to see the Duchess paraded through the streets. She warns him that the lords are out to get him, but he says he has always been honorable and, thus, is above blame. He bids farewell to his wife.
Henry holds a meeting of the lords outside London, and Somerset enters to report that all the French lands have been lost. Gloucester arrives late, and Suffolk arrests him for treason. The lords all accuse him of wrongdoing. Henry says he hopes Gloucester can prove his innocence, but Gloucester says the lords have all plotted against him, and he will not be able to defend himself. Gloucester is taken away, and Henry mourns his inability to defend an innocent Gloucester against the plots of the lords. He departs; the other lords discuss how they shall come up with an excuse to kill Gloucester. A messenger arrives with news of rebellions in Ireland; York is sent to take care of them and given an army. Left alone onstage, York revels in the turn of events; all he had lacked was an army and now he has one. While he is in Ireland, he has hired Jack Cade to raise trouble in England, to say he is a York with a claim to the throne, to see what is the public response to such a gesture. If it’s positive, York will return and take over himself.
Gloucester is killed by murderers at his home. Henry and his lords arrive for his trial, but Suffolk announces that Gloucester has died. Henry is distraught. Warwick and Salisbury enter with reports of unsettled commoners, who suspect Gloucester was murdered. Examining the body, they decide that Gloucester died in struggle and was murdered. The commoners ask for the death or banishment of Suffolk. Henry grants their wish, and he orders Suffolk to leave the country. Left alone, Margaret and Suffolk declare their feelings for each other. She says she will try to have him returned or will be banished, too. He says he can’t live without her and wants to stay. She sends him away.
Meanwhile, Beaufort has been taken ill, raving in his bed. He dies miserably, signifying bad behavior during his life. Suffolk is captured at sea but refuses to plead for his life. He insists he can’t be killed by such lowly men, but Suffolk is beheaded.
Cade speaks to his army of commoners, claiming to be the heir to the throne and promising many changes in a new England. He promises to honor only workmen, not artisans or people who can read. Stafford and his brother arrive with an army to convince Cade and his men to lay down their arms, but the two armies come to blows. Stafford and his brother are killed, and Cade drags their bodies to London.
Margaret holds Suffolk’s disembodied head and mourns him. Henry listens to reports of Cade’s attack, and he determines to leave the city temporarily. Cade attacks London, hunting for and killing Lord Saye, who Cade accuses of ruining England with literacy. Cade’s rabble asks Cade to create new, spoken laws. Cade wreaks havoc on London, until Buckingham and Clifford arrive, reminding the commoners of the honorable rule of Henry V. Soon, the rabble abandons Cade, who flees. Henry forgives the commoners and receives word that York’s army marches from Ireland, demanding the imprisonment of Somerset, who York claims is a traitor. Meanwhile, Cade is starving in the countryside; he steals food from Alexander Iden’s garden. Iden arrives, and Cade threatens him. The two come to blows, and Cade is killed.
York marches near London with his army. Buckingham arrives to ask about his intentions. York claims he only wants Somerset imprisoned. Buckingham says he has been, so York dismisses his army. Henry enters, followed by Margaret and Somerset. Seeing Somerset free, York can contain himself no longer; he accuses Henry of being a weak, unfit king, and he declares himself to be the rightful heir to the throne. Somerset orders York’s arrest. York refuses to budge and asks for his sons Edward and Richard and Salisbury and Warwick to speak on his behalf. Salisbury and Warwick declare their allegiance to York. Henry agrees there is nothing left to do but fight.
Richard fights with Somerset and kills him. Then, he fights with Clifford and kills him. York’s army is winning, so Margaret urges Henry to flee back to London, where he has support. After the battle, York declares victory, but his enemy has fled. So he, with Edward and Richard, Salisbury and Warwick, prepare to enter London.