When one approaches a movie or television show about historical events it is important to remember that the primary purpose of this media is to entertain. This does not mean however that there aren 't kernels of truth which reflect aspects of what actually took place. For example in the television show The Last Kingdom, there are some liberties taken with the historical period. Some characters are complete works of fiction or events have been changed. Something that remains the same however is the attitude of Alfred the Great towards writing, specifically recording events as they occur. This aspect of Alfred 's personality is on display in Asser 's Life of King Alfred and thus when one compares the representations it is obvious that this portion of Alfred 's character was transposed successfully to the television screen. While The Last Kingdom might take liberties with certain aspects of this time period, its emphasis on Alfred placing an importance on the written word, is undoubtedly a fair representation of the man 's character. From the records that remain of Alfred 's rule it is quite obvious that the man had an obsession with the written word, and the power associated with knowledge. Both Asser 's Life of Alfred and the prose preface to Alfred 's translation of the Pastoralis show glimpses of a man who is preoccupied with writing and its inherent worth. In Asser 's Life of Alfred one section describing Alfred 's youth makes the man out to be something innately
History is but a series of stories, opinions, and biases that give the world today a glimpse through the window of the past. As it is such, that window is often smudged and smeared because of the many contradicting, differing facets that one moment in history can possess; henceforth figures and details become obscured and lost, thereby creating the many great and fascinating gaps in history that haunt the minds of today’s historians. This paper is an attempt to provide evidence to fill such a gap—the lost story of Edgar Atheling, great half-nephew of King Edward the Confessor of England; also to provide an answer to the puzzling question of why Edgar was never killed by King William I (William the Conqueror, also Duke of Normandy).
Most times, anything abnormal or odd tend to be pushed under the rug. Edgar Allan Poe subtly brings attention to topics the are typically ignored. E. A. Poe had far from a perfect childhood. His father left when he was young and his mother died when he was three. Poe also seemed to have a lonely childhood after his parents were gone. He was separated from his relatives and didn’t appear to have many friends. He attended the army and after went into West Point. His academics there were well but he was eventually kicked out because of poor handlings of his duties. Before Poe died, he struggled with depression and a drinking problem. Some believe Poe’s tragic lifetime was the inspiration for some of his stories. Such as, “The Fall of the House of Usher”. A possible theory about this story is that Roderick and the Narrator were one in the same. This essay will discuss the possibility of them being the same through plot, characterization, and personification.
William Shakespeare was born on April 26th 1564[1] in Stratford on-Avon to parents John and Mary. Growing up, he received a good education for a country boy of that period. He attended the village elementary school, was tutored by his mother and others, and learned a great deal by himself[2]. At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, had his first child, Susanna in 1583 followed by twins Judith and Hamnet in 1585. Documentation ends here. From the years 1586 to 1592, there is little to no information about his activities and whereabouts. During this unaccounted for period of time, Shakespeare had to get from Stratford to London, where his presence was first
Henry V, written by William Shakespeare, is by far one of his more historically accurate plays. This play is the life of young King Henry V, who ascended to the throne after his father, Henry IV's death. These times were much different for England, as Henry V was a noble lord whom everyone loved, whereas angry factions haunted his father's reign. Shakespeare portrays a fairly accurate account of the historical Henry V, but certain parts are either inflated"deflated, or conflated to dramatize Henry V as a character suitable for a Renaissance audience.
Many Elizabethan bedsides were haunted from “the terrors of the night”. Back then their ghosts were nothing like the pasty blobs we call ghosts now. Theirs were quite gruesome. Ghostly visitations were claimed to have been very unpleasant. Not only this, but they claimed it cast them into a state of spiritual confusion.
King Alfred the Great was born at Wantage, in 849, on a royal manor of his father's holding, a family estate which long afterward he himself would leave in legacy to his wife. Alfred was the youngest of five children, four sons and a daughter, born to Ethelwulf by his wife Osburh. When Alfred was four years old, his father, the king, who by now had long despaired of getting to Rome in the present state of things, decided to send Alfred there, to at least receive the blessing of the Holy Father. The pope at the time, Leo the IV, gave Alfred the blessing to become king. Alfred's time came in the year mid-April 871, when King Æthelred died. Only a king of full age could defend the land, and although Æthelred
King Arthur is an outstanding British leader of the 5th and the 6th centuries, son of Uther Pendragon and the Lady Igraine. Arthur is one of the greatest mythical heroes that the world has ever known. Arthur has had a great influence on other people and many of them looked up to him. The coming of Arthur was prophesied years before he was even born. Arthur was born into a world of chaos and disorder, full of love and tragedy. Nowadays, many of the scholars continue to argue whether or not King Arthur was a real person or just a mythological figure. Based on facts however, many believe that Arthur was not a real person; just a legendary British leader in the 5th and 6th centuries. According to history, there wasn't anyone named King Arthur
With the style of tone set from the outset of the story, an accessible door to the extent of clarity the passage will later use is opened. With many historical documents and/or journals from times ago, an arduous task it is for many young students to comprehend. However, with this particular journal entry, Grantham creates fairly easy writing.
The narrator has long many people in his life, but most importantly his son Alfred. Alfred dies in the war in 1917 and it was his death, which got the narrator to restore his family’s estate, Exham Priory. “It was this boy who reversed the order of family information; for although I could give him only jesting conjectures about the past, he wrote me of some very interesting ancestral legends when the late war took him to England in 1917
supposed to be engaged to Nym at some point in time, but ran off with
Henry V is a wise and loyal king, changing from a wild youth to a mature king. He is described to be an intelligent, thoughtful and an efficient statesman. He thinks carefully whether to invade France or not which represents his responsible character. King Henry gives a very strong speech which gave courage and confidence to his army that they could win the battle. This character describes him to be a king of great ability to fight and having good administrative skills. Throughout the play Henry’s nature is religious, merciful and compassionate.
Arts in England flourished and prospered during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Furthermore, “The Golden Age” was characterized by the Queen’s patronizing of theatre, which lead it to gain popularity among England. The sixteenth and early seventeenth century witnessed a period of English nationalism, evidently shown through diffused texts in the English language, rather than in Latin. Additionally, the Queen supported playwrights such as William Shakespeare, which lead to depictions of Elizabethan society in his plays. Consequently, influences from London and the royal family influenced plays such as Richard III. Specifically, the play affected the glorification of the Tudors, leading to the villanization of former king Richard III. This
however it was not and he had to face him in battle. "My lord he doth
In the literary `movements' of neo-classicism and romanticism, Voltaire's Candide and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther represent the literary age in which they were written. In the following composition, textual evidence will be provided to demonstrate how each book accurately represents either the neo-classicism age or the romanticism age. Candide and The Sorrows of Young Werther will be examined separately, and then examined together. After, a discussion about how each age seems to view the nature of man and the significance of moral and spiritual values will be presented. Also, a personal interpretation of the conclusion of each book will be given. Lastly, quotes
The Theme of Appearance vs. Reality in William Shakespeare's Works Characters within one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragic plays,