For some context on the Richard ll #ShakespeareReadAlong this month, I watched this excellent 2014 documentary series on the Plantagenets, hosted by Dan Jones. Available on YouTube; the fourth & last episode is about Richard ll https://bit.ly/2M4yql6 @GingerAntics
Jones is an engaging storyteller. Now I want to read the tagged book! But it hasn't helped made me get over my fear of the regnal names of British monarchs 😂 #justoneHenryafteranother
TrishB He‘s a good story teller 👍🏻 There are also 8 Edwards 😁 I find it helps to have a little story or fact about each of them to try and out them in place. Or watch Horrible Histories 😂 6y
GingerAntics @TrishB lol horrible histories is oddly helpful. lol 6y
GingerAntics I almost always keep a “family tree” as it were handy to keep track of everyone. This one from my blog covers all four plays in this Tetralogy (Richard II, 1 & 2 Henry IV, Henry V). At least you can keep all the bloody cousins straight. https://hammaclet.tumblr.com/post/176492290294/edwards-seven-sons-from-the-digit... 6y
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Andrew65 I agree Dan Jones does a great job. 6y
Jess_Read_This Thanks for sharing the links- I definitely need a refresher and education to keep all the players straight! 6y
Lcsmcat Thanks for the link! I‘ll have to check that out. And keeping a family tree handy is an excellent idea! 6y
toofondofbooks I think The Tudors get too much attention. For me The Plantagenets were so much more interesting. 6y
GingerAntics My library doesn‘t have this book, but has two others by this author. So frustrating. Oh well, I love a good documentary. 6y
GingerAntics @toofondofbooks I agree with that. I think it‘s a fascination with a king that started his own church so he could divorce a few wives instead of chopping all of their heads off. I get that the whole “my new church” thing totally redirected the history of England, but that dude was a freak. The Plantagenets are far more fun because they don‘t get nearly as much attention. 6y
booksandsympathy I'm directly descended from the Platagenets. I've been fascinated with them since I read a book about them years and years ago. So when my aunt discovered the family connection, I was ecstatic. I'll have to check this series out. 6y
GingerAntics Holy crap!!! I never knew Richard and Henry (Bolingbrook) where the same age and so close as young boys/men. That just makes the Banishment worse. Jesus, Richard really is a twat. 6y
batsy @TrishB Hahaha, I've heard of Horrible Histories; it might be just the thing for me 😂 6y
batsy @GingerAntics Thank you for that family tree, it's very helpful! And thanks to Trish I'm inspired to keep my own Horrible Things That Kings Did notebook to help me keep them straight... 😂 6y
batsy @Andrew65 Understated wit and great sense of delivery—history teachers should teach like this 😁 6y
batsy @Jess_Read_This @Lcsmcat You're welcome! The 4th episode is great for our readalong & is only about Richard ll, if you're short of time 🙂 6y
batsy @toofondofbooks @GingerAntics Yes, I agree. Also there is a lot of fascination with Anne Boleyn that drives that, I think. But I am also finding the Plantagenets much more fascinating... It could be that I'm all Tudored out 😁 6y
batsy @booksandsympathy Oh wow, that's cool! The series only focuses on four kings, but I heard that Dan Jones' book is quite in-depth and good. 6y
batsy @GingerAntics I wasn't aware of the closeness in age, as well! Bonkers, isn't it. 6y
GingerAntics @batsy oh a “horrible things that kings did” notebook. Interesting concept. I may have to look into this. I have started a Plantagenet Kings list but not everything on there is bad things they‘ve done. Some of it is bad things done to them. lol 6y
GingerAntics @batsy you definitely don‘t get any sort of hint that they were the same age, or grew up together like that from the play. I‘m beginning to think Richard in the play is a bit different from the Richard of history. 6y
batsy @GingerAntics That, too! 😂😭 6y
batsy @GingerAntics Yes, I'm getting that sense too. I'm very intrigued by Shakespeare's Richard, and definitely need to read more commentary or articles on how historians feel about Shakespeare's depiction vs historical Richard. 6y
GingerAntics One author I read said he was very faithful. Jones was quite the opposite. I‘ve read other historians that are somewhere in the middle. So I‘m going to say if we reject the extremes and take the average, he‘s taken a bit of creative liberty while trying to maintain the overall feel of Richard...perhaps. lol I guess we‘ll have to see as the play progresses. 6y
batsy @GingerAntics So true, and that's good advice. This seems like the kind of thing that will never be resolved and is no doubt the fuel for many feisty debates between historians at academic conferences 😂 6y
Faibka How cool! Thanks for sharing that link. I‘ve been absent from Litsy for a while and had no idea there‘s a Shakespeare read along going on. Reading all his plays is on my bucket list! 6y
batsy @Faibka Yes, it's on mine too 😊 @readinginthedark and @Jess_Read_This came up with the excellent idea for the Shakespeare buddy reads, and recently other people have hosted discussions. I've tagged you for the Richard ll schedule, but if you want to give that a miss and learn about the upcoming schedules for other plays I'll tag you once we've figured out our next read 👍🏽 6y
Faibka @batsy thank you so much! I would love that, yes please tag me :) 6y
TrishB There are some total inaccuracies in Shakespeare‘s plays - have to read alongside the real history. He is also very biased - obviously from the time he was writing. They are good dramas but not necessarily truthful 😁 Plantagenets are awesome!! 6y
Cathythoughts This sounds great 👍🏻 stacked 6y
batsy @Faibka For sure 👍🏽😊 6y
batsy @TrishB Well said, Trish. He's so revered in the canon that sometimes for me it's easy to forget that he was crafting entertainment, and his history plays are also constructed and not straight up history. I want to dive into Plantagenets by Jones but I'll probably have to wait a bit until I finish some buddy reads 😆 6y
TrishB It‘s one of my bucket lists to see them all performed 😁 been lucky enough to go to the Globe and Stratford. I‘m very annoying to watch the history plays with - hubby has to tell me to be quiet!! 6y
batsy @TrishB Hahaha 😆 That's amazing, I would love to be able to see a performance at the Globe or Stratford one day 😍🙌🏽 6y
readinginthedark @Faibka @batsy We're reading Macbeth after Richard II! Not sure who's hosting it yet. 6y
readinginthedark This sounds so good! Thanks for sharing! 6y
Faibka @readinginthedark awesome! Thank you :) 6y
batsy @readinginthedark Nice! Thank you 6y
rubyslippersreads This is on my TBR list too. 😊👑 6y
andrew61 The book is huge but very readable, he has a great ability to make fact read like fiction. I have his war of the roses book waiting to read as well. 6y
batsy @andrew61 I'm glad to hear that! I've heard only good things about his books :) 6y