#(she also predeceased Becket by three years). she serves a crucial purpose in the play however‚ as perhaps the only foil to the king | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mariocki · 2 years

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Queen Mother: Henry! I bore the weight of state affairs longer than you ever have. I have been your queen and I am your mother. You are answerable for the interests of a great Kingdom, not for your moods. You already gave far too much away to the King of France, at La Ferté Bernard. It is England you must think of, not your hatred - or disappointed love - for that man.

King: [in a fury] Disappointed love - disappointed love? What gives you the right, Madam, to meddle in my loves and hates?

Queen Mother: You have a rancour against the man which is neither healthy or manly. The King your father dealt with his enemies faster and more summarily than that. He had them killed and said no more about it. If Thomas Becket were a faithless woman whom you still hankered after, you would act no differently. Sweet Jesu, tear him out of your heart once and for all!

Jean Anouilh, Becket (tr. Lucienne Hill, 1960)

#100plays #becket #jean anouilh #lucienne hill #theatre quotes #modern drama #theatre #french theatre #having already rambled a little in other tags about the various historical inaccuracies in this play it would be remiss of me not to #mention that the antagonistic relationship as depicted between Henry and his mother‚ Empress Matilda‚ has no basis in #historical fact as we understand it. on the contrary‚ she was a close advisor to her son and attempted to mediate during the Becket crisis #(she also predeceased Becket by three years). she serves a crucial purpose in the play however‚ as perhaps the only foil to the king #willing to comment directly on his relationship with Becket and the debilitating effect of their estrangement #this is also one of the most direct allusions in the play to a potential homoromantic element to their relationship #perhaps unsurprisingly‚ the play has attracted queer readings and analysis fairly regularly since its publication #the 1964 film adaptation is often credited with this subtext but quite honestly it's all there in the original text #to Anouilh's Henry‚ the ideological conflict with Becket is entirely secondary to the personal betrayal of a love spurned #whether that love is inferred to be romantic or brotherly or chivalrous is dependent on the reader (or viewer)#regardless of its exact nature‚ it's a love that Henry is willing to sacrifice a great deal for: politically‚ personally‚ perhaps even #spiritually.#the part of Matilda may be relatively small but its importance to the plot‚ and the power of her lines‚ were reflected in the casting of #legendary stage actor Gwen Ffrangcon Davies in the first english production

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