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The Lion in Winter

1. Several characters in The Lion in Winter bring assumptions with them to the Christmas court at Chinon in 1183, but the most stupid of the lot may be John's idea that, whatever happens, Henry will make him next in line for the throne of England, over both Richard and Geoffrey. The premise of the action is that Henry intends to rearrange his domestic affairs so as to upset the succession, in the process intimidating family rivals. At the opening of the film he has chosen John, who is ludicrously unqualified to rule and absurdly unequal to the rival intrigues of Eleanor, Henry, and Louis. John takes everything at face value, relying on his future status as king as an excuse to get out of the messy business of actually learning the job. Henry knows how incompetent John is and realizes Richard will succeed him; however, he is king, and he is entitled to groom John for rulership. But John is his own worst enemy, bonding with Geoffrey and Louis against Henry--and getting caught, only to protest his innocence. Having tolerated John's whoring and brutality, Henry must at long last publicly reject him. Had John any notion of loyalty on one hand, or had he thought through the fragility of Henry's grooming him for rule, he might have come to the crown over Richard; or, at any rate, Henry might have lent support to John against what would have doubtless been Richard's rebellion and Eleanor's support of Richard. As it is, John's disloyalty throws a spanner in Henry's scheme to humiliate Eleanor and control the succession.

2. The perspective that one brings to The Lion in Winter is that of a voyeur--watching the royals have at one another. That means it is difficult to identify with the characters in the way one would identify with a cast of commoners. On the other hand, the family dynamics--both treacherous and witty--show that no characters are immune from emotional hazards. Henry is the prime mover of action; the other characters respond to ...

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The Lion in Winter. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:28, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1687224.html