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The Lion in Winter
Insecure siblings fighting for their parents’ attention; bickering spouses who can’t stand to be together or apart; adultery and sexual experimentation; even the struggle to balance work and family: These are themes as much at home in our time as they were in the twelfth century. In James Goldman’s classic play The Lion in Winter, domestic turmoil rises to an art form.
Keenly self-aware and motivated as much by spite as by any sense of duty, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine maneuver against each other to position their favorite son in line for succession. By imagining the inner lives of Henry, Eleanor, and their sons, John, Geoffrey, and Richard, Goldman created the quintessential drama of family strife and competing ambitions, a work that gives visceral, modern-day relevance to the intrigues of Angevin England.
Combining keen historical and psychological insight with delicious, mordant wit, the stage play has become a touchstone of today’s theater scene, and Goldman’s screenplay for the 1968 film adaptation won him an Academy Award. Told in “marvelously articulate language, with humor that bristles and burns” (Los Angeles Times), The Lion in Winter is the rare play that bursts into life on the printed page.
Keenly self-aware and motivated as much by spite as by any sense of duty, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine maneuver against each other to position their favorite son in line for succession. By imagining the inner lives of Henry, Eleanor, and their sons, John, Geoffrey, and Richard, Goldman created the quintessential drama of family strife and competing ambitions, a work that gives visceral, modern-day relevance to the intrigues of Angevin England.
Combining keen historical and psychological insight with delicious, mordant wit, the stage play has become a touchstone of today’s theater scene, and Goldman’s screenplay for the 1968 film adaptation won him an Academy Award. Told in “marvelously articulate language, with humor that bristles and burns” (Los Angeles Times), The Lion in Winter is the rare play that bursts into life on the printed page.
103 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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6166 people want to read
About the author
James Goldman
46 books25 followersJames Goldman was an American Academy Award-winning screenwriter and playwright, and the brother of screenwriter and novelist William Goldman.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up primarily in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He is most noted as the author of The Lion in Winter and author of the book for the stage musical Follies.
Goldman died from a heart attack in New York City, where he had lived for many years.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up primarily in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He is most noted as the author of The Lion in Winter and author of the book for the stage musical Follies.
Goldman died from a heart attack in New York City, where he had lived for many years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
August 11, 2019
THIS PLAY IS AN ABSOLUTE RIOT!
It's Christmas time 1183 and the King of England is getting old....age 50....so it's time to decide if son Richard, Geoffrey or John will wear the Crown.
Siblings are ALL fighting for the title from oldest to youngest and King Henry II AND Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who have an on-going love-hate relationship, are in constant battle and disagreement.
ALL are liars goading one another, scheming to make the best deal. The Aquitaine is at stake so the lies, backstabbing and unkept promises change by the minute, and to top things off, the young King of France is demanding the terms of a long ago made treaty be executed regarding a certain princess and her dowry....said vixen the current ward and lover of King Henry.
Such wicked humor and extreme family dysfunction....ALL vying for ultimate power made for a very entertaining read!
UPDATE: August 11, 2019 - Oh the movie - Katharine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, and an oh so young Anthony Hopkins deliver quite the performance as they "engage in a battle of Royal wits" in this 1968 classic, but that being said, even with the actors right in front of my eyes, I STILL prefer and enjoyed the written word more!
September 25, 2019
Wow, what a political intrigue. This is not a sprawling as Game of Thrones, but it's similar to it. Who will get the throne of England when Henry dies. He and his wife hate/love each other and Henry has a lover in his bed now. Wife Eleanor is trying to put Richard I on the the throne and Henry wants to put John on the throne and no one wants Geoffrey. The time is 1188 and I assume this is historically based.
The characters were well rounded, devious, and everyone is willing to go to war or kill to take the throne. The funny thing about the play is we never find out who took the throne. I am assuming it was Richard I, but it might have been John.
These were some brutal times. King Henry wants to divorce Eleanor so he can marry his lover and then have more sons for the throne. He has disowned his sons and wants to lock them up. Though, if he leaves them in the dungeon and they get out, he knows they will kill the young new heirs.
I have to say that it came as a surprise, but Richard was gay and having an affair with Phillip, King of France. I didn't see that coming and I do wonder if that is historically based. I know that stuff happens in history, but I have never heard that and I'm also surprised it was used in 1960s America.
Of the the scheming characters, for some reason I have a fondness for Richard. I'm not sure why. I do feel for middle Geoffrey as he was so forgotten. The intrigue here is intense and this would be a horrible way to grow up or live in this toxic environment.
My flute teacher recommended this play to me saying he loved it. I'm glad I finally read this and checked it off my list. These characters are humans, they have good sides and bad sides. They are willing to do horrible things for power. They are very complex. It's a wonderful play.
The characters were well rounded, devious, and everyone is willing to go to war or kill to take the throne. The funny thing about the play is we never find out who took the throne. I am assuming it was Richard I, but it might have been John.
These were some brutal times. King Henry wants to divorce Eleanor so he can marry his lover and then have more sons for the throne. He has disowned his sons and wants to lock them up. Though, if he leaves them in the dungeon and they get out, he knows they will kill the young new heirs.
I have to say that it came as a surprise, but Richard was gay and having an affair with Phillip, King of France. I didn't see that coming and I do wonder if that is historically based. I know that stuff happens in history, but I have never heard that and I'm also surprised it was used in 1960s America.
Of the the scheming characters, for some reason I have a fondness for Richard. I'm not sure why. I do feel for middle Geoffrey as he was so forgotten. The intrigue here is intense and this would be a horrible way to grow up or live in this toxic environment.
My flute teacher recommended this play to me saying he loved it. I'm glad I finally read this and checked it off my list. These characters are humans, they have good sides and bad sides. They are willing to do horrible things for power. They are very complex. It's a wonderful play.
December 22, 2011
What shall we hang, the holly or each other?
If that sounds like something you'd hear (or say) at one of your holiday gatherings, then it's time for this Festivus classic. Wait, Festivus classic? Absolutely. While Die Hard may be an alternate Christmas classic for those who avoid the overly heartwarming by watching Bruce Willis blow stuff up real good, this is the movie (play, I meant play!*) for those who prefer their explosions verbal and emotional.
But why Festivus and not Christmas? This is, after all, set at Christmas. Henry II gathers together his family...the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Add to this the young King of France, Phillip, who has come to insist his sister Alais marry Richard, as was arranged over a decade earlier in exchange for giving a French province to England as dowry.
So...it's a Christmas gathering, there's the occasional carol, presents are wrapped...why Festivus? Simply put, thismovie play embodies everything that is awesome about Festivus! There are a few feats of strength, but really, this is all about the airing of the grievances! And the grievances are endless...Henry usually keeps Eleanor imprisoned in a castle, although to be fair, she has led civil wars against him. Henry and Eleanor vehemently disagree over who will succeed the throne on Henry's death,** their eldest son having died. Eleanor backs Richard; Henry sides with John. No one favours Geoffrey (who at one point sums up his position as, "It's not the power I feel deprived of, it's the mention I miss"). Henry also wants Alais to marry John, not Richard. Oh, and Alais happens to be Henry's mistress. Awkward! Henry and Phillip banter and barter back and forth, Henry embodying age and experience..."By God, but I do love being king!"... and Phillip striving to establish himself as someone to be reckoned with..."I am a KING! I am no man's boy!" And there's a scene with tapestries..."That's what tapestries are for!"...that I won't spoil.
I cannot recommend this highly enough, as this volatile situation is delineated by Goldman's vicious, biting, sarcastic prose. I can guarantee you will find yourself quoting this play at some point, probably when your family gathers for Festivus!
HAPPY BITTER FESTIVUS!
* I really mean movie. I have both seen and read the play, but seriously, this review is really about the movie version with Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton...it's one of those perfectly cast movies that everyone should see.
** Both Richard and John succeeded Henry. Richard first, who went off on Crusades leaving Prince John in charge. Then John, who became king after Richard died. (Geoffery died and so was out of luck.) If these names sound familiar, yes they are the Richard and John in all the Robin Hood legends.
If that sounds like something you'd hear (or say) at one of your holiday gatherings, then it's time for this Festivus classic. Wait, Festivus classic? Absolutely. While Die Hard may be an alternate Christmas classic for those who avoid the overly heartwarming by watching Bruce Willis blow stuff up real good, this is the movie (play, I meant play!*) for those who prefer their explosions verbal and emotional.
But why Festivus and not Christmas? This is, after all, set at Christmas. Henry II gathers together his family...the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Add to this the young King of France, Phillip, who has come to insist his sister Alais marry Richard, as was arranged over a decade earlier in exchange for giving a French province to England as dowry.
So...it's a Christmas gathering, there's the occasional carol, presents are wrapped...why Festivus? Simply put, this
I cannot recommend this highly enough, as this volatile situation is delineated by Goldman's vicious, biting, sarcastic prose. I can guarantee you will find yourself quoting this play at some point, probably when your family gathers for Festivus!
* I really mean movie. I have both seen and read the play, but seriously, this review is really about the movie version with Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, and Timothy Dalton...it's one of those perfectly cast movies that everyone should see.
** Both Richard and John succeeded Henry. Richard first, who went off on Crusades leaving Prince John in charge. Then John, who became king after Richard died. (Geoffery died and so was out of luck.) If these names sound familiar, yes they are the Richard and John in all the Robin Hood legends.
December 2, 2023
”Look! Holly! I love Christmas.”
“Warm and rosy time — the hot wine steams, the Yule log roars, and we’re the fat that’s in the fire.”
For those who think they are being edgy by declaring Die Hard their favorite Christmas movie, I say, “Isn’t that adorable!” These Plantagenet sharks would gobble John McClane and Hans Gruber up like so many Christmas rum balls. I’ve seen the movie, I watched a live production (staged in a church at Christmas, no less), and I’ve now listened repeatedly to the brilliant LA Theater Works audio production. In whatever form it’s takes, The Lion in Winter has become an essential holiday tradition.
”Isn’t some agreement possible?”
“Love, in a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible.”
It’s home for the holidays with the ultimate power couple— Henry II, and his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. They’re joined by three scheming sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John (all of whom would be king) the King’s young mistress, and her little brother, Philip, King of France, and the halls are decked with Yule-tide shenanigans. The air is thick with power, passion, sex, ambition, and familial love festered into hate. Brilliant repartee, constant schemes and counter schemes, and violent chaos rule the season, as kingdoms hang in the balance.
”A knife! He’s got a knife!”
“Of course he has a knife! He always has a knife! We all have knives! It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians!”
This play is fascinating, hilarious, and brutally sad. It illustrates that hate is not the opposite of love, but rather it’s reflection. It will whiplash you between guffaws of laughter and a lump in your throat. The insults are brilliant, the introspection tragic. Make it part of your holiday tradition — you won’t regret it.
”I wonder if I’m hungry out of habit, and if all my lusts like passions in a poem aren’t really recollections.”
”My life, when it is written, will read better than it lived.”
“Warm and rosy time — the hot wine steams, the Yule log roars, and we’re the fat that’s in the fire.”
For those who think they are being edgy by declaring Die Hard their favorite Christmas movie, I say, “Isn’t that adorable!” These Plantagenet sharks would gobble John McClane and Hans Gruber up like so many Christmas rum balls. I’ve seen the movie, I watched a live production (staged in a church at Christmas, no less), and I’ve now listened repeatedly to the brilliant LA Theater Works audio production. In whatever form it’s takes, The Lion in Winter has become an essential holiday tradition.
”Isn’t some agreement possible?”
“Love, in a world where carpenters get resurrected, anything is possible.”
It’s home for the holidays with the ultimate power couple— Henry II, and his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. They’re joined by three scheming sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John (all of whom would be king) the King’s young mistress, and her little brother, Philip, King of France, and the halls are decked with Yule-tide shenanigans. The air is thick with power, passion, sex, ambition, and familial love festered into hate. Brilliant repartee, constant schemes and counter schemes, and violent chaos rule the season, as kingdoms hang in the balance.
”A knife! He’s got a knife!”
“Of course he has a knife! He always has a knife! We all have knives! It’s 1183 and we’re barbarians!”
This play is fascinating, hilarious, and brutally sad. It illustrates that hate is not the opposite of love, but rather it’s reflection. It will whiplash you between guffaws of laughter and a lump in your throat. The insults are brilliant, the introspection tragic. Make it part of your holiday tradition — you won’t regret it.
”I wonder if I’m hungry out of habit, and if all my lusts like passions in a poem aren’t really recollections.”
”My life, when it is written, will read better than it lived.”
March 19, 2017
I've just spent a happy Saturday finishing this delicious book, which did live up to expectations.
The Henry and Eleanor dynamics in this play would perhaps be best described as "a loving hate relationship," for you never are sure what exactly they feel for each other till the final scene, when you realise they are each other's weakness. The dialogue is wonderfully snarky and poisonously witty, like watching the two greatest swordsmen of the time duel for hours and hours non-stop, only that both use words instead of weapons; both give as much as they take, both parry and wound and go down just to spring back to their feet, and when you think one of them has lost and will admit defeat out of sheer exhaustion... Forget that deceptive impression, they just unsheathe their claws again. And their boys are far from acting as squires or public: they happily step in and fight themselves a series of private duels. The only victim here, if she can be called so for she also has some pluck, is Alaïs, who at one point groans that there are "kings, queens, knights everywhere you look, and I'm the only pawn..."
Those inveterate Angevins are at their best here, the book earns therefore a place amongst my keepers.
The Henry and Eleanor dynamics in this play would perhaps be best described as "a loving hate relationship," for you never are sure what exactly they feel for each other till the final scene, when you realise they are each other's weakness. The dialogue is wonderfully snarky and poisonously witty, like watching the two greatest swordsmen of the time duel for hours and hours non-stop, only that both use words instead of weapons; both give as much as they take, both parry and wound and go down just to spring back to their feet, and when you think one of them has lost and will admit defeat out of sheer exhaustion... Forget that deceptive impression, they just unsheathe their claws again. And their boys are far from acting as squires or public: they happily step in and fight themselves a series of private duels. The only victim here, if she can be called so for she also has some pluck, is Alaïs, who at one point groans that there are "kings, queens, knights everywhere you look, and I'm the only pawn..."
Those inveterate Angevins are at their best here, the book earns therefore a place amongst my keepers.
December 21, 2019
“We are the world in small. A nation is a human thing; it does what we do, for our reasons. Surely, if we’re civilized, it must be possible to put the knives away. We can make peace. We have it in our hands.”
God, I love this play. Almost every line is golden.
“Well—what shall we hang? The holly or each other?”
It’s Christmas, 1183, and King Henry II, Henry Plantagenet, is a force of nature, a whirlwind of intensity and macho.
He’d thrown his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in prison ten years previously, and has brought her back for Christmas Court. Their three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John are each a very different piece of work, and their parents are sparring over which of their unfit children should inherit the throne.
The 1968 film version starring the magnificent pairing of Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn is a favorite of mine (a must see!), but this was my first reading. I’ve always thought the acting was brilliant, and like most plays, it’s better to see it performed. But what material they were given.
Henry: “Give me a little peace.”
Eleanor: “A little? Why so modest? How about eternal peace? Now there’s a thought.”
God, I love this play. Almost every line is golden.
“Well—what shall we hang? The holly or each other?”
It’s Christmas, 1183, and King Henry II, Henry Plantagenet, is a force of nature, a whirlwind of intensity and macho.
He’d thrown his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in prison ten years previously, and has brought her back for Christmas Court. Their three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John are each a very different piece of work, and their parents are sparring over which of their unfit children should inherit the throne.
The 1968 film version starring the magnificent pairing of Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn is a favorite of mine (a must see!), but this was my first reading. I’ve always thought the acting was brilliant, and like most plays, it’s better to see it performed. But what material they were given.
Henry: “Give me a little peace.”
Eleanor: “A little? Why so modest? How about eternal peace? Now there’s a thought.”
July 22, 2016
I confess that I'm rating the movie (1968) along with this play. I couldn't divorce the two in my mind when reading the play. The movie follows the play entirely with the movie adding the settings that help to comprehend the play. The movie is among my favorites of all time specifically because of the word play and the dialogue. And with Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor or Aquitaine...well it simply doesn't get any better. This play is a brilliant representation of family dynamics and politics on steroids. Genius work!!
Almost 4.5 Stars
Almost 4.5 Stars
May 3, 2023
I just loved the movie version of this play (with Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn), so it was a surprise to be casually checking my bookshelves one Sunday morning and finding this book of the original play. Written by James Goldman, who also won the Oscar for his cinematic adaptation, it tells the tale of Henry II and his feud with his three sons and formidable wife. Henry was one of the great medieval rulers and it was he who fixed the Stephen-Matilda mess in the mid-1100s which had torn England apart.
By the time the play begins, Henry II has been in power for a while and is now having to consider who will inherit his throne. His first son, William, died as a child. His second son, Henry The Young King, was supposed to be heir-in-waiting except he decided he didn’t want to wait too long and turned on his father. He died in his twenties. Next son up was Richard, the great Lionheart. He also wasn’t crazy about waiting especially since he was a mama’s boy and supported his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in her feud against Henry II. Also in line were Geoffrey, aka Mr. Devious, and young John, who would go on to be the worst king in England’s history (there’s a reason no other kings named “John” have ascended the English throne). One can’t blame King Henry for looking at his devil’s brood and wondering what went wrong.
This sets up Goldman’s play, as the beleaguered King surges and ebbs as he discovers each betrayal from each family member. There’s a lot going on as Henry has locked up Eleanor because she has always had power and is upset that he dumped her for a younger woman. Richard isn’t really certain where his loyalties are, especially because he is attracted to the spiderish French Dauphin who is hoping to break the paternal bonds of the English ruling family. This would be a soap opera today.
The writing is wonderful, especially because it sets up the performers. Dialogue is lightning-fast, sometimes just quick sentences as the adversaries circle each other. The book includes pictures of the original Broadway cast, with Robert Preston as Henry II and Christopher Walken as Philip II. A very young Christopher Walken! Who knew?
The only thing wrong with this book, or at least my copy, is that it has duplicate pages midway through, which meant I started to go a little crazy reading it and thinking I had just finished reading the same pages. Well, I had because someone didn’t do any kind of quality control on the finished publication (Random House in 1966, for shame). If the reader can get past that, it’s quite exciting historical fiction.
Book Season = Winter (sharpen the talons)
By the time the play begins, Henry II has been in power for a while and is now having to consider who will inherit his throne. His first son, William, died as a child. His second son, Henry The Young King, was supposed to be heir-in-waiting except he decided he didn’t want to wait too long and turned on his father. He died in his twenties. Next son up was Richard, the great Lionheart. He also wasn’t crazy about waiting especially since he was a mama’s boy and supported his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in her feud against Henry II. Also in line were Geoffrey, aka Mr. Devious, and young John, who would go on to be the worst king in England’s history (there’s a reason no other kings named “John” have ascended the English throne). One can’t blame King Henry for looking at his devil’s brood and wondering what went wrong.
This sets up Goldman’s play, as the beleaguered King surges and ebbs as he discovers each betrayal from each family member. There’s a lot going on as Henry has locked up Eleanor because she has always had power and is upset that he dumped her for a younger woman. Richard isn’t really certain where his loyalties are, especially because he is attracted to the spiderish French Dauphin who is hoping to break the paternal bonds of the English ruling family. This would be a soap opera today.
The writing is wonderful, especially because it sets up the performers. Dialogue is lightning-fast, sometimes just quick sentences as the adversaries circle each other. The book includes pictures of the original Broadway cast, with Robert Preston as Henry II and Christopher Walken as Philip II. A very young Christopher Walken! Who knew?
The only thing wrong with this book, or at least my copy, is that it has duplicate pages midway through, which meant I started to go a little crazy reading it and thinking I had just finished reading the same pages. Well, I had because someone didn’t do any kind of quality control on the finished publication (Random House in 1966, for shame). If the reader can get past that, it’s quite exciting historical fiction.
Book Season = Winter (sharpen the talons)
September 12, 2020
3.5⭐️ making my way through reading all the plays I’ve seen performed on stage and finally got to this one.
December 23, 2014
Extraordinary.
I have a problem with despicable people. I have a bias against them, so shoot me. If you suck, I garner no enjoyment from your suckdom, and therefore will not typically read a book that is strictly about lying, conniving, murderous, adulterous, dare I say slimy?, people. Though we know little of their true personalities, I believe those adjectives could easily fit Henry II, his wife Eleanor and their crew, based on documented wars and murders alone.
But I did, enjoy it that is, and the wonder of it all is that this play is written so well that these crazy people became (holy cheese, I'm gonna say it), endearing.
On top of that, this play reads well on paper. So for anyone whose experience in reading plays hasn't ventured out beyond Shakespeare in high school, this would be a great next go.
For those with some experience reading plays, I dare you not to take up your part in the mirror. The lines are so rich and biting and funny that you have to pause while reading to search for just the perfect inflection. Truly gorgeous.
I've never seen the movie (either the 1968 Peter O'Toole/Katharine Hepburn nor the 2003 Glenn Close rendition), but I don't have too. The characters are already alive for me, thanks to James Goldman's extraordinary talent.
I have a problem with despicable people. I have a bias against them, so shoot me. If you suck, I garner no enjoyment from your suckdom, and therefore will not typically read a book that is strictly about lying, conniving, murderous, adulterous, dare I say slimy?, people. Though we know little of their true personalities, I believe those adjectives could easily fit Henry II, his wife Eleanor and their crew, based on documented wars and murders alone.
But I did, enjoy it that is, and the wonder of it all is that this play is written so well that these crazy people became (holy cheese, I'm gonna say it), endearing.
On top of that, this play reads well on paper. So for anyone whose experience in reading plays hasn't ventured out beyond Shakespeare in high school, this would be a great next go.
For those with some experience reading plays, I dare you not to take up your part in the mirror. The lines are so rich and biting and funny that you have to pause while reading to search for just the perfect inflection. Truly gorgeous.
I've never seen the movie (either the 1968 Peter O'Toole/Katharine Hepburn nor the 2003 Glenn Close rendition), but I don't have too. The characters are already alive for me, thanks to James Goldman's extraordinary talent.
February 16, 2019
Hilarious. Sharp, witty writing. Not sure what else to say besides I loved it? But there's a definite Game of Thrones vibe, I think because of the warring-family aspect (ahem Lannisters) but whether you read this or see it, it's a gem.
April 16, 2012
Re-read.
Despite its obvious inaccuracies this is still my favourite fiction about Henry and Eleanor. Love the snark!!
February 16, 2019
Was quite disappointed with this one, after the expectations had been set high. While this is a fine mind teaser and the dialogues are intellectually extremely intense, the play feels hollow. In this way, it's similar to the movie "Inception": an exciting premise that is not given a worthy incarnation in terms of character and story depth. Here you just don't see living people behind the sophisticated and poignant exchanges that do not seem to take any toll on the participants, whereas in real life it would have wreaked unimaginable havoc. Maybe the play makes a different impression on the stage, though.
December 16, 2015
This medieval story has a modern feel to it so that its message becomes timeless. This most dysfunctional family celebrates Christmas with betrayal and love, if not in equal parts, then with equal fervor.
The best review of the play I read included the line, "King Lear" meets "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Recommended, especially because the Hepburn/O'Toole film does not have English subtitles and the word play is too precious to guess at.
The best review of the play I read included the line, "King Lear" meets "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Recommended, especially because the Hepburn/O'Toole film does not have English subtitles and the word play is too precious to guess at.
August 31, 2021
A dysfunctional family get together at Christmas – sounds like a pretty average story, accept the father is Henry II of England, his wife who has been released from prison for this family reunion is Elanor of Aquitaine. Bring in Henry’s mistress, Alice, who is betrothed to one of his sons, and 3 sons who are plotting to take the crown from their father, and it sounds like a farce.
I’m currently reading The Plantagenets where the events in this play are more fiction than fact but it was an entertaining 100 mins with its sharp snappy dialogue and strong female characters. The only question I have is why hadn’t Shakespeare written a play about Henry II?
(side note: read dates showing when I started and finished reading this are an approximation as this was read sometime between July and August 2021)
I’m currently reading The Plantagenets where the events in this play are more fiction than fact but it was an entertaining 100 mins with its sharp snappy dialogue and strong female characters. The only question I have is why hadn’t Shakespeare written a play about Henry II?
(side note: read dates showing when I started and finished reading this are an approximation as this was read sometime between July and August 2021)
Currently reading
December 19, 2022whoever it was at random house that designed this cover knew exactly how to perfectly reflect the content inside. banger cover. no notes.
June 19, 2018
Around here, we know all the lines to The Lion in Winter and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and they are likely to be uttered at the least provocation. It never occurred to me to look for the script. It just fell into my hands while browsing the library shelf.
I usually don't care for reading plays. I think they are best seen/heard or read aloud by a group. But that was great fun. Too bad it's not available in e-book form, but it's a fast read.
I know there are historical inaccuracies, but really don't care.
And now I need to go watch the movie (the original one --the only one that counts, the one with Hepburn -- again. I've only seen it about a thousand times.
I usually don't care for reading plays. I think they are best seen/heard or read aloud by a group. But that was great fun. Too bad it's not available in e-book form, but it's a fast read.
I know there are historical inaccuracies, but really don't care.
And now I need to go watch the movie (the original one --the only one that counts, the one with Hepburn -- again. I've only seen it about a thousand times.
April 13, 2015
I read the approx 100-page play in one day. I found interesting this original script of the play when compared with the 1968 version of this play played by Peter OToole and Katherine Hepburn and Antony Hopkins. I don't know whice version I like better. I enjoy both versions. They each inform the other.
Want to read
February 22, 20152014 version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrfbV...
December 14, 2023
As plays go The Lion in Winter is one of those non-Shakespeare plays that feels an awful lot like a Shakespeare play and continues to have the same sort of relevance. Queer issues abound, gender issues abound, power issues abound, and the characters are all people, despite their centuries of separation from us and from the man who wrote this play, speak to us now of our now.
This particular staging of the play is blessed with the enormous talent of Alfred Molina, who I imagine most film and theatre fans know very well, and Kathleen Chalfant, a Broadway actress who the masses can only have seen on every iteration of Law and Order. The pair of them play King Henry Plantaganet and Eleanor of Aquitane, respectively, and they breathe life to James Goldman's words like few others (except maybe O'Toole and Hepburn) have done.
It's a Christmas play in the way that Die Hard is a Christmas movie; it's a family play in the way that Arrested Development is family Sit-Com; it's a tragic drama the way that the Sopranos is a family trauma.
If you love reading plays through the aural medium, do yourself a favour and listen to this retelling of Goldman's The Lion in Winter. You'll love it and want to come back.
This particular staging of the play is blessed with the enormous talent of Alfred Molina, who I imagine most film and theatre fans know very well, and Kathleen Chalfant, a Broadway actress who the masses can only have seen on every iteration of Law and Order. The pair of them play King Henry Plantaganet and Eleanor of Aquitane, respectively, and they breathe life to James Goldman's words like few others (except maybe O'Toole and Hepburn) have done.
It's a Christmas play in the way that Die Hard is a Christmas movie; it's a family play in the way that Arrested Development is family Sit-Com; it's a tragic drama the way that the Sopranos is a family trauma.
If you love reading plays through the aural medium, do yourself a favour and listen to this retelling of Goldman's The Lion in Winter. You'll love it and want to come back.
August 1, 2011
A whirlwind look at a completely dysfunctional family under the guise of history. It supposedly represents Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their children in a conflict over who will replace Henry when he dies. There is much conniving, fighting, threatening and general mayhem throughout the play. I soon got bored and any intelligent person will too.
May 6, 2015
I’m not sure if Molina is the best Henry II I’ve seen or heard, but this performance of the play is darn good. The repartee is well done and even with just the audio you can hear the passion and disgust that Henry Eleanor feel for each other.
April 12, 2012
This is the play that the movie came from, and it's one of the most exciting and witty plays written. My edition has an interesting introduction by Goldman in which he relates how many people believe that the movie was made because the play was a big hit, which wasn't true. It was the movie, released over two years after the play had closed its brief Broadway run (with Christopher Walken as King Philip) that turned the play into a classic.
It's Christmas, 1183, and the three princes, Richard, Geoffrey and John have gathered at their father's palace. Joining them from her exile is their mother, Queen Eleanor, who Henry has kept under guard somewhere for ten years while he took their French adopted daughter, Princess Alais, as his lover. On this day, Alais' brother, the king of France, has come to demand either the return of his sister or the fulfillment of Henry's contract: that Alais marry Richard and inherit the Aquitaine. That Henry does not want to give up Alais, his property or be ordered about are the immediate problems, but the bigger problem, and the plot of the play, is that Henry and Eleanor were and are horrible parents. Richard rages and openly desires to kill his father, Geoffrey repays his family for neglecting him by setting them up to be caught in his lies and John throws tantrums to guilt his father into giving him the crown. The dialogue is sharp, brutal and funny in a "see, your family could be worse" way that I love.
It's Christmas, 1183, and the three princes, Richard, Geoffrey and John have gathered at their father's palace. Joining them from her exile is their mother, Queen Eleanor, who Henry has kept under guard somewhere for ten years while he took their French adopted daughter, Princess Alais, as his lover. On this day, Alais' brother, the king of France, has come to demand either the return of his sister or the fulfillment of Henry's contract: that Alais marry Richard and inherit the Aquitaine. That Henry does not want to give up Alais, his property or be ordered about are the immediate problems, but the bigger problem, and the plot of the play, is that Henry and Eleanor were and are horrible parents. Richard rages and openly desires to kill his father, Geoffrey repays his family for neglecting him by setting them up to be caught in his lies and John throws tantrums to guilt his father into giving him the crown. The dialogue is sharp, brutal and funny in a "see, your family could be worse" way that I love.
March 27, 2010
This is a fabulous show. Well written and intriguing. The audience watches as Henry II and his estranged Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, gather together with their boys, France's prince, and Henry's mistress for a Christmas holiday. A young Richard the Lionheart debates with his brothers for the crown, struggles with his father for a wife, fights to hide an indiscretion, and plots to keep his land. Prince Geoffery schemes and Prince John snivels. Alais, Henry's mistress and Richard's fiance, is played like a pawn and the world around her is nothing without her King's love.
The most intriguing part of this play, and the reason you will watch it to completion, is the ongoing battle between Eleanor and Henry--a husband and wife with a passionate past and a strange residual love left between them.
Everyone has intentions. Everyone has a motive. Everyone is dishonest and underhanded. The dialogue is witty. The players, cruel and human. It is one of my favorite plays of all time.
The Academy Award winning movie adaptation is done wonderfully and I highly recommend it. Though, the material is not for the feint of heart as it includes adultery, homosexuality, and murder. Fair warning, friends.
The most intriguing part of this play, and the reason you will watch it to completion, is the ongoing battle between Eleanor and Henry--a husband and wife with a passionate past and a strange residual love left between them.
Everyone has intentions. Everyone has a motive. Everyone is dishonest and underhanded. The dialogue is witty. The players, cruel and human. It is one of my favorite plays of all time.
The Academy Award winning movie adaptation is done wonderfully and I highly recommend it. Though, the material is not for the feint of heart as it includes adultery, homosexuality, and murder. Fair warning, friends.
May 7, 2019
Swift, engaging read. Goldman's intro is a gem that covers ground beyond this play. Here's a bit on what he has to say about writing the characters-- his 1980 perspective on this 1964 play:
I know that I have never met these characters. I made them up. I read about the things they did, I studied them and then imagined what they felt and thought and said and wanted from their lives. What they were really like, of course, no one will ever know. This is, I am convinced, a blessing, and I feel dismay for all the people who, a thousand years from now, will have our times on tape and film to study. They will see out faces, hear our voices, know it all and be deceived. They will be dealing with the surfaces, and the truth of things is always underneath. It has to be imagined.
The cover photo with Preston and Harris is also moving. No credit given to photographer and I imagine Martha Swope may have taken it-- has the intimacy of her work. How wonderful if the Preston-Harris production is preserved on film somewhere, however that record may deceive us.
I know that I have never met these characters. I made them up. I read about the things they did, I studied them and then imagined what they felt and thought and said and wanted from their lives. What they were really like, of course, no one will ever know. This is, I am convinced, a blessing, and I feel dismay for all the people who, a thousand years from now, will have our times on tape and film to study. They will see out faces, hear our voices, know it all and be deceived. They will be dealing with the surfaces, and the truth of things is always underneath. It has to be imagined.
The cover photo with Preston and Harris is also moving. No credit given to photographer and I imagine Martha Swope may have taken it-- has the intimacy of her work. How wonderful if the Preston-Harris production is preserved on film somewhere, however that record may deceive us.
December 27, 2021
I'm not a reader of plays, I find them hurried and hard to follow, and all I studied in high school about this period in history is long forgotten. Not a promising context for my reading of The Lion in Winter. But this is so incredibly juicy, gripping, heart-wrenching and witty it jumped up out of the pages, and I found neither characterization nor relationship development in any way lacking - in fact, they were arguably sharper and more well constructed than in many novels I've loved. I enjoyed this in a way I truly didn't think I could, and it's making me think that maybe I've been unfairly prejudiced towards plays. (Still, if I could have a version of this that's more suited to my usual reading choices, a fully fleshed out novel of five or six hundred pages, I would be in the throes of ecstasy.)
February 3, 2018
I just couldn't enjoy this. For me all the jokes fell flat, a few things really don't age well, some inaccuracies are so stupid and pointless, and most of all the characters don't...feel like who they should be, which is especially grievous considering the frankly braggy introduction about how Goldman really "got into their heads." Yeah I suppose if you were a white dude in the 60s this would feel fresh. I'll still see the movie because Katherine Hepburn is the queen.
January 29, 2018
A very good play but I wonder if I liked it so much since I saw the 1968 film with Hepburn & O’Toole. Without imagining them saying these lines, it would have been more dry & I’d likely have gone for a 3 Star rating. The dialogue is biting and witty, but partly due to delivery and the actors are the ones to add dimensionality to the lines. I recommended both reading this and watching that fantastic movie!
July 10, 2018
I’m going to be seeing this play in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to reread it before then. Eleanor is one of the best parts I’ve ever played, and this play is just amazing... some of the best dialogue ever. It’s just perfect. I hope I can play her again one day.
“For the love of God, can’t we love one another just a little? That’s how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children; we could change the world.”
“For the love of God, can’t we love one another just a little? That’s how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children; we could change the world.”
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