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| Goneril And Regan 1902. Public Domain |
G is for John of Gaunt and Goneril.
John of Gaunt was a real person, the uncle of Richard II and father of Henry IV. In the play, Richard II, he is not well liked by his nephew. Henry, his son, is banished and returns, then usurps the throne, but Gaunt dies.
Before he dies, though, he makes a famous speech, “This England”. Here is a link to four famous versions on YouTube. https://youtu.be/hQQyyMyTHa0 . It shows the speech made by four different actors.
Some big names have played the role, most recently Sir Patrick Stewart doing it in The Hollow Crown series, and wasn’t he amazing! (Incidentally, the Duke of York in that version was played by David Suchet, who is best known as Hercule Poirot). He is in that YouTube video.
Another G is Goneril in King Lear. Goneril is Lear’s oldest daughter. When he decides to retire and split his kingdom among his three girls, he requires them to make speeches about their love for him. Goneril and her sister Regan tell him what he wants to hear, of course, while the youngest, Cordelia, rejects the entire “tell me how much you love me” thing. So, Lear makes the huge mistake of handing the whole kingdom to his older girls, who throw him out into the cold.
Goneril is married to the decent Duke of Albany, but she and her sister are fighting over the good looking but nasty Edmund, son of the Earl of Gloucester. Edmund has persuaded his father that his brother Edgar is disloyal. It is a sort of other version of the story of Lear. Edgar looks after his father, who has been blinded by Regan’s dreadful husband, Cornwall.
Anyway, Lear’s two older daughters and Cornwall are dead by the end of the play.
So is Cordelia, the youngest, but at least she and her fsther have reconciled.
Goneril has been played by some well known actresses. Irene Worth played the role in the 1971 film with Paul Scofield as Lear. (I saw that version when I was at secondary school). Dorothy Tutin played Goneril in the 1983 version with Laurence Olivier. Dorothy Tutin played Anne Boleyn in The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, and Cecily in the film of The Importance Of Being Earnest. You can see that one on YouTube for free. Here is the link. https://youtube.com/watch?v=S8MqqPPTXJk&feature=share. A wonderful production with Leo McKern as Gloucester and John Hurt as the Fool.
Most recent was Emma Thompson playing Goneril, would you believe, in 2018! I haven’t seen that. Cordelia is played by Florence Pugh(most recently seen in the Marvel Universe as Black Widow assassin Yelena Belova). Sir Anthony Hopkins is Lear. I can’t find it on my streaming services, but there are a couple of other versions on Prime, including one with Ian Holm as Lear.
Definitely a role worth pursuing if you don’t mind being a villain!
6 comments:
I enjoyed the different versions of the sceptred isle speech 🙂
What a magnificent piece of writing John of Gaunt's speech in Richard II is
'England, bound in with the triumphant sea
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune,'
and before that
'This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,
Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth,
Renowned for their deeds as far from home,
For Christian service and true chivalry,
As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry,
Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son,
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
I have only seen King Lear once, and frankly thought it was a terrible production. I was bored out of my mind. Keep wanting to see it again with a different interpretation.
I have The Hollow Crown on DVD - what a production!
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings: YouTube - What They Don't Tell You (and free fiction)
I bet Emma Thompson made a fabulous Goneril! She can portray evil bitches well.
Enjoyed the cast line-up at the end -- such a great selection! I'm going to search for the version Emma Thompson plays in.
Ronel visiting for the A-Z Challenge My Languishing TBR: G
Hi Anne! I enjoyed it too. It’s kind of fun to see and compare different versions of Shakespeare speeches. I did the same with the St Crispian’s Day speech and Marc Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar.
Hi Kalpana! It is an amazing speech. There used to be a commercial which used it to persuade tourists to come to England. I almost ordered a ticket!
Hi Tasha! King Lear was one of the plays that made me love Shakespeare. Perhaps you need to find another version, yes. There are some on YouTube or Prime if you have that. I was once lucky enough to see it on stage with Ian McKellen and Sylvester McCoy(the best Fool I have ever seen, though John Hurt was pretty close in the Olivier version)
Hi Debra! Emma Thompson is a wonderful actress. I am quite sure she could do a villain too.
Hi Ronel! Let us know if you find that version, I haven’t been able to so far.
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