Becket (Masterplots II: Drama)
At a glance:
- Author: Jean Anouilh
- First Published: 1959
- Type of Work: Historical
- Time of Work: The twelfth century
- Setting: England, France, and Rome
- Principal Characters: Thomas a Becket, Henry II Plantagenet, Gilbert Folliot, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Queen Mother, The Young Monk, Gwendolen
- Genres: Drama, History play
- Subjects: History, Values, Power, personal or social, France or French people, Friendship, England or English people, Christianity, Kings, queens, or royalty, Martyrs or martyrdom, Middle Ages, Saints or sainthood, Rome
- Locales: France, England, Rome, Italy
The Play
Becket begins as it will end, with King Henry performing ritual penance for his long-suspected role in the assassination of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, formerly his friend and chancellor of England. While the king wonders aloud how and where their friendship went wrong, Becket’s ghostly presence soon appears, exhorting the king to pray instead of talking. The scene then shifts abruptly to the days of the two men’s boon companionship, culminating in the king’s impulsive appointment of Becket to the post of chancellor, a move calculated to...
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