The Lion in Winter Group at eNotes

The lion is the tradition ruling symbol of the English King. Thus, the...

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 11:21:09 PST

The lion is the tradition ruling symbol of the English King. Thus, the lion is probably a symbol of Henry II. The fact that the play takes place during Christmas is another reference to Winter in the title. However, the word "lion" could also be a play on the word "lie". In spite of their love for one another, both Henry and Eleanor lie to constantly to keep each other off guard and compete for the power to name the next king. Thus they are...

King Henry II of England is the "Lion in Winter." The title refers...

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:14:08 PST

King Henry II of England is the "Lion in Winter." The title refers to the fact that the King who is also the "lion" is aging and does not have a son he trusts enough to succeed him on the throne. King Henry II is in the "winter" of his life and fears there is no son which can take his place, even though he has three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. "In medieval times, however, a fifty-year-old man was regarded as being close to the end...

In "The Lion in Winter", what does the title of the play mean?

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 20:14:11 PST

In "The Lion in Winter", what does the title of the play mean?

I've given your post a lot of thought because my first instinct was to...

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:44:29 PST

I've given your post a lot of thought because my first instinct was to say, "She really has been written about a great deal." But then I realized that she's been written about a lot by historical fiction authors, many of them women, and not necessarily by male historians.She was an amazing woman, by all accounts. I think the play, "The Lion in Winter," did a great deal for getting her name and story out to more...

Ah, yes...there are some of the best lines ever written in that...

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:03:42 PST

Ah, yes...there are some of the best lines ever written in that play...and you're absolutely right - Hepburn beat Glenn Close by a mile! I like Glenn Close just fine in other things, but not something that was made so outstandingly marvelous like The Lion in Winter with Katherine Hepburn! :)"You know something, Henry...I don't much like our children." Just deadpan...hysterical! :)Thanks for the reply!

In reply to #1: I haven't seen a stage version, but I did try to watch...

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:41:00 PST

In reply to #1: I haven't seen a stage version, but I did try to watch the remake with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close--inferior! How could anyone possibly be as good as Katherine Hepburn at saying the line, "There'll be pork in the treetops come morning"? And my very favorite line is right after Eleanor has taunted Henry about having slept with his father, and Henry curses and storms out. Eleanor/Katherine just shakes her head and...

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:59:45 PST

Does anybody agree that Eleanor has not been given enough attention by historians? Just think about it: She was queen of the two most powerful countries of her time, mother of two kings, patron of the arts and near inventor of the courtly love tradition; she debated Bernard of Clairvaux, went on crusade and rode bare-breasted into Jerusalem. Was there anything she couldn't have done?

Three adjectives Richard might have used to describe...

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:36:40 PST

Three adjectives Richard might have used to describe himself: Mighty--Richard was a powerful knight and fought many battles before and after he became king. Ambitious--although he was born a prince to the most powerful king and queen in Europe, he was not heir to the throne because of his older brother Henry. He wanted to be king. Courtly--Richard was well educated by both his mother and his half-sister, Mary of Champagne, who were patrons...

Please give me 3 adjectives to describe each: What do you think Richard...

Sun, 9 Dec 2007 22:23:36 PST

Please give me 3 adjectives to describe each: What do you think Richard thinks of himself, his family thinks of him, and his subjects think of him?

stage version

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 17:48:37 PST

Has anyone out there seen a stage version of The Lion in Winter? The original movie with O'Toole and Hepburn is one of my favorite films of all time - definitely in the top 5! I'm just curious what seeing it on stage is like. Thanks!

Ah, isn't this a great play! So much fun. Turning to the question,...

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:59:04 PST

Ah, isn't this a great play! So much fun. Turning to the question, language affects the play in at least three important ways. First, the dialogue is fun and lively, making it play well, but it is anachronistic, meaning it is unlikely that the people of the time would speak in this way. That makes the play fun, but historically…somewhat false. Second, there are references to mythic and Biblical stories, given this royal family squabble an...

How does language affect the play as a whole?

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 08:42:27 PST

How does language affect the play as a whole?