The Madness of George III (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Alan Bennett
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Plot: History
- Time of Work: 1788-1789
- Setting: London and Windsor, England
- Principal Characters: George III, Charlotte, Prince of Wales, William Pitt, Edward Thurlow, Charles Fox, Richard Sheridan, Edmund Burke, Margaret Nicholson, Lady Pembroke, Sir George Baker, Dr. Willis, Sir Boothby Skrymshir, Ramsden
- Genres: Drama, Biographical drama, History play, Political drama
- Subjects: Parents and children, Politics, Doctors, Mental illness, England or English people, Eighteenth century, Kings, queens, or royalty, Identity, Government, Diseases, Treason, Heads of state, Mental health
- Locales: London, England
The Play
The Madness of George III opens in the autumn of 1788, approximately seven years after Great Britain’s loss of the American colonies, a loss that continues to weigh heavily on the fragile mind of King George III. Surrounding the king are those who would supplant him and his Tory government, including his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, and the Whig leaders Fox, Sheridan, and Burke, who conspire to overturn the Tory government led by Prime Minister William Pitt.
It is not long before the king falls ill with what the playwright depicts, following a...
[The entire page is 2145 words long]
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