Richard III Laid to Rest with Honor

Portrait of Richard III next to his corpse verified by DNA testing

For anyone familiar with English history, this is a pretty big deal. The often maligned Richard III is being reburied, and this time with honors. Richard III's body was found in 2012 when a parking lot in Leicester was being dug up. Apparently, this is where his body was unceremoniously dumped and covered up after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The great point of interest is that the Queen, Elizabeth II, has asked the Countess of Wessex to represent her at the burial and to deliver a eulogy. According to sources inside the court, the eulogy is "surprising and sweet" and calls on the Britain as a whole to recognize the importance that Richard III played in its history. The Duke of Gloucester will also be in attendance, filling out the royal contingent.

The burial ceremony

But why should we care about Richard III? Richard III was one of many English kings during the War of the Roses, which ranged from 1455 through 1487. Richard the III garnered notoriety when he became king after the death of his nephew, Edward V, and his little brother who died in the Tower of London. The circumstances of their deaths is still unknown to this day, but folklore claims Richard III (at the time Richard the Duke of York) and regent until his nephew came of age, killed the two princes seizing the throne. Richard III was later killed in 1485 by Henry Tudor who cut the crown from Richards helmet and rode to London to be crowned King Henry VII. Histories about the time are confused and often very similar to other source material, but a good primary source would be Sir Thomas More's "History of King Richard the Third". If you've read William Shakespeare's play "Richard III" you might find similarities as it is believed that the bard leaned heavily on More's history. Shakespeare went out of his way to make Richard III the ultimate villain of English history, but almost a villain you could root for. Frank Underwood of House of Cards. Suffice it to say anything concerning Richard III is fraught with controversy, yet there are whole societies devoted to disproving some of the history surrounding this dead monarch.

What is also of interest, is that the current monarch of England and her family claim the throne through the Tudor line of succession. It could be argued that the early Tudor monarchs (Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary I, & Elizabeth I) may have gone out of their way to damage Richard III's memory as a way of cementing their claim to the throne, as it was very tenuous and under threat through out their reigns. While this reversal of royal opinion is surprising, some might feel that it is lack luster. Philipa Langley, head of the Richard III Society,  claims that she is not surprised to see any more senior royals in attendance as the current royal family still claims that Richard III was a usurper of the throne on their official website. Langley claims that there is copious evidence that Richard III removed Edward V and his little brother to the continent (Europe) for their own safety and protection. Furthermore, Richard's closest aids, Sir James Tyrell and Sir Edward Brampton, supposedly took a large quantity of money to Portugal suggesting that the two young princes were moved there. She also posits the idea that anyone could have killed the princes, and if they were killed, Henry Tudor and the Duke of Buckingham had just as much to gain from the death of those young princes as Richard. However, Langley is glad to see that the Duke of Gloucester attended as the Duke is a patron of the society. Controversy aside, the internment of the body of Richard III is the first royal funeral since the death of Elizabeth II's father, George VI. So let us give pause for the remembrance of a controversial leader in a chaotic era. Farewell Richard III, may your bones rest easy in honor and peace.

Crest of Richard III

Verily A Sequel: The Empire Striketh Back & The Jedi Doth Return

Good evening fair gentles! I am greatly pleased to report again upon the fantastic work of Ian Doescher. His second installment of his great work William Shakespeare's The Empire Stiketh Back, is as equally good as his first work. The cast of voices remains the same, with Jeff Gurner joining the cast for additional voice talent. His credits include the first Max Payne video game as well as Alan Wake.  Again Doescher does an excellent job in weaving the two worlds of Shakespeare and Star Wars together into one cohesive tapestry. Furthermore, he continues to make references to different works of Shakespeare including The Merchant of Venice adapting one of Shylock's more famous soliloquies. There are several new wrinkles to spice up the narrative, including a singing Wampa, singing ugnauts, more imaginative acting, and Yoda speaking in modified haiku form rather than iambic pentameter. Lando even maintains the swagger in his voice while still speaking in verse!

In Jedi we have more classic renditions of our great opus. Ewoks speak a form of pidgin English, the Salacious Crumb speaks plain English, and Jabba in any form is still a slimy piece of filth. Yet in the completion of the trilogy, I took heart and smiled. I found that this Shakespearean retelling of my childhood joy brought the same joy as watching the films with or without re-shoots and extra content. Any fan of any level will truly love these renditions. Star Wars was never known for its script, often the lines are bad and the acting is occasionally worse and we love it. The words of George Lucas rewritten in to prose, add warmth, depth, and even more comedy to what we know and love.

If any of this strikes you as odd, just listen to the authors note at the end, then listen a little longer beyond that for a special treat. So with that I leave you until the next article.
Exunt stage right.

David is a local historian, techie, home brewer, stage hand, and geek. He loves Star Wars and Shakespeare with equal passions and is prone to quoting it at random!

Did you enjoy this article? Follow us on Facebook to get more great content! We have a weekly podcast you can find on our main site. Also follow us on Twitter and Tumblr! 

A New Twist on Old Classics: William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily A New Hope

     If there was any greater mash up of two great mediums, I'm not sure that I could think it. I love Shakespeare's plays, particularly his histories. The Bard was a master at capturing the essence of humanity and distilling it into words. George Lucas' original trilogy of Star Wars films achieved similar feats to Shakespeare's works for the modern audience. So how could a Shakespearean version of the original trilogy not be something amazing? It is my great joy to proclaim from my digital soap box, that William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily a New Hope is a masterpiece, a smash, a blending of modern and past fiction on which the mind feasts on sheer geeky pleasure!

     I first came across this book while killing time in my local Barnes & Noble some time last fall. I browsed its and was amused finding that Ian Doescher was very respectful in his treatment of both source materials, creating a near seamless blending of Shakespeare's language and technique along with the story for my favorite of the original trilogy A New Hope. I put the book down, thinking that I might purchase it eventually. Fast forward to the new year and an outstanding balance in my Itunes gift card, I searched and found that Doescher's work was converted to an audiobook. "Zounds" I cried and could not click purchase fast enough! What I found was a work of acting excellence with a small cast of actors who brought to life a book and doubled my enjoyment.

The Cast:
     The performance of this audiobook, as befitting the blending of Shakespeare and Star Wars, is done by five people rather than one. The cast includes Daniel Davis, Johnathan Davis, Marc Thompson, Ian Doescher, and January LaVoy.  All of the actors, with the exception of the author Ian Doescher, have previous experience in narrating other Star Wars audiobooks. I was particularly happy to see that Marc Thompson was part of the cast, as I enjoyed his work in the recording of Mercy Kill, a continuation of the Wraith Squadron series. Each of the actors adds a unique twist on each of the characters they read for, adding depth and feeling to words where there might not be otherwise. Honestly this is the only way to enjoy this mash up as plays are truly meant to be heard or watched.

The Story:
     So as one would expect, this follows the normal narrative of Star Wars: A New Hope, the twist coming with the addition of Shakespearean language and added prose to the telling. In this story alone I caught lines and soliloquies from Richard III, Henry V, and Hamlet. Furthermore, there seems to be a very Puckish bent to the development of R2D2's character. While around other characters he acts as he normally would ,speaking in nothing more than beeps and squeaks, R2 is granted asides where he might speak his mind and enlighten the audience to his true thoughts and his mischievous nature. Ian Doescher also included the stage directions, which add an extra layer of reality to the audiobook. Those who are familiar with the the theater or the works of Shakespeare, know that stage directions are an important part of any play. Having January LaVoy read them helps to set the stage setting in the mind of the listener, as the stage directions announce which characters are on stage and general positioning. The stage directions also help to move the story along and describe any actions that are not visible. The inclusion of sound effects and a "chorus" also helps to set scenes and fill in action events that would normally be seen by the audience on the stage. Upon my first listening, I found that I could see the film in my mind while hearing new audio. I do not, repeat do not, recommend trying to drive and listen to this audiobook at the same time. Sheer enjoyment and hilarity may lead to distraction and possible dangerous driving.

Finale
     I am no wordsmith so I shall be brief, buy this audiobook and then go get the rest of them. If you are a fan of Star Wars or Shakespeare this piece of theater is for you! Worry not fair readers, for a review of the next chapter The Empire Striketh Back will soon follow with haste upon the heels of this article.

David is a local historian, techie, home brewer, stage hand, and geek. He loves Star Wars and Shakespeare with equal passions and is prone to quoting it at random!

Did you enjoy this article? Follow us on Facebook to get more great content! We have a weekly podcast you can find on our main site. Also follow us on Twitter and Tumblr!