Globe Life in Shakespeare's London by Catherine Arnold

I enjoyed reading this fascinating book which describes the

times and life of William Shakespeare.  London was a bustling,

busy town during Tudor times and Shakespeare found his place

and popularity  as a well known playwright.   His success was not

always enthusiastically acclaimed as one writer referred to him

as shake-scene and was obviously at a loss to understand the

reason that people were flocking to see his plays.

Other playwrights and well known writers of the time are also

included in this book.  It certainly does give an understanding

of the development of theatre and plays in earlier times which in a

way was the beginnings of the mass audience crowd at a popular

theatre. 

Descriptions of the theatres are given, the professional and business

approach to theatres and the painstaking building of the initial theatres

and the losses often incurred.    Often people became jealous or for various

other reasons people wanted the theatres shut down and would complain

to the London authorities about them.  It may even have been because of

the narrow streets and people may have become encumbered walking down

the narrow alleys when horses and coaches were waiting outside the theatres.

There were also the puritans who wanted the theatres shut down and often in times

of plague the theatres were also shut down.  During one of these times of a plague

Shakespeare wrote some of his wonderful poetry.

The players and actors were very committed and passionate towards their cause.  Often

they needed patronage and at times their situation did seem grim.  This book tells the

story of the very early beginnings of theatre and plays and how the players initially

travelled to country homes to give entertainments and would receive food and board.

I loved reading this book as it is so full of interesting detail and fascinating anecdotes

about the life of Shakespeare and his associates.  It is a wonderful book and well recommended.

   

The Shadow Queen by Sandra Gulland

This wonderful novel by celebrated author Sandra Gulland of The Josephine Trilogy tells the complex tale of the early years of the life of Claude des Oeillets. This is a great novel which I enjoyed reading.

Claude des Oeillets was a personal assistant to Madame de Montespan during the early years of the court of Louis XIV in France in the 17^th century.

Claude was from an acting family and it is this aspect of the novel which appeals i.e. the travels and also travails of an acting troupe during these early years in France.

The Great Corneille, writer and playwright was an inspiration to these theatre people whose livelihoods often depended upon patronage and performances given on the stage at courts or various centres in the surrounding countryside.

Claude des Oeillets seems to me to have been an enigma and she also appears as a character in the novel

Of Athenais, The Real Queen of France by Lisa Hilton as a servant of Madame de Montespan.

I enjoyed reading the novel. It gives wonderful insights into another era and time where life was so different from today’s world and the king was the supreme power in the land.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Claude and how she reacts to adverse situations in her life, the hardships and troubles of her family and also from the time of her first meeting with Madame de Montespan who came from a more privileged background. Apparently in earlier more prosperous times her mother and father had been well received on the stage and well regarded as performers in their day.

The story tells of the wonderful side of court life and its beauty and grandeur but also unfortunately also shows a side of court life which is not respectable or acceptable and Claude has to make decisions about her life and face consequences because of earlier decisions which she has made. Ultimately Claude decides where her true loyalties lie and what is the better course for her and her child.

The novel is a triumph of great story-telling. In the end Claude makes a decision which she feels she can live with. She decides to leave the employ of Madame de Montespan. The life at court was not all is seemed and because of the values which she was brought up with she could no longer continue to live a life which was not in keeping with her own moral code.

This book is wonderful and gives a good account of what may have occurred during the Affair of the Poisons at the Court of Louis XIV where so many people were named and also banished from court.

“The Shadow Queen” is an excellent historical fiction novel and the adventures of Claude des Oeillets in the employ of Madame de Montespan are fascinating to follow. The court life and its many complexities are seen throughout in this novel from what Claude des Oeillets could see and gather from her own information. It is very good.

The Kings' Mistresses by Elizabeth C Goldsmith

The Kings' Mistresses

The Liberated Lives of

Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, And

Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin

by Elizabeth C Goldsmith

The Kings' Mistresses by Elizabeth C Goldsmith is

a fascinating story of the lives of Marie Mancini and

her sister, Hortense, during the time of the seventeenth

century in Europe. As such , it gives a valuable insight into

of the history and politics of the time in France, Italy, Spain and England.

The author refers to correspondence and letters to tell a

compelling story of two sisters who decided to challenge

the expected norms of society of the time.

And what a story it is!

The stars of both these sisters shone brightly.

Brought to the court of France by their uncle, Cardinal Mazarin,

from Italy, they lived a privileged life and were feted by the court, enjoying

its many entertainments and activities.

Louis XIV wished to marry Marie Mancini. It is poignant that six days after his marriage to the Infanta of Spain, Marie- Therese, Louis XIV

wished to leave his travelling party at La Rochelle and pay a solitary visit to Brouage

where he had last seen Marie Mancini. Of course he would have known that Marie was

not there and Cardinal Mazarin was alarmed when he heard of this detour of the young

Louis XIV.

Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin had done everything to try and separate

Marie Mancini and Louis XIV. Marie had been recaled to Paris by this time.

It is also poignant that Marie Mancini during all of her life retained a string of pearls

which the king had given her a year before his marriage to Marie-Therese.

Charles II of England had wished to marry Hortense, who was a bright spark, vivacious

and beautiful. Cardinal Mazarin did not wish for his niece to marry Charles II at the time

as he was a king without a throne. Charles II had been displaced by Oliver Cromwell and

it would be after many years of poverty and travelling in Europe before he would be restored

to the throne of England in 1660. Cardinal Mazarin raised the issue of his marriage

to Hortense at the time with Charles II but Charles II's ministers advised him to forget Hortense and have a

more ambitious marriage with Katherine of Braganza.

Cardinal Mazarin, being in ill health by 1661 was determined to arrange fortuitous marriages for his nieces

as he had arranged marriages for Laure Mancini, a sister of Marie and Hortense,

to Louis de Bourbon-Vendome, Duc de Mercoeur, and also the marriage of a cousin of Marie and Hortense, Anne-Marie Martinozzi to Armand de Bourbon -Conde, Prince de Conti.

The story of Marie's life in Rome is fascinating to read of the account of the arts, theatre, processions and general sociability of the times as she brought something new to Rome which

was not previously acceptable by the standards of the day. She did seem to have more freedom

than the Roman noblewoman of the time. Marie did a lot for the arts in Rome, building a theatre at the Colonna palazzo and also becoming involved with the carnival in Venice when she was married to Prince Colonna.

Marie was also the author of two books of astrology.

She was learned and cultured. Louis XIV had developed a love and passion for the Italian arts

and poetry from spending many hours in the company of Marie and also from the influences

of Cardinal Mazarin who had a fine art collection.

Hortense was married to Duc Mazarin in 1661.

The story culminates in the adventures of these two sisters who decided to live their lives

differently.

It is a poignant and stark tale but also has great merit describing the fascinating encounters

in London of Hortense and Saint-Evremond, who had been exiled many years previously by

Cardinal Mazarin. They became great friends and Saint-Evremond, knowing that Hortense

enjoyed romance novels would describe himself in his correspondence to her as the sad-faced knight and

Hortense would often sign herself to him as his “Dulcinea to Don Quixote” from Don Quixote.

Hortense hosted a salon of visiting artists writers and travellers to London which people enjoyed for the lively and interesting conversations.

This book is well recommended.

It is enjoyable and gives many insights into the seventeenth century modes of conduct, law and

outcomes. It gives the reader an understanding of the culture and attitudes of society of the time. The vibrant and engaging personalities of the sisters, their travels and adventures give a sense

of wonder to the book set in a time not so distant and yet so different from today.

The brilliance of Chekov

The Brilliance of Chekhov

  I have been watching a BBC adaptation
of plays by Anton Chekhov which I have found
to be full of wit, satire and brilliance.  A
great perceptiveness of people, their foibles
and characteristics is shown.
This collection of plays is wonderful.
I have enjoyed watching "A Wedding" which I found hilarious.
Anton Chekhov certainly knows how to spin a story with comedy
and also in a way parody the people in certain situations. 
Perhaps he may have found society pretentious at times and this
certainly does sometimes show in the plays.

A more dramatic play is "The Seagull" which I enjoyed for giving
such insights into the life of a writer and artistry from an artist's
perspective.
This play was also a tragedy in many respects.
 The lake, tree and leafy scenery
was spectacular with the greenery combined with wonderful clothing of an
earlier
era.
Chekhov certainly had an uncanny ability to portray characters in a real
sense,
not artificial, with all of their quirks and charms.  There is often spark
and
life in the dialogue.
An interesting aspect of "The Seagull" was the story line, the seagull, and
also
the parallel story of a young girl who is identified as similar to the
seagull
in the story.
The outdoor stage setting at the beginning of the play is quite magnificent,
with concepts of old and new techniques in the art of theatre on show.
This play had many qualities on a different level as regards the imagery and
the story, also that as the writer would write or make comments for his
story,
this seemed to give another dimension to the play as it does appear that what
was written in a book or his notes did seem to take relevance
 as regards the young girl, Nina and the writer.
The other characters in this production are also played manificently.  Masha
who is
in love with the
playwright, Constantin, but who marries a school teacher and Constantin's
mother,
 Madame Aarkadina.

It is almost as though with the plays of Chekhov the viewer is seeing real
life.
Chekhov had a great understanding of people and society, similarly as
Moliere,
with his plays which in the form of satire often parodied society of
seventeenth
century France.  At one time Moliere's plays were banned.
There is a scene in "The Seagull" where the writer, Trigorin, mentions that
he loves
scenery but more than being a word painter he also loves people and his
country as
he is a citizen of Russia, and as such he also loves to write about people.

  I will continue to watch some more of these plays and write another review.