a sense of history

[theladyrose]

I think that I like the TLIW depiction of Eleanor of Acquitaine better than the historical figure I'm reading about. I've managed to get to chapter 14 or so of the Eleanor of Acquitaine biography I've been reading, up to the point when Richard goes on the latest Crusade and his dear mum is essentially the ruler. Interestingly enough the biographer makes a rather unnecessary point that Richard's homosexual and had an incestuous relationship with Eleanor. Ouch; that just shattered a lot of pretty preconceptions that I had of her. In the play it's more subtly implied more than anything. James Goldman does much more justice to Eleanor and Henry there, though their sons come off pretty shoddily except for Geoffrey, who just appears to be a demonic, charismatic misanthrope who is unmistakably cool nevertheless. Phillip II Augustus manages to get away with history and fiction quite beautifully.

And it seems that Eleanor was probably blonde and blue-eyed. Ack; I had pictured her to look exactly like Katharine Hepburn, who's actually distantly related to her.