The Portrayal Of Alfred The Great Of Shakespeare s Life...

When one approaches a movie or television show about historical events it is important to remember that the primary purpose of this media is to entertain. This does not mean however that there aren t kernels of truth which reflect aspects of what actually took place. For example in the television show The Last Kingdom, there are some liberties taken with the historical period. Some characters are complete works of fiction or events have been changed. Something that remains the same however is the attitude of Alfred the Great towards writing, specifically recording events as they occur. This aspect of Alfred s personality is on display in Asser s Life of King Alfred and thus when one compares the representations it is obvious that this portion of Alfred s character was transposed successfully to the television screen. While The Last Kingdom might take liberties with certain aspects of this time period, its emphasis on Alfred placing an importance on the written word, is undoubtedly a fair representation of the man s character. From the records that remain of Alfred s rule it is quite obvious that the man had an obsession with the written word, and the power associated with knowledge. Both Asser s Life of Alfred and the prose preface to Alfred s translation of the Pastoralis show glimpses of a man who is preoccupied with writing and its inherent worth. In Asser s Life of Alfred one section describing Alfred s youth makes the man out to be something innatelyShow MoreRelatedPortrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry Essay3056 Words   |  13 PagesPortrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry Before 1900, war was always seen as a glorious thing. People truly believed in the words of the ancient writer Horace, Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori. This phrase can be translated, as It is a lovely and honourable thing; to die for ones country. Pre 1900 war poetry was strongly patriotic and glossed over the grim reality of death, preferring instead to display the heroic aspects of fighting. If death was mentionedRead More Promoting Family Values in Macbeth Essay2277 Words   |  10 PagesPromoting Family Values in Macbeth  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, was first printed in 1623, and is a play that is confrontational and disturbing to the values of the audience. Values such as truth, masculinity, security and goodness are all implied in the play, as their opposites are shown to be destructive and life shattering. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, Macbeth is the one most obsessively concerned with evil. It is dark, brooding and bloodthirsty; by way of illustrationRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 PagesTable of Contents (with links) Walter G. Moss 1 Table of Contents (with links) 1 Wisdom, Perspective, and Values 2 Humor’s Contribution to Wisdom 4 Humor and Wisdom in Europe: Some Highlights 5 Renaissance Humor: Erasmus, Rabelais, Cervantes, Shakespeare 5 Two European Russians: Anton Chekhov and Vladimir Soloviev 9 Reflections on Humor from Nietzsche to the Theatre of the Absurd 12 Humor and Wisdom in the United States: Lincoln, Beecher, Twain, Sandburg, and Buchwald 17 From The Times (of London)Read MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 PagesChristian utopia Genre/Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · sermons, diaries personal narratives captivity narratives jeremiads written in plain style Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · instructive reinforces authority of the Bible and church Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · a person s fate is determined by God all people are corrupt and must be saved by Christ Rationalism / Age of Enlightenment period of American Literature - 1750-1800 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · national mission and American character democratic utopia use of reason