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Ancient Pistol
Ancient Pistol is a swaggering soldier who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. Though full of grandiose boasts about his prowess, he is essentially a coward. The character is introduced in '' Henry IV, Part 2'' and reappears in ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' and ''Henry V''. The character's first name is never given. He is referred to as Falstaff's "ancient", meaning "ensign", or standard bearer. ''Henry IV, Part 2'' Pistol is introduced as a "swaggerer" who suddenly turns up at the Boar's Head Tavern, contrary to the wishes of the hostess, Mistress Quickly. Falstaff tells her that Pistol is his "ancient" (ensign). He gets into a fight with Falstaff after an exchange of insults with the prostitute Doll Tearsheet, who calls him "the foul-mouth'dst rogue in England". Later, when Falstaff stops off at Justice Shallow's house after the defeat of Scrope, Pistol appears bringing news of the death of Henry IV, asserting that Falstaff is "now one of the greatest men in th ...
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Henriad
In Shakespearean scholarship, Henriad refers to a group of William Shakespeare's history plays. It is sometimes used to refer to a group of four plays (a tetralogy), but some sources and scholars use the term to refer to eight plays. In the 19th century, Algernon Charles Swinburne used the term to refer to three plays, but that use is not current. In one sense, Henriad refers to: '' Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2;'' and ''Henry V'' — with the implication that these four plays are Shakespeare's epic, and that Prince Harry, who later becomes Henry V, is the epic hero. (This group may also be referred to as the "second tetralogy" or "second Henriad".) In a more inclusive meaning, Henriad refers to eight plays: the tetralogy mentioned above (''Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2,'' and ''Henry V''), plus four plays that were written earlier, and are based on the civil wars known as The Wars of the Roses — ''Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, He ...
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Miles Gloriosus
''Alazṓn'' ( grc, ἀλαζών) is one of three stock characters in comedy of the theatre of ancient Greece. He is the opponent of the '' eirôn''. The ''alazṓn'' is an impostor that sees himself as greater than he actually is. The ''senex iratus'' (the angry father) and the ''miles gloriosus'' (the braggart soldier) are two types of ''alazṓn''. ''Miles Gloriosus'' ''Miles Gloriosus'' (literally, "braggart-soldier", in Latin) is a stock character of a boastful soldier from the comic theatre of ancient Rome, and variations on this character have appeared in drama and fiction ever since.Frye, Northrop. 1957. ''Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays''. London: Penguin, 1990. . The character derives from the ''alazṓn'' or "braggart" of the Greek Old Comedy (e.g. Aristophanes). The term "Miles Gloriosus" is occasionally applied in a contemporary context to refer to a posturing and self-deceiving boaster or bully. Literary instances In the play ''Miles Gloriosus'' ("Boastful ...
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Chimes At Midnight
''Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight)'' (Spanish: ''Campanadas a medianoche'') is a 1966 period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The Spanish-Swiss co-production was released in the United States as ''Chimes at Midnight'' and in most of Europe as ''Falstaff''. The film's plot centres on William Shakespeare's recurring character Sir John Falstaff and the father-son relationship he has with Prince Hal, who must choose between loyalty to his father, King Henry IV, or Falstaff. Welles said that the core of the film's story was "the betrayal of friendship." It stars Welles as Falstaff, Keith Baxter as Prince Hal, John Gielgud as Henry IV, Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet and Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly. The script contains text from five of Shakespeare's plays; primarily ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Henry IV, Part 2'', but also ''Richard II'', ''Henry V'', and ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''. Ralph Richardson's narration is taken from the works of chronic ...
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Robert Newton
Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for his hard-living lifestyle, he was cited as a role model by the actor Oliver Reed and the Who's drummer Keith Moon.Angus Konstam (2008"Piracy: The Complete History" p.313. Osprey Publishing, Retrieved 11 October 2011 Beginning his career in theatre in the 1920s, Newton appeared in numerous plays in the West End, including '' Bitter Sweet'' by Noël Coward. In 1939 he starred as Horatio in ''Hamlet'' at the Old Vic theatre opposite Laurence Olivier's Prince Hamlet. After serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he had his major break on screen playing the lead in ''This Happy Breed'' (1944) and starring in Olivier's version of ''Henry V'' (1944). These appearances saw British exhibitors vote him the 10th most popular British fil ...
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Henry V (1944 Film)
''Henry V'' is a 1944 British Technicolor epic film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same title. The on-screen title is ''The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France'' (derived from the title of the 1600 quarto edition of the play, though changing the spelling from "Agin Court"). It stars Laurence Olivier, who also directed. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier, Dallas Bower, and Alan Dent. The score is by William Walton. The film was made near the end of World War II and was intended as a morale booster for Britain. Consequently, it was partly funded by the British government. The film was originally "dedicated to the 'Commandos and Airborne Troops of Great Britain the spirit of whose ancestors it has been humbly attempted to recapture. The film won Olivier an Academy Honorary Award for "his Outstanding achievement as actor, producer and director in bringing Henry V to the screen." Plot (The action mo ...
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Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the United Kingdom, British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier's father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End theatre, West End success in Noël Coward's ''Private Lives'', and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an establish ...
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James White (1775–1820)
James White was an English advertising agent, author and lifelong friend of Charles Lamb. Personal life He was the son of Samuel and Mary White and was baptised at the Church of St. John in Bedwardine, Worcester, on 17 April 1775. At the age of 8, he was admitted to Christ's Hospital on the Presentation of Thomas Coventry on 19 September 1783. He left the school on 30 April 1790 in order to become a clerk in the treasurer's office at the school. While at the school, White formed a close and long-lasting friendship with Charles Lamb, who was the same age as he. Charles Lamb refers to James White in many of his letters and the Essays of Elia (in particular the essay entitled ''The Praise of Chimney-Sweepers''). White developed a fascination with the character of Falstaff and was even known to dress up and go about "in character". This led to him writing and publishing in 1796 his only known book: ''Original Letters, etc, of Sir John Falstaff and his friends'', a collection of letter ...
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Falstaff's Wedding
''Falstaff's Wedding'' (1760 and 1766) is a play by William Kenrick (writer), William Kenrick. It is a sequel to Shakespeare's plays ''Henry IV, Part 2'' and ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''. Most of the characters are carried over from the two Shakespeare plays. The play was first staged in 1766, but was not a success. It was infrequently revived thereafter. The play exists in two quite different versions. The first version, published in 1760, is written in verse. Its main storyline involves an embittered Falstaff being drawn into a plot to kill Henry V of England. The second version, staged in 1766, drops the serious plot and expands the roles of the comic characters, becoming a farce about their plans to marry into money. It is mostly in prose with snatches of verse appended to the end of several scenes. First version Characters characters derived from ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' are marked (MW); those from the Henry IV plays are marked (H.IV) *King Henry V *Duke of Glouces ...
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William Kenrick (writer)
William Kenrick (c. 1725 – 10 June 1779) was an England, English novelist, playwright, translator and satirist, who spent much of his career Defamation, libelling and Parody, lampooning his fellow writers. Life and career Kenrick was born at Watford, Hertfordshire, son of a Bone (corsetry), stay-maker. He apparently obtained a doctorate at Leiden University (although other sources maintain he went to a Scottish university) and appeared for the first time as a pamphletist in 1751 where he wrote, under the name of "Ontologos", ''The Grand Question debated; or an Essay to prove that the Soul of Man is not, neither can it be Immortal.'' In typical fashion, Kenrick forthwith provided an answer to this question proving the reverse, a tactic he often used in order to publicize his productions. One of his first targets was the vulnerable Christopher Smart whose poem ''Night Piece'' he attacked in the London monthly journal ''The Kapelion; or Poetical Ordinary, consisting of Great Va ...
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The Famous Victories Of Henry V
''The Famous Victories of Henry the fifth: Containing the Honourable Battel of Agin-court: As it was plaide by the Queenes Maiesties Players'', is an anonymous Elizabethan play, which is generally thought to be a source for Shakespeare's ''Henriad'' (''Henry IV, Part 1'', '' Henry IV, Part 2'', and ''Henry V''). It was entered by printer Thomas Creede in the Stationers' Register in 1594, but the earliest known edition is from 1598.Campbell, Oscar James (ed), "Famous Victories" ''A Shakespeare Encyclopaedia'', Taylor and Francis, 1966, p.221. A second quarto was published in 1617. The play covers the riotous youth of Prince Henry and his transformation into a warrior king, ending with his victory at Agincourt and his wooing of Princess Katherine. The work is of unknown authorship, and various possible authors have been proposed, including a young Shakespeare, though this view is not widely accepted by scholars. Characters ;The English Court, Officials *Prince Henry, later King He ...
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Tamburlaine (play)
''Tamburlaine the Great'' is a play in two parts by Christopher Marlowe. It is loosely based on the life of the Central Asian emperor Timur (Tamerlane/Timur the Lame, d. 1405). Written in 1587 or 1588, the play is a milestone in Elizabethan public drama; it marks a turning away from the clumsy language and loose plotting of the earlier Tudor dramatists, and a new interest in fresh and vivid language, memorable action, and intellectual complexity. Along with Thomas Kyd's ''The Spanish Tragedy'', it may be considered the first popular success of London's public stage. Marlowe, generally considered the best of that group of writers known as the University Wits, influenced playwrights well into the Jacobean period, and echoes of the bombast and ambition of ''Tamburlaine''s language can be found in English plays all the way to the Puritan closing of the theatres in 1642. While ''Tamburlaine'' is considered inferior to the great tragedies of the late-Elizabethan and early-Jacobean ...
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Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the "many imitations" of his play ''Tamburlaine,'' modern scholars consider him to have been the foremost dramatist in London in the years just before his mysterious early death. Some scholars also believe that he greatly influenced William Shakespeare, who was baptised in the same year as Marlowe and later succeeded him as the pre-eminent Elizabethan playwright. Marlowe was the first to achieve critical reputation for his use of blank verse, which became the standard for the era. His plays are distinguished by their overreaching protagonists. Themes found within Marlowe's literary works have been noted as humanistic with realistic emotions, which some scholars find difficult to reconcile with Marlowe's "anti-intellectualism" and his caterin ...
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