Edward III of England has been depicted in a number of fictional works.

Literature

Edward III of England is the central character in the play ''

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

'', sometimes attributed to William Shakespeare. He also appears as a boy in ''

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

'' by

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 ...

. Edward is also the protagonist of William Blake's early drama ''Edward the Third'', part of his '' Poetical Sketches'', published in 1783. George Bernard Shaw portrayed Edward for dramatic purposes as, in Shaw's preface to ''The Six of Calais'', ''behaving himself like an unrestrained human being in a very trying situation''. He also appears in

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...

's opera '' L'assedio di Calais''. Edward III appeared in

George Alfred Lawrence George Alfred Lawrence (25 March 1827 – 23 September 1876) was a British novelist and barrister. Biography George Alfred Lawrence was born at Buxted, Sussex, the eldest child of Rev. Alfred Charnley Lawrence, Curate of Uxfield Chapel, Buxted, ...

's "

sensation novel The sensation novel, also sensation fiction, was a literary genre of fiction that achieved peak popularity in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s.I. Ousby ed., ''The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English'' (1995) p. 844 Its literary forebears i ...

" about the Hundred Years' War, ''Brakespeare'' (1868). The novella "The Countess Alys" (in ''The New Canterbury Tales'' (1901)) by

Maurice Hewlett Maurice Henry Hewlett (1861 – 15 June 1923) was an English historical novelist, poet and essayist. Biography He was born at Weybridge, the eldest son of Henry Gay Hewlett, of Shaw Hall, Addington, Kent. He was educated at the London Internati ...

features Edward III as a character.Nield, Jonathan (1925), ''A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales'', G. P. Putnam's sons, , 1925 (pp. 32-33) Edward was also depicted in historical novels for younger readers, including ''St. George For England'' (1885) by G. A. Henty. Edward is also featured in his role as English commander during the Battle of Crécy, in the novel ''

Red Eve ''Red Eve'' is a historical novel with fantasy elements, by British writer H. Rider Haggard, set in the reign of Edward III. ''Red Eve'' depicts the Battle of Crécy and the Black Death, and also features a supernatural personification of Death ...

'' (1911) by

Rider Haggard Sir Henry Rider Haggard (; 22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. He was also involved in land reform t ...

. Edward appears in Maurice Druon's series of historical novels '' Les Rois maudits'' (''The Accursed Kings''). In the 1965 novel ''The King is a Witch'' by

Evelyn Eaton Evelyn Sybil Mary Eaton (22 December 1902 – 17 July 1983) was a Canadian novelist, short-story writer, poet and academic known for her early novels set in New France, and later writings which explored spirituality. Life account Born in Montreux, ...

, Edward is covertly a follower of a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

"Old Religion". Edward is a major character in ''The King's Mistress'' by Emma Campion and her Owen Archer mystery novel ''The Lady Chapel'' (1994) under the name Candace Robb. He appears in the 2000 Bernard Cornwell novel '' Harlequin'', as well as in the 2007 Ken Follett novel '' World Without End'', the sequel to ''

Pillars of the Earth ''The Pillars of the Earth'' is a historical novel by British author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the time between the ...

''. Edward also appears briefly in ''

The First Princess of Wales ''The First Princess of Wales'' (originally published as ''Sweet Passion's Pain'') is a 1984 historical fiction novel by American author Karen Harper. Set during the 14th-century, it follows the romance between Joan of Kent and Edward, the Black P ...

'' by Karen Harper.

Screen adaptations

Edward III has rarely been portrayed on screen. He was portrayed by Charles Kent in the 1911 silent short ''The Death of King Edward III'' and by Michael Hordern in the 1955 film ''

The Dark Avenger ''The Dark Avenger'' is a 1955 British historical action adventure film directed by Henry Levin. The screenplay was written by Daniel B. Ullman (and an uncredited Phil Park). The film stars Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru and Peter Finch. The music ...

'', about Edward, the Black Prince. As a boy he has been portrayed by Stéphane Combesco in the 1982 French TV adaptation of Marlowe's play and by Jody Graber in Derek Jarman's 1991 version. In '' World Without End'' (2012),

Blake Ritson Blake Adam Ritson (born 14 January 1978) is an English actor and director. Early life Blake was born on 14, June, 1978 in London and attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School in West Londo ...

portrayed Edward III. Jean-Louis Broust portrayed Edward III in the 1972 French TV adaptation of Druon's ''Les Rois maudits'' novels, and

Aurélien Wiik Aurélien Wiik (born 24 September 1980) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is the son of a Norwegian father and of the French actress Françoise Deldick. Life and career Acting career He made his cinematic acting debut at the age of twelve, pl ...

played the role in the 2005 French TV adaptation. Edward is implied to be the son of

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpora ...

and Scottish patriot William Wallace in the 1995 film ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence ag ...

''. This is historically impossible, as, at the time of Wallace's execution in 1305, Isabella was still only ten years old, and this was seven years before Edward was born. It is extremely unlikely that Wallace and Isabella ever met.Ewan, Elizabeth. "Braveheart." ''American Historical Review.'' Vol. 100, No. 4. October 1995., pp. 1219–21.

References

{{Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs