The dragons of Westeros and the Jersey Pinelands
I am so sorry I have been silent for so long, but for 4 ½ weeks I have been battling the pneumonia dragon, which is even more aggressive and troublesome than those blasted deadline dragons. But my doctor and I think that I finally can see the road to Recovery glimmering on the horizon. Of course I have about as much energy as a wet noodle and am sleeping as much as a sloth. I’d been warned that with pneumonia, there is a long convalescence, so I am trying to see this as my post-pneumonia hangover
I won’t be able to make regular visits for a while yet, but I can start tonight with this link to a very funny review of the Purple Wedding in Game of Thrones. If I had any words of warning for people about to cross the borders into Westeros, it would be, “For God’s sake, don’t ever accept a wedding invitation!” Don’t read it if you haven’t seen the episode yet and are vainly trying to avoid spoilers.
http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/game-of-...
I won’t be able to make regular visits for a while yet, but I can start tonight with this link to a very funny review of the Purple Wedding in Game of Thrones. If I had any words of warning for people about to cross the borders into Westeros, it would be, “For God’s sake, don’t ever accept a wedding invitation!” Don’t read it if you haven’t seen the episode yet and are vainly trying to avoid spoilers.
http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/game-of-...
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Wanda
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Apr 23, 2014 09:17PM
Be Well Miss Sharon.
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I hope your Recovery Road isn't a long one, Sharon. Get well soon.
I hope your road to recovery doesn't end in Westeros!Hope you feel back in the swing real soon. Mikee had pneumonia a couple years back and it hit her so hard she never smoked again! (The blessing!)
BTW - as I'm reading King's Ransom, I can't help asking myself WHY it was that Heinrich hated Richard so much. I'm sure this was explained somewhere in Lionheart or the beginning of Ransom but for the life of me, I can't seem to find mention. I've googled to no effect.
Please help this struggling crusader trying to make it home from Outremer!
I don't think he really hated Richard, Rosemary, certainly not the way Philippe did. With Heinrich, it was all about the money and the hope of distracting his vassals since half of his lords were either in rebellion or giving it serious consideration. After what happened at Speyer, it probably became more personal with him, but he was still willing to sell Richard to the highest bidder. If Philippe had gotten hold of Richard, he'd never have ransomed him, no matter how much the English offered In the words of Richard's father Henry, who I managed to get into two scenes despite being dead, "Philippe hates you with the only spark of passion ever to inflame that shriveled soul of his"
When you refer to "what happened at Speyer" do you mean how Richard convinced his tribunal that he was innocent of the charges Heinrich had leveled against him and made Heinrich look like a fool? I guess I'm still confused about what triggered Heinrich's drive to capture him on his way home from Outremer - there must have been something other than just the chance to collect a ransom. (and distracting vassals) Or was it just that? Are you improving?
GOT - Is Sensa in real trouble now?
Yes, I did, Rosemary, but I was trying to avoid spoilers. Many people know only the hazy outlines of Richard's ordeals on his way home from the crusade, and not everyone knows about the remarkable feat Richard pulled off at Heinrich's Imperial Diet. Heinrich was an opportunist and there had been bad blood between the Hohenstaufens and the Angevins for years. Don't forget Henry wed his daughter Matilda to the Duke of Saxony, a bitter foe of Heinrich's father and gave them sanctuary when Friedrich forced them into exile. And Heinrich was very angry with Richard for what he saw as Richard's meddling in Sicily, recognizing Tancred as its king. Heinrich and Philippe had met on the latter's return from the crusade and formed some sort of alliance against Richard. I mention that in Lionheart and Richard mentions it at Speyer. Heinrich was already hoping that a chance might arise to capture Richard, for example, that pact he forged with the Genoan navy to be on the lookout for Richard's ship. he very much wanted to punish Richard for allying with Tancred and saw what a valuable hostage he'd be, but I still do not believe he hated Richard in the way Philippe did It was both political and personal with him. The money mattered the most, or else he'd have sold Richard to Philippe and never entered into negotiations with England.
Thanks for the details. I hope I didn't spoil it for other readers. But since so much of the book is about his capture and release, I felt like I needed more background on what motivated Heinrich. And thanks for the reminder about Henry II taking in his daughter and the Duke when they had to flee; I don't think I caught the significance of that from past books. I think about who could play Richard these days - the ONLY actor I feel could really pull it off would be Russell Crowe! Ralph Fiennes does such a good job with men you like to hate that he could play Heinrich!
I can't think of anyone offhand, Rosemary. I love Lion in Winter, will happily suspend disbelief for two hours to watch it. But I think Anthony Hopkins, as brilliant an actor as he is, was miscast as Richard. O'Toole and Hepburn, of course, were magnificent.
Sharon wrote: "I can't think of anyone offhand, Rosemary. I love Lion in Winter, will happily suspend disbelief for two hours to watch it. But I think Anthony Hopkins, as brilliant an actor as he is, was miscas..."As much as I love Lion in Winter, I think that movie portrayed Richard with homosexual leanings - which of course, were rumored. That may be why Hopkins played Richard the way he did, which makes it seem like a miscast. He played Richard as soft and a mama's boy. However, John was depicted as a clumsy oaf - and we know he was not. He was certainly self-gratifying,cunning, and deadly. He was his own worst enemy. It still amazes me that Henry and Eleanor were unable to instill in their children a sense of unity and watching each others' backs vs. the sibling rivalry that destroyed them. Another "if only" ....
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