Thirty Days Meme: Day 25 - Richard III
Sep. 18th, 2013 10:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitI went to one of the Gloucester History Week talks this evening, on Richard III. I've read quite a lot about Richard over the year, so I thought it would be interesting to hear a talk which spoke about Richard's visit to Gloucester the year he took the throne. It wasn't.
I've been to talks in the past where I've not known much about the subject, but the speaker's enthusiasm has carried me along and left me wanting to know more (at least until the next shiny thing turns up). This was a talk on a subject I was very interested in, but at one point I was trying to work out how I could make a dignified (or otherwise) exit. The speaker read his speech. There was no humour, apart from two small jokelets, which received polite laughter from the middle class over 60s who were present. It was an academic talk, citing sources and charters, but not appropriate to the local audience.
The highlight was the unveiling of the sword Richard might have presented to the city. Except the blade dated from the 1600s, so only the pommel could have been authentic.
There was one question, perhaps predictably on whether Richard could be reburied in Gloucester. No-one else was inclined to ask anything.
On the plus side, having watched "The White Queen", when mention of Thomas Stanley and Margaret Beaufort was made, I instantly visualised Rupert Graves and Amanda Hale. And most of the time I thought of Richard of Gloucester as looking like Aneurin Barnard, so at least I had pretties in my head.
And yes, my icon is Richard II, it's the closest thing I've got. Maybe I'll hunt for another to improve the day.
I've been to talks in the past where I've not known much about the subject, but the speaker's enthusiasm has carried me along and left me wanting to know more (at least until the next shiny thing turns up). This was a talk on a subject I was very interested in, but at one point I was trying to work out how I could make a dignified (or otherwise) exit. The speaker read his speech. There was no humour, apart from two small jokelets, which received polite laughter from the middle class over 60s who were present. It was an academic talk, citing sources and charters, but not appropriate to the local audience.
The highlight was the unveiling of the sword Richard might have presented to the city. Except the blade dated from the 1600s, so only the pommel could have been authentic.
There was one question, perhaps predictably on whether Richard could be reburied in Gloucester. No-one else was inclined to ask anything.
On the plus side, having watched "The White Queen", when mention of Thomas Stanley and Margaret Beaufort was made, I instantly visualised Rupert Graves and Amanda Hale. And most of the time I thought of Richard of Gloucester as looking like Aneurin Barnard, so at least I had pretties in my head.
And yes, my icon is Richard II, it's the closest thing I've got. Maybe I'll hunt for another to improve the day.
