Becket and other plays

Name: Becket and other plays
Author: Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson

By Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson

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British Literature Plays/Films/Dramas

About This Book

A cycle of four verse dramas dramatizes conflicts between secular power and spiritual duty. The central play traces a royal chancellor who, after assuming high ecclesiastical office, resists demands to subordinate church law to the crown, provoking councils, political intrigue, exile, and a violent climax. Shorter pieces present moral and romantic episodes—rites of honor, tests of fidelity, and the tensions of love and pledge—rendered in elevated poetic language and stage directions. Throughout, questions of conscience, legal authority, and heroic sacrifice are examined in rich, rhetorical verse.

About the Author

Tennyson, Baron Alfred Tennyson portrait

Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson

Baron Alfred Tennyson, a prominent Victorian poet, served as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign. He is celebrated for his lyrical poetry and mastery of meter, with works that explore themes of love, loss, and nature. Tennyson's notable collections include "Idylls of the King," which retells the Arthurian legends, and "In Memoriam," a poignant elegy for his close friend Arthur Hallam. His ability to blend personal emotion with broader philosophical questions has left a lasting impact on English literature, making him a key figure in the literary heritage of the 19th century.