If, advised essayist and critic William Hazlitt, we wish to know the force of human genius we should read Shakespeare. For if anyone profoundly understood the human condition in all its forms, it was he. Lovably drunken rogues, dysfunctional kings, cowardly preening braggarts, to nobly inspiring heroes. The remarkable series of plays engaged in under The Regal Throne moves from high political intrigue to lowlife bar-room badinage. From self-indulgent regal decline to elevated and inspirational kingly valour. From adolescent delinquency and father-son tensions to exaltedly noble redemption. The playwright launches us on our journey with the narcissistic Richard, rapidly sowing seeds of his own decline with his callously imperious behaviour. And the ruthlessly astute Bolingbroke returning from his banishment to take the sovereign's Crown and then his life. But Bolingbroke as Henry IV has little chance to enjoy his prize. For his tyranny breeds rebellion. Meanwhile in Cheapside, (and to his father's chagrin), the future Henry V, as adolescent Prince Hal, disports himself in seedy taverns amongst a gallery of Hogarthian lowlifes (including the comedic heavyweight Falstaff), while quietly planning a shrewdly redemptive personal remake as the exemplary war hero, Henry V. A rich tapestry indeed. But whilst Shakespeare's early modern English is reasonably understandable, many words and references aren't. For slang is constantly shape-shifting. And, particularly with Shakespeare's bar-room banter, it's helpful to know just what the characters are saying to and about each other. The author explains each scene of all four plays in detail with copious quotations from Shakespeare's text throughout and substantial hypertext explanatory notes. The Regal Throne is an invaluable companion for all who set sail on this vibrant Shakespearean voyage into power, politics, and ribaldry.
This book teaches an innovative method called Immersion Composition that drives musicians to engage their creativity by writing as much music as possible in a set time period. After learning to apply the method, elusive moments of inspiration can be summoned on command. The book also explains how to form a group of like-minded songwriters (a “lodge”), presents dozens of tips and games for making the most out of an Immersion Composition session, and shows how to turn brainstormed raw materials into polished songs.
This text gives the key ingredients and the bottom line on all the major case law and other developments on TUPE in an accessable style. It includes an appendix containing key source materials and accommodates the latest amendments to the Directive by the European Union.
The Later Medieval City, 1300-1500, the second part of David Nicholas's ambitious two-volume study of cities and city life in the Middle Ages, fully lives up to its splendid precursor, The Growth of the Medieval City. (Like that volume it is fully self-sufficient, though many readers will want to use the two as a continuum.) This book covers a much shorter period than the first. That traced the rise of the medieval European city system from late Antiquity to the early fourteenth century; this offers a portrait of the fully developed late medieval city in all its richness and complexity. David Nicholas begins with the economic and demographic realignments of the last two medieval centuries. These fostered urban growth, raising living standards and increasing demand for a growing range of urban manufactures. The hunger for imports and a shortage of coin led to sophisticated credit mechanisms that could only function through large cities. But, if these changes brought new opportunities to the wealthy, they also created a growing problem of urban poverty: violence became endemic in the later medieval city. Moreover, although more rebellions were sparked by taxes than by class conflict, class divisions were deepening. Most cities came to be governed by councils chosen from guild-members, and most guilds were dominated by merchants. The landowning elite that had dominated the early medieval cities of the first volume still retained its prestige, but its wealth was outstripped by the richer merchants; while craftsmen, who had little political influence, were further disadvantaged as access to the guilds became more restricted. The later medieval cities developed permanent bureaucracies providing a huge range of public services, and they were paid for by sophisticated systems of taxation and public borrowing. The survival of their fuller, richer records allow us not only to apply a more statistical approach, but also to get much closer, to the splendours and squalors of everyday city-life than was possible in the earlier volume. The book concludes with a set of vibrant chapters on women and children and religious minorities in the city, on education and culture, and on the tenor of ordinary urban existence. Like its predecessor, this book is massively, and vividly, documented. Its approach is interdisciplinary and comparative, and its examples and case studies are drawn from across Europe: from France, England, Germany, the Low Countries, Iberia and Italy, with briefer reviews of the urban experience elsewhere from Baltic to Balkans. The result is the most wide-ranging and up-to-date study of its multifaceted subject. It is a formidable achievement.
In this fully revised and expanded book, Nicholas Beer examines the sight-size portrait method, in which the artist stands back at a distance to view the picture and sitter side-by-side and to scale. Nick demonstrates the technique in a series of projects that culminate in portrait painting. There are also sections on the history of sight-size, early treatises on portraiture, and the 'philosophy' of seeing. This new edition also includes a 'starts and studies' section, which looks at a series of unfinished paintings in detail to analyse the thought processes and techniques of great artists. Includes; an historical overview of the technique and introduction to the traditional language of drawing and painting; the limited palette and the philosophy of seeing; a step-by-step sequence with practical instruction, and examples of great masters ranging from Van Dyck to Sargent. Superbly illustrated with 152 colour illustrations including step-by-step sequence.
Stories of young adults who made decisions - and the dramatic outcomes. Excellent guide for those who are facing big choices Explains how to focus on the right motives behind life decisions Teaches how to make wise decisions Advice is biblically founded Perfect gift for graduates Life is full of decisions - both major and minor. Should I take this job? Should I go to college? What if he asks me to marry him? This book is especially aimed at young people and the decision-making processes of their lives. Its goal is to help young people become more effective by focusing on the right motives, looking ahead to potential outcomes, and ultimately turning to Jesus Christ for guidance. A beautiful gift book full of vignettes of young people faced with decisions, and how they tackled each one.
British industry at the start of the New Elizabethan Age was a world leader. The first - British - jet airliner was taking to the skies, the first nuclear power station was under construction at Calder Hall and British firms were pioneering the computer. Our shipyards reigned almost supreme, and from Britain's factories came cars, lorries, buses, heavy machinery, aircraft and locomotives, exported all over the world. Sixty years on, many of these industries and millions of jobs have disappeared, while competitors have flourished. Much of what remains is under foreign ownership. Britain has lost many export markets, and essential goods have to be imported. How did all this happen? Britain's loss of competitiveness has traditionally been blamed on outdated working practices, failure to invest and modernise, poor management, bloody-minded unions, the loss of Empire and the ability of post-war Germany and Japan to rebuild from scratch. All this is true, but the picture is far more complex. The role of Whitehall and successive governments, Britain's relationship with Europe, corporate greed, misjudgement and even suicide, and sheer bad luck all play a part. In Surrender, Nicholas Comfort revisits the past six decades and identifies some of the factors behind the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs.
“A leading medievalist takes a clear-eyed look at the evidence for the existence of the legendary Arthur.” —The Sunday Times “Best Paperbacks of 2021” According to legend, King Arthur saved Britain from the Saxons and reigned over it gloriously sometime around A.D. 500. Whether or not there was a “real” King Arthur has all too often been neglected by scholars; most period specialists today declare themselves agnostic on this important matter. In this erudite volume, Nick Higham sets out to solve the puzzle, drawing on his original research and expertise to determine precisely when, and why, the legend began. Higham surveys all the major attempts to prove the origins of Arthur, weighing up and debunking hitherto claimed connections with classical Greece, Roman Dalmatia, Sarmatia, and the Caucasus. He then explores Arthur’s emergence in Wales—up to his rise to fame at the hands of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Certain to arouse heated debate among those committed to defending any particular Arthur, Higham’s book is an essential study for anyone seeking to understand how Arthur’s story began. “Likely to be the definitive text on the legendary warrior for the foreseeable future. With his profound knowledge of the rules of historical narrative and patient but forensic analysis of the evidence, Higham’s riveting book brings the historical Arthur to what may be his last, decisive battle.” —Max Adams, author of The First Kingdom “Fascinating, authoritative analysis.” —P. D. Smith, The Guardian “Intelligent and eminently readable . . . For fans of a fascinating story that is wonderfully well told, this is the perfect book to take you back to King Arthur’s time.” —All About History
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