1066

11+m, 4w, 2 either
7m 45-60, 2+m 20-25; 2w 45-60, 2w 25-35; 2 either 30-60

A blank verse drama in the style of Shakespeare's history plays, but with a more modern vocabulary, 1066 portrays the struggles over control of the English throne in the year 1066. Harold Godwinson inherits the throne from dying Edward the Confessor, but is opposed by his brother Tostig, the Norman Duke William (the Conqueror), and Norwegian King Harald Hardrada. As intrigue and battles roil the British Isles, William emerges triumphant in the end. With narration and commentary supplied by an indigenous Briton and by Count Baldwin of Flanders and his wife, the story of the year proceeds smoothly. Comic relief of a sort is supplied by brother earls, Edwin and Morcar, whose loyalties switch among all the contenders to the throne.

Realistic sets are not required for the many locales in the play, as long as enough stage space exists to separate action, as when Halley's comet is viewed concurrently from three locations. With a lot of stage combat called for, a large, well-trained cast of soldiers will add a lot of excitement to a production. No props are called for other than medieval combat gear, enhanced by costumes sometimes featuring chain mail.

With the cadences of Elizabethan blank verse drama, using rhymed couplets or quatrains to end each scene and including a spoken sonnet, 1066 should fit seamlessly into the repertoire of any Shakespeare-centered company. As an historically accurate portrayal of the events of 1066, it combines history and drama in an educating, entertaining way.