A Very Interesting Character

I have been watching The Tudors and I am fascinated by Henry VIII and royal culture. I have always been interested in Henry VIII. From the beginning he was arrogant, selfish, self-serving, conceited and seemed so insecure that anyone who spoke a word against him was subject to being accused of high treason. I don't know if all Kings acted like spoiled brats but he certainly had his moments.
And then he had those moments where he was considerate, understanding, loving, and even generous. There were moments where you could see his love for his queens and see his care for his children.
But then he turns around and has endless mistresses and has two of his wives beheaded.
Henry VIII was one of those people you couldn't completely love or hate. When watching the show, you see how much he is manipulated by others, but don't understand how someone with so much power and influence can be so gullible. It is like he doesn't follow his own instinct, but yet lets others tell him what to do. On the other hand, he is so consumed by narcissism, he has many people killed just to show his own power. In the beginning of the show, he asks his counsel Sir Thomas Moore if it better, as king, to be feared or loved. I guess he rather be feared.
And so many things are acceptable for the king that aren't for others. His wives just accept his inclination for adultery and just let him do what he wants. He can kill someone just because he feels like it without any sort of judicial process. He can accuse anyone of anything without real evidence. And he is King of England, so it is just automatically accepted. Even the people pretend to adore him out of fear of persecution. No wonder people wanted to escape England and come to North America.
I find his relationship with women very interesting. Now, I will say that I've only gotten to the Third Season so I'm currently watching him try to find wife number four. He claimed to love Katherine but dismissed her and threw her out like garbage when Miss Ann Boleyn came along. He even banned both his wife and daughter from court, and went through extreme measures to try to get the marriage annulled so he could marry Ann.
When he did marry Ann secretly and finally make her queen when Katherine dies, he cheats on her. He is eager to have a son, and becomes very cold to Ann when she loses two of the babies and the only child she has is a girl, the future Queen Elizabeth. I felt bad for Mary because the King sent her to take care of Elizabeth as a baby. No wonder Mary resented her so much.
Well we all know Henry had Ann's head chopped off. I didn't really like Ann, but she didn't commit the crimes of adultery and incest that he accused her off. She did conspire with her father and brother to help control England and promote the Protestant Reformation but she didn't deserve to die. The King of England just doesn't like anyone doing anything that isn't to his liking.
Before she was even dead he was already courting Jane Seymour. I liked her. She was kind and brought out the best in the King. She was definitely the opposite of Ann. She was quiet and reserved, and knew her place in court. Unfortunately she died after giving birth to their son Edward. And now the King is trying to find wife number four.
(I think I could go on and on talking about Henry VIII)
I think one of the problems Henry VIII had was that he trusted other people more than he trusted himself. He allowed all of these people come into court who had their own agendas without for a second questioning their motives. I guess there was no vetting during that time.
I can't wait until the fourth and last season comes out on DVD so I can watch it. I'm not that interested in royalty, but Henry VIII just seems so interesting. Sometimes you feel sorry for him because hardly anyone around him can be trusted. The only person I've seen that can be trusted to truly look out for the King's best interest is his friend Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. What I like most about Charles is that he isn't afraid to confront the King on certain issues and work to get him back on the right track. He does so covertly though as to not risk banishment from court or worse.
I just don't think Henry VIII learned from his mistakes and continued to make the same ones over and over.
Now, on another note, I believe Showtime did a great job with this show. It has presented history in a very entertaining way. You don't even realize you are learning something when watching it. Also, I think the television sets are beautiful and the writing is brilliant. And I think Jonathan Rhys Meyers, in all of his sexiness, makes a great Henry VIII. I really enjoy the show.
I look forward to finishing the series and learning more about this King who is more infamous than anything. If this show is a true reflection of the King's life, he had to deal with a lot of fucking drama. However, most of it created due to the choices he made.
(There will probably be more posts concerning this time especially about the Catholic Church during that time and the protestant reformation. Maybe I'll devote a whole post just to the people he beheaded or had killed. Which was a lot. I wasn't expecting all of these people to die.)