Becket and other plays

In Short

This volume gathers several stage works that grapple with historical and moral crises. From the power struggle between King Henry II and Thomas Becket to the tragic romantic entanglements of The Promise of May and The Falcon, the book examines how individuals navigate the "dark heart" of their own choices. Through verse and prose, these plays depict characters caught between their private desires and public obligations. The work endures because it captures the universal struggle to remain true to one's conscience when the world demands compromise, sacrifice, or total surrender.

The Story

The centerpiece, Becket, follows the shifting relationship between King Henry II and Thomas Becket. Initially close companions and fellow "co-kings," their bond fractures when Henry appoints Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury, expecting a loyal ally within the Church. Instead, Becket undergoes a profound spiritual transformation, embracing his new role as a defender of ecclesiastical independence. The conflict escalates as Becket refuses to bow to the King’s "customs," eventually fleeing to France for his safety. While Becket remains in exile, the King’s life becomes tangled with Rosamund de Clifford, his hidden lover, whose bower is hunted by the jealous Queen Eleanor.

The tension reaches a breaking point when Becket returns to England. Despite warnings of impending violence, he refuses to seek refuge in the crypt or the heights of the cathedral, choosing instead to meet his fate directly. In a brutal act of defiance against royal overreach, four knights confront the Archbishop in the transept, where he is ultimately slain for his refusal to absolve the King’s bishops.

The volume also includes The Falcon, a story of quiet nobility and sacrifice. Federigo, a once-wealthy Count now living in poverty, retains only his prized falcon. When his former love, Lady Giovanna, visits his cottage to ask for a gift—her ailing son desires the bird—Federigo realizes he has nothing else to offer. He sacrifices his cherished companion to provide her meal. This act of grace leads to a reconciliation, as Giovanna recognizes his enduring devotion, and they look toward a future where their past feuds might finally heal.

Finally, The Promise of May introduces Edgar, a man of cynical theories who has abandoned tradition and family duty. His past involvement with a young woman, Eva, resulted in her ruin, and he now encounters her sister, Dora. Edgar attempts to justify his past by dismissing marriage and social bonds as mere "traditions" that will eventually fade. However, when his history of manipulation is laid bare, his justifications crumble. Standing before the reality of the suffering he has caused, Edgar is left to reckon with his own baseness, ultimately falling at Dora’s feet as she rejects his attempts at atonement, choosing to let the past stand as a testament to his betrayal.

How It Unfolds

The game of power In the opening of Becket, the King and his Chancellor play chess, a metaphor for their impending clash over the Church’s authority. Their camaraderie quickly dissolves as the King insists that royal law must supersede religious jurisdiction.

The spiritual awakening Becket experiences a vision of his own martyrdom, realizing that his elevation to Archbishop is a call to fight for the Church. He accepts this burden despite knowing it will transform his friend and benefactor into his greatest enemy.

The path of vengeance Queen Eleanor and her associates track down Rosamund’s hidden bower, motivated by deep-seated hatred. This sub-plot highlights the collateral damage caused by the King’s private life and the dangerous reach of his court.

The confrontation Returning to Canterbury, Becket stands his ground against the King’s knights. He rejects the safety of the dark crypt, choosing to die in the open, which he views as a passage "thro' night to light."

The sacrifice of the heart In The Falcon, the Count’s poverty brings him to the edge of despair, yet he maintains his dignity through hospitality. His decision to kill his falcon for his guest serves as the ultimate proof of his character.

The collapse of theory In The Promise of May, Edgar’s intellectualized cynicism meets the harsh reality of the pain he has inflicted on the farm family. His elaborate justifications for his behavior fail to hold up when confronted by those he destroyed.

The People

Thomas Becket begins as a secular courtier and "feeder of dogs and hawks" who thrives in the King's favor. Once he assumes the Archbishopric, he abandons his former life, becoming a stern, unyielding defender of the Church who accepts his own death as a necessary sacrifice for his principles.

King Henry II is a man of intense, shifting passions who views the Church as a barrier to his absolute rule. He is defined by his mercurial temperament, frequently losing his temper and regretfully wishing he could reverse the damage his own authority causes.

Federigo is the embodiment of traditional courtly grace. Despite losing his fortune, he refuses to abandon his honor. His willingness to sacrifice the last thing he loves—his falcon—for the sake of the woman he once courted marks him as a man of profound, if quiet, moral stature.

Edgar is a "surface man of theories" who believes he has evolved beyond the moral constraints of society. He views marriage and family loyalty as relics of the past. His journey is one of disillusionment; he finds that his cold intellectualism cannot protect him from the weight of his own cruelty.

Dora serves as the moral center of her story. She bears the burden of her father’s decline and her sister’s ruin, yet she possesses a resilience that refuses to be bought or comforted by Edgar’s belated, empty gestures of apology.

In Its Own Voice

"I have been a lover of wines, and delicate meats, and secular splendours, and a favourer of players, and a courtier, and a feeder of dogs and hawks, and apes, and lions, and lynxes."

Becket reflects on the vanity of his former life as Chancellor before his spiritual transformation.

"The wheel of Fate has roll'd me to the top."

Synorix expresses his misguided confidence in his rise to power, unaware that his hubris is leading him into a trap.

"No, not with all your wealth, your land, your life! ... Nothing from you!"

Dora unequivocally rejects Edgar’s attempt to offer material restitution for the destruction of her family.

What It's Really About

These plays are preoccupied with the cost of integrity. Whether it is Becket defying a king or Federigo sacrificing his only possession, the characters are constantly testing the value of their convictions against the pressures of the world. The work asks whether a person can remain "the man" they are meant to be without being broken by the roles they are assigned—or the ones they choose. There is also a recurring tension between the "darkness" of human betrayal and the "light" of duty. The characters frequently find themselves in a moral wilderness, forced to decide if they will cling to their self-interest or sacrifice themselves for a larger, often painful, truth.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate classic, heightened drama will find much to admire in the rhythmic, deliberate language of these plays. The writing is formal and structured, reflecting the period’s preference for elevated speech, which may feel dense to a modern reader accustomed to naturalism. However, beneath the Victorian phrasing lie questions that remain sharp and urgent: How do we reconcile our private sins with our public reputation? What does it mean to be a martyr in an age of compromise?

Becket remains a compelling study of the friction between state and church, a theme that feels perpetually relevant. The shorter plays, such as The Falcon, offer a more intimate, melancholic look at the intersection of love and poverty. While the dialect in The Promise of May may present an initial hurdle, the play’s exploration of cynical, post-faith philosophy—where men view themselves as "beasts of prey in the dark"—is surprisingly modern in its bleakness. This book is for those who enjoy literature that asks for patience and rewards it with profound portraits of human courage, failure, and the persistent, often heavy, weight of the past. It stays with you not for its action, but for the moments when its characters stand alone, forced to look into the "gulf of never-dawning darkness" and define who they truly are.