Cultural depictions of Æthelred the Unready

Cultural depictions of the English king Æthelred the Unready have generally been less than flattering. Many of these portrayals are based on legendary material about the king written by later scribes such as William of Malmesbury.^[1]

Cultural references

Æthelred was the subject of a stageplay by Ronald Ribman titled The Ceremony of Innocence which was made into a film by the same name. It was first performed in 1968, and depicted interactions between Æthelred and his court, family and advisors, and also with the Danish king, Sweyn Forkbeard. Æthelred was portrayed by Richard Kiley in both play and film.

Æthelred is also referenced in Robert Asprin's 1981 comic fantasy novel "Myth Conceptions" as a fictitious author of the epigraph to Chapter 4: "If the proper preparations have been made and the necessary precautions taken, any staged event is guaranteed success" - Ethelred the Unready

Æthelred is also the subject of Richard Edward Wilson's Æthelred the Unready, a comical one-act opera composed in 1992.^[2]

He is also referenced in the Sid Meier's Civilization franchise of computer games, occupying the second lowest rank that a player may earn upon the game's completion, just above Dan Quayle.

Æthelred is also featured in the historical novel A Hollow Crown: The Story of Emma, Queen of Saxon England (2004, also published as The Forever Queen) by Helen Hollick. The protagonist is his wife Emma of Normandy. The novel opens with the wedding of 13-year-old Emma to Æthelred, a 34-year-old man with a grown son of his own. The early years of their marriage are barren, and Æthelred considers ending said marriage. He is then depicted in a "drunken fury", first killing Emma's dog, then engaging in a night of domestic violence and marital rape. Edward the Confessor is depicted as the result of that night, unloved by his own mother.^[3]

Æthelred is a recurring character in Vikings: Valhalla, portrayed by Bosco Hogan.^[4]

References

^ Bender, Brandon M. (2021). "Æthelred the Unready and William of Malmesbury: The Death of a Reputation". The Year's Work in Medievalism. 34: 32–41.
^ Kozinn, Allan (26 January 2011). "'Aethelred the Unready' at Symphony Space- Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
^ A Hollow Crown. Archived 2017-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
^ Anderson, John. "'Vikings: Valhalla' Review: Glittering Gore". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-12-24.

[1] Bender, Brandon M. (2021). "Æthelred the Unready and William of Malmesbury: The Death of a Reputation". The Year's Work in Medievalism. 34: 32–41.

[2] Kozinn, Allan (26 January 2011). "'Aethelred the Unready' at Symphony Space- Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2017.

[Gilbride-3] A Hollow Crown. Archived 2017-06-18 at the Wayback Machine

[4] Anderson, John. "'Vikings: Valhalla' Review: Glittering Gore". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-12-24.

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v t e Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs
Kingdom of the English 886–1066	Alfred the Great Edward the Elder Æthelflæd Ælfweard Athelstan the Glorious¹ Edmund the Magnificent¹ Eadred¹ Eadwig the Fair¹ Edgar the Peaceable¹ Edward the Martyr Æthelred the Unready Sweyn Forkbeard Edmund Ironside Cnut¹ Harold Harefoot Harthacnut Edward the Confessor Harold Godwinson Edgar the Ætheling
Kingdom of England 1066–1649	William I William II Henry I Stephen Matilda Henry II² Henry the Young King Richard I John² Henry III² Edward I² Edward II² Edward III² Richard II² Henry IV² Henry V² Henry VI² Edward IV² Edward V² Richard III² Henry VII² Henry VIII² Edward VI² Jane² Mary I² with Philip² Elizabeth I ² James I³ Charles I³
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1659	Oliver Cromwell⁴ Richard Cromwell⁴
Kingdom of England 1660–1707	Charles II³ James II³ William III and Mary II³ Anne³
Kingdom of Scotland 843–1707 (traditional)	Kenneth I MacAlpin Donald I Constantine I (II) Áed Giric Eochaid Donald II Constantine II (III) Malcolm I Indulf Dub Cuilén Amlaíb Kenneth II Constantine III (IV) Kenneth III Malcolm II Duncan I Macbeth Lulach Malcolm III Canmore Donald III Duncan II Donald III Edgar Alexander I David I Malcolm IV William I the Lion Alexander II Alexander III Margaret John Robert I David II Robert II Robert III James I James II James III James IV James V Mary I James VI ⁵ Charles I⁵ Charles II⁵ James VII⁵ Mary II⁵ William III⁵ Anne⁵
British monarchs after the Acts of Union 1707	Anne George I George II George III George IV William IV Victoria Edward VII George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II Charles III
¹Overlord of Britain. ²Also ruler of Ireland. ³Also ruler of Scotland and Ireland. ⁴Lord Protector. ⁵Also ruler of England and Ireland. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.