The Tudors: History Has Never Been So Much Fun

Sex, power, and lust are perfect ingredients when making a breakthrough television series. The Tudors on Showtime combines and utilizes these elements to tantalize viewers as they are thrust into the 16th Century. A history lesson has never been so much fun.

The Tudors first aired on Sunday, April 1 at 10 p.m. on Showtime. Currently, the first two episodes of the series are available on Showtime’s website (www.sho.com). The series is written and produced by Michael Hirst with cinematography provided by Ousama Rawi. Together, Hirst and Rawi have created a perfect balance of words and images to please the viewers’ ears and eyes.

But you may ask, how is this possible? How can history be compelling and exciting? When one thinks of the reign of Henry VIII—an image of an old, fat, and excessively married man comes to mind. The Tudors proves, however, this was not the case. Rather, Henry was a fierce and provoking youth. This period in European history brought tumult and excitement at every turn as the fate of a nation relied on the hand of one ruler.

The Tudors takes viewers back to the delicious 1500s with decadent costumes and savory scenery. It is not hard to understand why King Henry VIII lusts not only for power, but the women that surround him. Within the first two episodes of the series, there has been sex, adultery, mistrust, treason, death, birth, and rivalry. It is no surprise this series has already gathered such a huge following with critics claiming it to be one of the best cable series since The Sopranos.

The dialogue in The Tudors is powerful and provocative. Hirst also recently published his book, The Tudors: It’s Good to be King. (It is currently on sale with a list price of $14.95.) Hirst’s extensive knowledge of Henry VIII provides the series with accurate historic details although The Tudors has only focused on the aristocrats and royalty of the time.

The star of the series, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, gives a commanding performance as King Henry VIII. His portrayal of Henry propels the series forward. Henry VIII is handsome, charming, and ruthless. His character easily flip-flops between passionate lover to cold husband to fearless ruler. Henry’s yearning for a male heir is one major plotline in the series thus far. It is also made clear that Henry wants to be immortalized in the pages of history.

Another character of notoriety in The Tudors is Sam Neill who plays Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Cardinal Wolsey, like Henry, always finds a way to benefit from the situation. Secondary characters in the series look to Cardinal Wolsey for guidance and support. They also have, on several occasions, asked him to handle Henry. Cardinal Wolsey also acts as Henry’s confidant and helps to conceal the illegitimate pregnancy of Elizabeth Blount. Together, Henry and Cardinal Thomas strategically plot and map out the best routes to attain power.

Maria Doyle Kennedy plays Katherine of Aragon, daughter Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Katherine originally married Arthur, Henry's brother, but he died sixth months into the marriage. In 1509, she married Henry VIII. In the series, Katherine is portrayed as strong and confidant woman and faithful wife. She wants her marriage to Henry to be a partnership and she tries to advise him in his rule during the first episode, but is reprimanded for interfering in political affairs.

Katherine of Aragon plays an integral role is in the plotline of the production of a male heir for the throne. Henry has grown impatient as each child produced by Katherine has been short lived, stillborn, or a girl. Katherine prays to the Madonna for a boy and her femininity and fragility are well-portrayed in the series.

Sir Thomas More, played by Jeremy Northam, has made brief appearances since the series began. More is known for his book, Utopia, which means “paradise.” For Henry, utopias don’t exist and he much prefers the powerful philosophy of Machiavelli’s The Prince.

Hirst has done well in foreshadowing future events in the life of Henry. Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire, played by Nick Dunning, tries to position his two daughters to win the affection of Henry VIII. His first daughter, Mary, is unsuccessful in keeping the attention of Henry. In the second episode, Sir Thomas coaxes Anne to win the attention of Henry through the sexual skills she obtained while living in France.

The character of Anne Boleyn is played by Perdita Weeks. Natalie Dormer plays Anne Boleyn who will become Henry’s second wife. Dormer plays Anne as a seductress capable of giving men, particularly Henry, anything he wants. She is physically appealing as Anne.

Throughout the first two episodes, the viewer can smell the faint scent of the events that are to come. There are mentions of Martin Luther, who will eventually pen his “100 Theses.” The viewer will also notice Henry’s ruthlessness to obtain his desires. As Hirst’s book title suggests, the character of Henry knows the power he possesses as king. He knows such power is great, but has no regard for the consequences such power has.

In the second episode, Henry proves his power by having Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (Steven Waddington) beheaded on the charge of treason—a crime that was never truly committed. This event, which coincides with the birth of Henry’s son by Elizabeth Blount illustrates to the viewer that Henry will break rules at all costs to attain what he wants.

The notion of power and fear are forever present in every decision and action Henry takes as King. This fear of higher power (in the form of religion) and his drive to obtain power will lead Henry to become King of the Church of England through the Act of Supremacy (which “legalized” his divorce from Katherine). The notion of religious ideology and philosophy is a constant source of discussion for characters in the series and will most likely continue to drive them.

The Tudors is a series that is promoted on the opposite pole of religion. Rather than promoting the series through inherently good virtues, Showtime has decided to vest its advertising campaign in what are more commonly known as the Seven Deadly Sins. This move is probably wise as the history does not label Henry VIII’s reign as virtuous or good. When entering The Tudors webpage on Sho.com, the viewer sees several of the deadly sins flash across the screen including envy, greed, gluttony, pride, and lust. These sins are the full embodiment of Henry VIII.

Thus far, there are several themes that are playing out in The Tudors. The first them is fear versus love. Henry admires the question Machiavelli brings forth in The Prince, which asks if a ruler should be feared or loved? Henry struggles with physical and emotional love because he continuously grows tired with his wife (later wives) and mistresses. The pursuit of power is less difficult for Henry, but his reckless use of it may be dangerous as his reign continues.

A second theme of masculinity versus femininity can be found in the series. The character of Henry is the ultimate portrayal of a man: thirsty for sex, war, and power. His opposite, Katherine of Aragon, is the paradigm of womanhood through her loyalty and dedication to her husband. These traits of masculinity and femininity continue to blur from character to character as the plotlines thicken in The Tudors. For example, Anne Boleyn, is the ultimate woman physically. She is beautiful and tempting, her figure is well-rounded. Her personality, on the other hand, can be conniving. She seeks to boost herself through her actions.

Finally, the theme of humanity versus mercilessness is present in The Tudors. When speaking with Sir Thomas More, Henry prides himself as being a humanist, but disagrees with More’s peaceful path because he is king and is blinded by war. The script when combined with the cinematography visualizes this theme. The beauty and softness of the Renaissance architecture and dress when contrasted with the sharp and cunning dialogue of the characters provides a drastic and powerful element in the series.

The Tudors will most definitely succeed as a cable series although it would also succeed as a network series. However, the show would lose one powerful component—nudity and sex scenes. In every aspect, The Tudors is a primetime delight with superb acting (especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Sam Neill), excellent dialogue (Michael Hirst), and tantalizing scenery (Ousama Rawi).

The fourth installment of The Tudors will air on Sunday, April 22 at 10 p.m. on Showtime. This episode is currently available on demand. With such a strong start, The Tudors will certainly have a long reign on the Showtime network. Tune in to the show, you won’t be disappointed.