The Pillars of the Earth | |
---|---|
Genre | Historical drama |
Based on | The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett |
Screenplay by | John Pielmeier |
Story by | Ken Follett |
Directed by | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Trevor Morris |
Country of origin | |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 8 (List of episodes) |
Production | |
Producer(s) |
|
Running time | (Episodes) 45 minutes(Full running time) 428 minutes |
Production company(s) | |
Budget | $40 million |
Release | |
Original network | |
Original release | July 23 – August 27, 2010 |
Chronology | |
Followed by | World Without End |
External links | |
Website |
The Pillars of the Earth is an eight-part 2010 TV miniseries, adapted from Ken Follett's novel of the same name. It debuted in the U.S. on Starz and in Canada on The Movie Network/Movie Central on July 23, 2010. Its UK premiere was on Channel 4 in October 2010 at 9pm. In 2011, the series was nominated for 3 Golden Globes, including Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Ian McShane for Best Actor and Hayley Atwell for Best Actress at the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
- 1Overview
- 2Cast
- 3Production
Overview[edit]
Like the novel on which it is based, the miniseries centres on the construction of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge during a tumultuous period of English history known as The Anarchy in the 12th century.
Differences from the novel[edit]
A number of character changes were made for the series. For example, Waleran is older and Remigius is younger in the series than the novel. Similarly the actors playing Alfred, Jack, Richard, and Aliena are initially older than those portrayed in the novel. Also, the characters of Henry of Blois, Andrew Sacrist, Milius the kitchener, and Thomas Becket are not introduced in the series. The incestuous fixation of Regan to her son William in episode 2 is not introduced in the novel. Further, the thief character who attacks Martha and steals their pig is merged to become the monk Johnny Eightpence.
Engineering control systems plc pdf. Instrumentation and Control. Practical Automation and Process Control using PLC’s. Practical Data Acquisition using Personal Computers and Standalone Systems. Practical On-line Analytical Instrumentation for Engineers and Technicians. Practical Flow. PDF This book is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of Control Systems Engineering, which are divided into seven chapters namely Introduction to Control Systems, Laplace. Control system alone to provide a safe operating environment. You should use external electromechanical devices, such as relays or limit switches that are independent of any electronic controlling device, such as a solid state relay or a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) output. Introduction to Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC's) Industrial Control Systems Fall 2006. Lecture – Introduction to PLC's MME 486 – Fall 2006 2 of 47 The Need for PLCs. Hardwired panels were very time consuming. Advantages of a PLC Control System Easier To Troubleshoot.
Character events were also modified on occasion. Shareburg, Ellen's lover and the father of Jack, is not hanged but burnt at the stake, and does not sing the minstrel song seen in the novel. In the TV series, Ellen is not pregnant at that time (but holds a baby) and does not use a cockerel during her curse. The romantic tryst between Ellen and Tom in the woods after the death of Agnes as per the novel does not occur, rather they become closer after Ellen states that Jack needs a master builder to apprentice to. Similarly, Alfred is not seen physically bullying Martha or Jack in the series either. The execution scene of Bartholomew (and Aliena's appeal to Stephen for mercy, and Stephen's offer of a knighthood to Richard) in episode 3 do not occur in the novel, where he simply languishes and dies alone in prison. Also, Jack does not duel Walter for the rights to the quarry as shown in episode 3, nor have his hand broken. In the novel Percy Hamleigh dies of unknown causes, whereas in episode 4 he is bled to death by his ambitious wife Regan,and the poisoning of Jack in episode 6 was added by the series.
Several plot changes also happened. For example, the body of the saint in the burning church is not saved as per the novel, but the body-less skull is lost in the inferno. Also, in the series, Tom tells Jack to sculpt a stone statue of St. Adolphus. In the novel Henry of Blois (and not Stephen) visits the cathedral work-site, and in episode 4, it is Jack (and not Richard as per the novel) who accompanies Philip to Lincoln. Episode 5's lake scene where Aliena swims and later rescues Alfred from drowning is not seen in the novel. The tales of Jack and Aliena travelling in Spain are not shown in episode 7. Further, rather than being given a weeping statue in Toledo as detailed in the novel, Jack carves one himself from wood and a rejected stone from St. Denis. Philip's loss of the priorship to Remegius, Cuthbert's assassination attempt on Jack, and William murdering Regan are also creations seen in episode 7 of the series. In the novel, Alfred dies at the hands of Richard, rather than by a poisoned knife as seen in episode 8. Similarly, Waleran falls off the cathedral and dies in the series (compared to being disgraced for his part in the murder of Thomas Becket portrayed in the novel). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Waleran and the Hamleighs are not mentioned in the novel as being present on the White Ship nor attacking the young prince and his wife. One of the most moving scenes in the novel, when Jack learns who his father was, is handled differently in the series, devoid of any drama.
Cast[edit]
- Ian McShane as Waleran Bigod
- Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder
- Matthew Macfadyen as Philip
- Eddie Redmayne as Jack
- Hayley Atwell as Aliena
- Sarah Parish as Regan Hamleigh
- Natalia Wörner as Ellen
- Anatole Taubman as Remigius
- John Pielmeier as Cuthbert
- Robert Bathurst as Percy Hamleigh
- Clive Wood as King Henry I
- Sam Claflin as Richard
- Liam Garrigan as Alfred
- David Oakes as William Hamleigh
- Götz Otto as Walter
- Tony Curran as Stephen
- Donald Sutherland as Bartholomew
- Alison Pill as Maud
- Gordon Pinsent as Archbishop
Additional cast[edit]
In alphabetical order
- Feodor Atkine as Abbot Suger
- David Bark-Jones as Francis
- Skye Bennett as Martha young
- Freddie Boath as Henry 15 years old
- Douglas Booth as Eustace 15 years old
- Matt Devere as Gloucester
- Kate Dickie as Agnes
- Ken Follett as Merchant
- Jody Halse as Johnny Eightpence
- Emily Holt as Martha older
- Sidney Johnston as Jonathan 4–5 years old
- Skye Lourie as Elizabeth
- Michael A. Mehlmann as Prior James
- Mark Phelan as Otto
- Tibor Pintér as Shareburg
- Kevin Rees as Jonathan 30 years old
- Brooke Dean as Maud - 6 years old
Production[edit]
Donald Sutherland, Hayley Atwell, Natalia Wörner, Rufus Sewell and Ken Follett
The miniseries took about a year to produce, at a cost of US$40 million.[1] The project was funded by the German production company Tandem Communications, the Canadian film company Muse Entertainment Enterprises, and the UK and U.S. based Scott Free Productions. It was filmed in Austria and Hungary in 2009.[2] The final aerial shot is of modern-day Salisbury with a CGI cathedral combining elements of Salisbury Cathedral and Wells Cathedral, to represent the complete fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral, which were the two cathedrals which inspired Follett during the writing of the novel.[3][4] The series was followed by an adaptation of the sequel World Without End in 2012.
Historical accuracy[edit]
Several ahistorical timelines of The Anarchy were modified or invented for the series, and in the view of one reviewer 'great liberties are taken with the actual history'.[5] For example, the birth of Henry II and the death of his grandfather Henry I timelines are shortened in episode 1, given that young Henry was born in March 1133, and the older Henry died in December 1135. Further, geographically, Henry II was living in Maine when Henry I fell ill in Normandy while hunting. Similarly in episode 4, both King Stephen and Robert of Gloucester are captured at the Battle of Lincoln. While it is accurate that Stephen was captured in Lincoln in early February 1141 (and later imprisoned in Bristol), Gloucester was not captured until more than seven months later in the Rout of Winchester in mid-September.
Similarly, other historical characters were given premature deaths. For example, the nameless Archbishop of Canterbury seen in episodes 1-6 (historically Theobald of Bec) was not murdered, but served throughout the period of The Anarchy from 1138-1161, and he died after a long illness. Similarly Maud's illegitimate half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, did not die nor was beheaded on the battlefield as shown in episode 7. Rather he died in 1147 at Bristol Castle, where he had previously imprisoned King Stephen. Finally, while Eustace does precede his father Stephen in death, it was not at the hands of his cousin Henry in battle as shown in episode 8, but probably due to a fit or seizure.
Broadcast[edit]
The premiere was simulcast on both Starz and Encore. On Starz 423,000 people watched, and on Encore 267,000 people watched, for a total of 690,000 total viewers.[6] In the Starz broadcast, episodes 1 and 2, as a series premiere, and episodes 7 and 8, as a series finale, were broadcast together as a single episode. In the 2011 broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the series was re-cut into nine episodes. In December 2012, the series was shown in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in four parts at weekly intervals, combining pairs of episodes each with a single introduction.
Episodes[edit]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 'Anarchy' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | July 23, 2010 | 0.690[6] | |
The succession to the crown of England is left in doubt after the heir apparent to the throne dies in the White Ship disaster in 1120. Eighteen years later, in 1138, this lack of heir causes Henry I's daughter, Maud, and nephew, Stephen, to compete for the throne. Church politics see Philip, a monk, elected as the new prior of Kingsbridge, which leaves him indebted to Archdeacon, and soon to be Bishop, Waleran. Lady Aliena of Shiring rejects the marriage proposal of William Hamleigh, and Tom Builder and his family are left destitute when William Hamleigh dismisses them from building his house. While in the forest, they meet Ellen and Jack, a mother and son living free in the woods. After the death of Tom's wife, Agnes, in childbirth, and the abandoning of the newborn, the group end up at Shiring Castle just as it is attacked by the ever ambitious Hamleighs. | ||||||
2 | 'Master Builder' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | July 23, 2010 | 0.690[6] | |
Tom, Ellen, and the children make their way to Kingsbridge Priory and encounter Tom's abandoned baby taken in by the monks. A fire started by Jack destroys Kingsbridge church and its holy relic, giving Tom, his son Alfred, and stepson Jack the chance to settle down and build a new cathedral. Prior Philip learns the power of politics when he gets caught between Bishop Waleran and the Hamleighs' machinations for Shiring Castle. Kingsbridge is rocked by Alfred's accusation of Ellen being a witch, and a trial that Waleran personally oversees. William and his underling, Walter, ambush Aliena and Richard in a brutal attack at Shiring that leaves both siblings scarred. Williams forces himself on Aliena and, as Williams rips off her dress, rapes her. Aliena makes a life-long promise to her father, Earl Bartholomew to regain the family honour, and Ellen makes a daring escape. | ||||||
3 | 'Redemption' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | July 30, 2010 | 0.298[7] | |
In Winchester, Aliena fears that she is pregnant with William's child. They appeal to the king for clemency for her father, but Bartholomew is beheaded publicly anyway, and Richard is offered a knighthood. Aliena then starts a fleece middleman business to help earn money for Richard's expenses. Tom, Philip and William find themselves in a standoff over access to the Shiring quarry, and Jack is injured in a duel with Walter. Waleran and Regan plot to have the cathedral moved from Kingsbridge to Shiring, and invite the king to Kingsbridge to observe the feast day of St. Adolphus. Despite his injury, Jack's artistic talents take hold as he carves and paints a statue to honour the cathedral's patron saint. After Philip recruits peasants to assist with building, King Stephen visits the cathedral work site but collapses in a nightmare-induced fit before the statue. | ||||||
4 | 'Battlefield' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | August 6, 2010 | 0.361[8] | |
In 1141, in Shiring, Regan hastens her husband's death for the sake of her son, and arranges to have Waleran absolve William of all past and future sins. Meanwhile, Maud is besieged at Lincoln Castle, and it is unclear when Robert of Gloucester can come to her aid. King Stephen holds court in Winchester, and William applies to have his father's title transferred to him, only to learn that Richard, now a battle-hardened knight, is also a claimant. Aliena, now a wealthy merchant, is in town to support her brother. Later, Philip travels to Lincoln to reclaim quarry rights - but Stephen is frightened by Jack's appearance and orders his death. The battle between Stephen and Gloucester sees each side's leader being taken hostage. The Hamleighs and Waleran switch allegiance, and Philip is tortured under Waleran's orders. | ||||||
5 | 'Legacy' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | August 13, 2010 | 0.364[9] | |
Philip is rescued by his brother Francis, and finds Jack 'risen from the dead'. Waleran and Regan manipulate the prisoner exchange so that they remain on the winning side of the war, and Waleran helps Gloucester by suggesting a replacement for the king's son, Eustace. The Hamleighs and Philip are offered terms by Maud to Shiring's estate and resources, but at a steep price. Tom wants Jack and Alfred to be friends, but Alfred's jealousy over Jack and inheriting his father's tools is too intense, and he smashes all of Jack's gargoyles. To resolve the tension, Jack is offered an assistant and overseer position by Philip, on the condition that he takes the vows of a monk - he accepts the deal against Ellen's wishes. Meanwhile, William is encouraged by Waleran to attack Kingsbridge and stop the fleece fair. In the ensuing chaos and inferno, Aliena is burnt and Tom is murdered by William. | ||||||
6 | 'Witchcraft' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | August 20, 2010 | 0.432[10] | |
The dead from William's raid are buried, and Richard returns from war to find his sister penniless and unable to support his knighthood. Alfred offers himself to Prior Philip as master builder, and also to Richard as sponsor, and Aliena has to choose between her feelings for Jack and her oath to her father. Both Alfred and William marry, although both brides are soon victims of cruelty. Ellen, having cursed the marriage, helps Jack escape the priory, and he leaves for France. Regan murders the Archbishop, and eight months later, forces Waleran to intercede about William's long-delayed earldom. The ceiling disaster at Kingsbridge becomes a way for Waleran to replace Philip. In the rubble, Aliena gives birth to Jack's son and is thrown out by Alfred, but Ellen encourages her to seek her lover. Meanwhile, Jack admires the revolutionary Gothic work being done at the Basilica of St Denis. | ||||||
7 | 'New Beginnings' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | August 27, 2010 | 0.607[11] | |
It is 1146, and after his time in St. Denis, Jack learns how to fulfil Tom's dream of a high cathedral filled with light. Aliena successfully tracks Jack in France and the two reunite. As they return, they arrive in Cherbourg where he learns of his father (with author Ken Follett in a cameo role) and meets his family. Meanwhile, Waleran offers Philip the archdeacon position but he declines it due to Waleran's ambitions. In battle, Richard slays Gloucester, pleasing the king, who can only repay him by asking that he to go on crusade. With the arrival of Jack's weeping statue, Kingsbridge becomes prosperous again, infuriating Regan and William, who plan another attack. Tipped off by Elizabeth, however, Philip is able to rally resistance from the townsfolk who unite to build a town wall. Philip regains control after Cuthbert dies in a failed attempt on Jack's life, and William tires of his mother's insatiable control over him. | ||||||
8 | 'The Work of Angels' | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | John Pielmeier | August 27, 2010 | 0.607[11] | |
Ten years later, in 1156, Richard returns from crusade seeking again his title, which is finally granted to him by Eustace. With the support of Elizabeth and Aliena, he is able to reclaim Shiring Castle after a duel with Walter. Meanwhile, Jack's fixation with the cathedral and the appearance of cracks in its roof leads to tension with Aliena. Waleran's continued scheming leads to the death of Alfred and the arrest of Jack by the newly appointed Sheriff, William. Stephen's hopes are shattered with the death of his son in battle. At Jack's trial, Ellen produces Shareburg's letter, and Martha produces his ring, as evidence of Waleran's complicity in the murder of Prince William on the White Ship. In the chaos of the trial, both William and Waleran die, and Jack and Aliena finally marry. 14 years later, in 1170, the cathedral and its glass windows are finally finished. |
Reception[edit]
The series was 'Certified Fresh' with a rating of 86% by the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. As quoted on their website, 'With its talented cast and strong production values, Pillars of the Earth is the kind of satisfying, eventful miniseries that is rarely seen these days.' [12]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Year | Association | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for (one Hour) for the episode 'The Work of Angels' | Marcel Pothier Christian Rivest Dominik Pagacz Guy Pelletier Antoine Morin Tom Trafalski Guy Francoeur | Won | [13] |
2011 | Gemini Awards | Outstanding Sound for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for (one Hour) for the episode 'The Work of Angels' | Marcel Pothier Christian Rivest Dominik Pagacz Guy Pelletier Antoine Morin Tom Trafalski Guy Francoeur | Won | [14] |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Chozick, Amy (July 23, 2010). 'Small Screens, Big Budgets'. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^'The Pillars of the Earth - Muse Entertainment'. Muse. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^'Ken Follett: Is Kingsbridge real?'. Ken Follett. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
- ^'Ken Follett on the Cathedrals in The Pillars of the Earth'. Oprah.com. May 3, 2010.
- ^The Pillars of the Earth – A Few Final Words [1] Retrieved 2016-09-25
- ^ abcSeidman, Robert (July 26, 2010). 'Starz 'The Pillars of the Earth Draws 690,000 For Premiere Between Starz & Encore'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^Seidman, Bill (August 2, 2010). 'Friday Cable: Huge Night for iCarly + Eureka, Haven, The Pillars of the Earth & More'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^Seidman, Robert (August 9, 2010). 'Friday Cable: Phineas and Ferb + Eureka, Haven, The Pillars of the Earth & More'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^Seidman, Robert (August 16, 2010). 'Friday Cable: Den Brother + Eureka, Haven, The Pillars of the Earth & More'. TV but the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^Seidman, Robert (August 23, 2010). 'Friday Cable: Eureka Down a Bit; Suite Life on Deck Draws Over 4 Million & More'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ abSeidman, Robert (August 30, 2010). ''Pillars of the Earth Finishes on a High Note'. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^PILLARS OF THE EARTH (2010 - 2010) https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pillars-of-the-earth/ Retrieved 2016-09-26
- ^'Person of Interest'. Emmys.com. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^. Academy.ca http://www.emmys.com/shows/. Retrieved September 7, 2011.Missing or empty
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External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Pillars of the Earth (miniseries) |
- The Pillars of the Earth on IMDb
- The Pillars of the Earth at TV.com
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Pillars_of_the_Earth_(miniseries)&oldid=897052729'
5th lord in the 11th house natal chart. This app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices.
Description
Please note: This app requires iPhone 6s or better, iPad Air 2 or better or iPad Mini 4 or better. Older devices are not supported.
Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ retells the story of the village of Kingsbridge in a whole new interactive way. Play as Jack, Aliena and Philip and change the events of the book through exploration, decision-making and dialogues. This interactive novel is released in three 'books', containing 7 chapters each.
12th century, England: In a time of great poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and security for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Philip the monk becomes prior of the small abbey of Kingsbridge. At the same time, a boy called Jack is raised in the woods by his outlawed mother. His apprenticeship as a stonemason paves his way to become a gifted master builder. Together with the disgraced noblewoman Aliena, Jack and Philip begin the construction of one of the greatest cathedrals England will ever see.
Features:
- One of the most successful novels of all time
- Change events from the novel and influence the fates of its characters
- Follow an epic of war, conspiracies and romance spanning over 30 years
- Three different playable characters: Jack the outsider, Aliena the noblewoman and Philip the monk
- Brings the 12th century to life with over 200 handpainted backgrounds
- Fully animated in a unique 2D style
- Orchestral Soundtrack by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague
- With a special appearance by Ken Follett as the voice of the Cantor
Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ retells the story of the village of Kingsbridge in a whole new interactive way. Play as Jack, Aliena and Philip and change the events of the book through exploration, decision-making and dialogues. This interactive novel is released in three 'books', containing 7 chapters each.
12th century, England: In a time of great poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and security for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Philip the monk becomes prior of the small abbey of Kingsbridge. At the same time, a boy called Jack is raised in the woods by his outlawed mother. His apprenticeship as a stonemason paves his way to become a gifted master builder. Together with the disgraced noblewoman Aliena, Jack and Philip begin the construction of one of the greatest cathedrals England will ever see.
Features:
- One of the most successful novels of all time
- Change events from the novel and influence the fates of its characters
- Follow an epic of war, conspiracies and romance spanning over 30 years
- Three different playable characters: Jack the outsider, Aliena the noblewoman and Philip the monk
- Brings the 12th century to life with over 200 handpainted backgrounds
- Fully animated in a unique 2D style
- Orchestral Soundtrack by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague
- With a special appearance by Ken Follett as the voice of the Cantor
What’s New
Added technical iPhone X support
Added Metal 2 API support
Added menu link to privacy policy
Fixed interface problems with returning to a suspend app
Fixed video pausing behaviour
Fixed crashes with paused videos
Added Metal 2 API support
Added menu link to privacy policy
Fixed interface problems with returning to a suspend app
Fixed video pausing behaviour
Fixed crashes with paused videos
47 Ratings
Sets a very high standard in the gaming world!
This is an amazing game. It felt like I was in the story, making history. I had NO glitches whatsoever. Very easy controls. I played on iPad Pro had lots of room on device. The controls are simple enough for a small child to use. I look forward to the next chapters and may play it again as it was that good. It would be the first game that I ever replayed a game in 30 some years. I recommend it to those who enjoy a good adventure game and a good story plus amazing sound and art work. Be prepared to not want to stop though and it’s not a two hour game. Impressive in every way! Can’t imagine how it’s not a 5 star rating or higher! I will watch for more games by this developer. My review although I sent it never viewed in reviews I am resending it before contacting the store. What’s up with that? I’ve never had this problem before. Waiting for the next chapters!
Totally worth it!
I first got the game for my PC and I love it, though I have not completed the game yet. So once I saw it was available on the App Store I got excited and bought it. I am not disappointed, it’s great export and I get to play the game on the go. My only problems are that at times the audio can randomly cut out and I will have to restart the game, I’m having problems with touch controls, I don’t mean they sometimes don’t work, I actually can’t click anything. Maybe I can figure out the issue. And at times I’m also having problems with saves. The saves are sometimes not working and take me to a black screen with some random questionable audio. Over all I’m satisfied and I can’t wait until the next part comes out on the App Store!
Amazing
I don’t know what the other reviewers are talking about. I played the whole game, no issues with controls. There’s a tutorial at the very beginning to teach how to navigate. It’s not complicated. The puzzles are a lot of fun, but you’re not spending 30 minutes trying to figure them out. The music is really pretty, the art is nice, the characters are really loveable. Your choices actually make a difference in the storyline. You could easily replay it again and again. You can save at any point and have a lot of save slots. So as long as you save, you can go back to whichever part you want to replay.
Information
Requires iOS 9.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish
Pillars Of The Earth Trilogy
Game Center
Challenge friends and check leaderboards and achievements. Where to find black soul gems in skyrim.Family Sharing
With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.
Screenshots
Description
Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ retells the story of the village of Kingsbridge in a whole new interactive way. Play as Jack, Aliena and Philip and change the events of the book through exploration, decision-making and dialogues. This interactive novel is released in three 'books', containing 7 chapters each. This season pass includes access to all three books, which will be automatically will be available as downloadable updates soon.
12th century, England: In a time of great poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and security for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Philip the monk becomes prior of the small abbey of Kingsbridge. At the same time, a boy called Jack is raised in the woods by his outlawed mother. His apprenticeship as a stonemason paves his way to become a gifted master builder. Together with the disgraced noblewoman Aliena, Jack and Philip begin the construction of one of the greatest cathedrals England will ever see.
A full season of content spanning over 3 parts:
Book 1: From the Ashes (available now)
Book 2: Sowing the Wind (available now)
Book 3: The Eye of the Storm (available now)
Features:
- One of the most successful novels of all time, now adapted as a three-part videogame series
- Change events from the novel and influence the fates of its characters
- Follow an epic of war, conspiracies and romance spanning over 30 years
- Three different playable characters: Jack the outsider, Aliena the noblewoman and Philip the monk
- Brings the 12th century to life with over 200 handpainted backgrounds
- Fully animated in a unique 2D style
- Orchestral Soundtrack by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague
- Full voice over in English and German, featuring Glen McCready as Philip, Naomi Sheldon as Aliena and Cody Molko and Alex Jordan as the young and adult Jack
- With a special appearance by Ken Follett as the voice of the Cantor
Recommended:
OS: Mac OSX 10.12
Processor: 2,9 Ghz Intel Core i5
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with at least 1GB
Storage: 11 GB available space
Sound Card: 16 bit
12th century, England: In a time of great poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and security for its people. In their struggle to survive, lives and destinies intertwine. Philip the monk becomes prior of the small abbey of Kingsbridge. At the same time, a boy called Jack is raised in the woods by his outlawed mother. His apprenticeship as a stonemason paves his way to become a gifted master builder. Together with the disgraced noblewoman Aliena, Jack and Philip begin the construction of one of the greatest cathedrals England will ever see.
A full season of content spanning over 3 parts:
Book 1: From the Ashes (available now)
Book 2: Sowing the Wind (available now)
Book 3: The Eye of the Storm (available now)
Features:
- One of the most successful novels of all time, now adapted as a three-part videogame series
- Change events from the novel and influence the fates of its characters
- Follow an epic of war, conspiracies and romance spanning over 30 years
- Three different playable characters: Jack the outsider, Aliena the noblewoman and Philip the monk
- Brings the 12th century to life with over 200 handpainted backgrounds
- Fully animated in a unique 2D style
- Orchestral Soundtrack by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague
- Full voice over in English and German, featuring Glen McCready as Philip, Naomi Sheldon as Aliena and Cody Molko and Alex Jordan as the young and adult Jack
- With a special appearance by Ken Follett as the voice of the Cantor
Recommended:
OS: Mac OSX 10.12
Processor: 2,9 Ghz Intel Core i5
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with at least 1GB
Storage: 11 GB available space
Sound Card: 16 bit
What’s New
Ratings and Reviews
5 Ratings
Gorgeous Artwork
I’ve read the book and watched the mini-series. While the book is, of course, the best version of this story, it’s fun to play it out here. And the artwork is beautiful, and honors the artwork in the opening credits of the mini-series. Another reviewer said the game was too similar to 1990s games, but I enjoyed that retro feel, myself. It was more money than I typically would have spent on a game but I believe in supporting authors I like and their projects. Ken Follett is an amazing author, so I’m happy to pay the premium to show my support for his work.
Spurned Interest in Book
I had never even heard of this series before playing the game. I thought it was very enjoyable and it made me go out and buy the book because I was intrigued by the plot
Not so Good
Ken Follett's The Pillars Of The Earth Ps4
The book is wonderful however, this game is slow, boring, and has the feel of a game produced in the early 1990’s. It reminds me of the Kings Quest series. I suggest you read the book, it is far more exciting and engaging.
Information
OS X 10.11 or later, 64-bit processor
English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish
Family Sharing
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Author | Ken Follett |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 1989 |
Media type | |
Pages | 806 |
ISBN | 978-0333519837 |
Followed by | World Without End |
The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket. The book traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romanesque architecture, and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory and village against the backdrop of historical events of the time.
Before this novel was published, Follett was known for writing in the thriller genre. The Pillars of the Earth became his best-selling work which was later made into an 8-part miniseries in 2010. The book was listed at no. 33 on the BBC's Big Read, a 2003 survey with the goal of finding the 'nation's best-loved book'.[1] The book was selected in the United States for Oprah's Book Club in 2007. It is the first book in the Kingsbridge Series - the others being a sequel, set 150 years later, entitled World Without End (2007),[2] and A Column of Fire (2017) set in Elizabethan England.
- 2Plot
- 3Characters
- 6Adaptations
Pillars Of The Earth Game Ps4
Background[edit]
In the 1999 preface to The Pillars of the Earth, Follett tells readers that he grew up in a Puritan-based family, whose worship space was very spare. In preparing for writing, he was reading about medieval architecture, and:
- .. developed an interest in cathedrals. Before too long, it occurred to me to channel this enthusiasm into a novel. I knew it had to be a long book. It took at least thirty years to build a cathedral and most took longer because they would run out of money, or be attacked or invaded. So the story covers the entire lives of the main characters. My publishers were a little nervous about such a very unlikely subject but, paradoxically, it is my most popular book. It's also the book I'm most proud of. It recreates, quite vividly, the entire life of the village and the people who live there. You feel you know the place and the people as intimately as if you yourself were living there in the Middle Ages.[3]
The novel's Kingsbridge is fictional. Follett set it in Marlborough, Wiltshire; he chose that location because the cathedrals of Winchester, Gloucester, and Salisbury could be reached from there within a few days on horseback. Kingsbridge Cathedral as described is based on the cathedrals of Wells and Salisbury.[4] The Preface includes the following sources: An Outline of European Architecture, by Nikolaus Pevsner, The Cathedral Builders, by Jean Gimpel, and The Medieval Machine, by Jean Gimpel.
Plot[edit]
Setting[edit]
The sinking of the White Ship leaves King Henry I of England without a clear heir, and The Anarchy begins upon his death. Henry's nephew Stephen of Blois and Henry's daughter Maud fight for the throne. Ambitious nobles and churchmen take sides, hoping to gain advantages. The novel, which is divided into six sections plus a prologue, explores themes of intrigue and conspiracy against historical events. It explores the development of medieval architecture, the civil war, secular/religious conflicts, and shifting political loyalties.
Prologue (1123)[edit]
A red-headed man is hanged for theft after being condemned by a priest, a knight, and a monk. His pregnant lover curses the men who condemned him, declaring that their children will be hanged, their enemies will prosper, and that they will live the rest of their lives with regret and sorrow.
Part One (1135–1136)[edit]
Circumstances leave mason Tom Builder and his family destitute and starving. After his pregnant wife Agnes dies in childbirth, Tom abandons his newborn by his wife's grave in the snowy woods, having no way to feed the infant. He later has a change of heart and returns, but finds the baby missing. After meeting up with an outlaw named Ellen and her son Jack, whom they had first met earlier, the group discover that Tom's infant has been taken to a monastery cell belonging to the Kingsbridge Priory. Knowing that he will be charged with abandonment if he says the baby is his, and confident that the monks will be able to look after him, Tom decides to leave the infant to the monastery. After several unsuccessful attempts to find work, Tom convinces Bartholomew, Earl of Shiring, to hire him to repair the walls of the Earl's castle.
Philip, the leader of the cell, is visited by his brother Francis, a priest, who warns him of a plot by Earl of Shiring Bartholomew and the Earl of Gloucestershire against King Stephen. Philip tells Waleran Bigod, the ambitious archdeacon to the Bishop of Kingsbridge, of the plot, and travels to Kingsbridge Priory where the previous manager, Prior James, has died only a few days before. Waleran promises to make Philip the bishop's nomination for prior, practically guaranteeing Philip's election, in return for Philip's support to later make Waleran bishop though Waleran conceals that the bishop is also already dead. Philip agrees as the priory has become financially and spiritually destitute under Prior James, and he believes he can correct that. He wins, making enemies of the rivals for the post, in particular the sub-prior Remigius. Tom's infant, now named Jonathan, is sent to live with Philip at the priory.
Unsure of the validity of Philip's words, Waleran goes to the Hamleighs, a noble family who have been enemies of the Earl of Shiring ever since the earl's daughter, Aliena, rejected a marriage with William, the only son of the Hamleighs. Seeing this as an excuse for them to take their revenge, the Hamleighs take Bartholomew's castle and arrest the earl, forcing Tom and Ellen, now lovers, and their children into homelessness once again. They eventually settle in Kingsbridge, Tom hoping to get a job rebuilding the cathedral there. The family sees Jonathan during this time, although only Tom and Ellen know that he is Tom's son. To ensure that Tom will have work, Jack burns down the old Romanesque cathedral, telling no one else of his actions. After some convincing, Philip hires Tom to build the new cathedral.
Tom's strong son Alfred physically bullies smaller and weaker Jack through repeated acts of battery which creates friction with Ellen as Tom sees no fault in his son and never disciplines him. Brother Remigius, who is opposed to Philip as prior, charges Ellen and Tom with fornication. Waleran, who was cursed by the woman at the hanging, orders Ellen to live apart from Tom. Outraged by Tom's willingness to accept this, Ellen returns to the forest with Jack.
Part Two (1136–1137)[edit]
Philip and Waleran go to King Stephen in the hope of convincing him to give Bartholomew's estates, including a huge limestone quarry, to the church, so that they can be used to pay for the new cathedral's construction. Initially believing that Waleran will be loyal to him as a fellow cleric, Philip learns from the Hamleighs that Waleran intends to use the earldom solely to boost his own position. Realising that the Hamleighs are trying to divide him and Waleran so that they can take the earldom for themselves, Philip secretly conspires with the Hamleighs. They agree that Kingsbridge Priory will be given the quarry and some other lands with the rest of Shiring going to the Hamleighs, but the Hamleighs betray this deal and are given ownership of the quarry with Philip getting rights to, not ownership of, the stone. Furious at being foiled, Waleran vows to never let Philip build his cathedral.
Finding her still living in Shiring Castle, William attacks Aliena and her brother Richard. He mutilates the boy to coerce Aliena into not resisting as he rapes her brutally, leaving Aliena traumatized. Homeless and destitute, Aliena and Richard travel to Winchester in the hope of receiving compensation from the king, and visit Bartholomew, now dying in prison. The former earl demands they swear an oath to work to regain the earldom. Aliena supports Richard financially by becoming a wealthy wool merchant (by, as described in the book, the hitherto unheard of act of buying wool from the farmers on their farms and selling it at market rather than the farmers having to travel to market themselves, saving them time and effort) with the help of Philip, who agrees to buy her wool at a fair price when other merchants refuse to do so, and the two siblings settle in Kingsbridge.
The Hamleighs attempt to barricade the quarry against the priory, but Philip foils them by having his quarrymen travel there under the protection of the monks. The Hamleighs' men at arms retreat, fearing damnation if they do violence to the churchmen, leaving the quarry available for Philip's use. In retaliation, the Hamleighs work with Waleran to try to have the cathedral moved to Shiring, thus depriving Philip of the properties tied to it, by claiming that Kingsbridge lacks the resources and manpower to build a cathedral. At the advice of his allies, Philip calls across the county for volunteers to work on the cathedral as penance for their sins. On the day of an inspection by Bishop Henry of Blois that Waleran had arranged, they arrive en masse, and Henry is convinced to not move the cathedral.
Part Three (1140–1142)[edit]
William's father, Percy Hamleigh, passes away, and William learns that the earldom will either go to him or Richard, now a knight, since they are both sons of an Earl of Shiring. In order to restore his fortunes so that he can raise an army with which to impress King Stephen, William leads an attack on the quarry, which the Hamleighs had unsuccessfully attempted to barricade against Philip, killing and expelling the priory's quarrymen. Philip travels to Lincoln to attempt to persuade King Stephen to redress this outrage, but is interrupted by the Battle of Lincoln, where the king is captured by Robert of Gloucester. Philip is also captured by Robert's forces but is released by his brother Francis, who is chaplain to Robert. Francis gets Philip an audience with the Empress Maud, who grants him a license for a market at Kingsbridge, while William Hamleigh, who has switched sides from Stephen to Maud, is granted sole right to the disputed quarry. Philip, despite the quarry being thus denied him, still manages to pay for stone for his cathedral using the revenues from the market.
Tom befriends Prior Philip and, when Ellen returns, he persuades Philip to allow them to marry. After some time, Alfred proposes to Aliena, but she turns him down, she also strikes up a friendship with Jack, with whom she falls in love, now working as an apprentice mason at Tom's suggestion, but she shuns him after Alfred catches the two of them kissing, being reminded of WIlliam's attack on her. The two stepbrothers continue to be at odds, and Alfred later claims that Jack's father was hanged for thieving, starting a fight that leads to damage and a loss of construction materials. Jack is expelled from the cathedral construction, but Philip contrives a new construction overseer position for Jack that he can have, on the condition that he becomes a monk. Jack reluctantly agrees to this, in order to stay in Kingsbridge. Later on, Ellen claims that Jack's father was innocent.
William proves a hapless and merciless lord who mishandles the earldom financially and routinely rapes any peasant women he wishes. Attempting to restore his fortunes, William leads an attack that burns down Kingsbridge and kills many people including Tom Builder. In the chaos, Aliena's entire stock of wool, in which she had invested all her money, is destroyed in the fire.
Part Four (1142–1145)[edit]
After losing her fortune again, Aliena agrees to marry Alfred if he supports Richard. Jack, who has been confined for continued infringements (largely fraternizing with Aliena) breaks his confinement in an attempt to talk to her, but is ultimately locked in the obedience room of the monastery. The next morning, Ellen breaks into the room, revealing that Jack's father had once been imprisoned there after he was framed for theft by three men. Freed by his mother, Jack and Aliena make love on the morning of her wedding, and he tries to convince her to leave Kingsbridge with him, but she refuses to do anything that would require her to break her vow to support Richard. Jack attempts to persuade Alfred to call off the marriage, but discovers that Alfred plans to marry her solely to keep her from Jack, and intends to mistreat her to further spite him. Ellen curses the wedding, seemingly leaving Alfred impotent, and he and Aliena never consummate their marriage. Jack leaves Kingsbridge to find out about his father.
After years of putting off the decision following the death of Earl Percy Hamleigh, Stephen finally gives the earldom to William. Alfred persuades Philip to replace the wooden roof of the cathedral with a stone vault, but fails to reinforce the structure at the higher levels. This causes the cathedral to collapse during a service, killing many people. Aliena gives birth to a red-headed son, and Alfred abandons her, having realised that the child is Jack's. On Ellen's advice, Aliena leaves with her son to find Jack, and follows evidence of Jack's sculpture through France, finding him in Paris, where they reconcile. Jack helps to calm a riot at a nearby cathedral using the 'Weeping Madonna', a wooden statue of a woman he was given by a spice merchant he befriended that appears to weep when taken from a hot place to a cold place. The statue is viewed as a miracle, which Jack leverages for financial support to rebuild the cathedral in Kingsbridge.
As he travels home, Jack makes his way to Cherbourg where he is mistaken for the ghost of his father, Jacques Cherbourg, before meeting his grandmother and other relatives, who reveal that Jacques had supposedly died in the sinking of the White Ship, of which he was a passenger. Returning to Kingsbridge, Jack convinces Philip and the clergy to make him the cathedral's new master-builder, drawing up a new design for the cathedral based on his observations in France and Spain. His relationship with Aliena is discovered by the monks during the negotiations, and Philip orders them apart until Aliena's marriage to Alfred is annulled.
Wanting more information on his father, Jack questions Ellen, who has continuously kept the truth from him out of fear that he would devote himself to a life of revenge against those responsible for his father's death. She implies that the White Ship was sunk deliberately, reveals that the three men who framed Jacques Cherbourg were Percy Hamleigh, Waleran Bigod, and Prior James. After Jack visits Waleran to seek confirmation of Ellen's words, William, jealous of Jack's relationship with Aliena, convinces Waleran to let him attack Kingsbridge again, in order to kill Jack in a way that would avoid drawing attention to his accusations. Richard overhears fighters discussing the attack in another town, and his warning allows the villagers to build a set of town walls and earthen ramparts in about two days, thanks to the expertise of Jack. Fighting from the walls, the townspeople kill many of the attackers and repel William's attack, while making it impossible for him to raid Kingsbridge again. As revenge, William asks Waleran to block Alfred and Aliena's annulment. Though disheartened, Jack and Aliena agree to stay together, living separately until the day they can marry.
Part Five (1152-1155)[edit]
Many years of famine pass, which are further exacerbated by William's poor leadership. Alfred has left Kingsbridge for Shiring, but following a downturn in business he returns to Kingsbridge and begs for a job from Jack. William's mother dies, and after he forgets to summon the priest to give her her last rites, the guilt-stricken William is persuaded by Waleran to build a cathedral in Shiring for the sake of his mother's soul. They are later aided by Alfred, who brings all of the Kingsbridge workmen to Shiring in return for being in charge of the cathedral's construction, after Philip is unable to keep paying them.
Inspired by Aliena, Richard organises the starving peasants who have turned to outlawry into a militia, and goes to war with William, robbing him on multiple occasions. William learns of the location of Richard's forces from Remigius, in return for making the monk the head of Shiring's future chapter, and plans an overwhelming attack to kill all the rebels. When he arrives, he learns from Ellen that Richard's men have left to join the forces of Maud's son, the future Henry II of England, who has invaded the country on the advice of Francis.
Eventually, Stephen agrees to have Henry succeed him. Philip learns that as part of their deal, all properties will revert to the owners who held them prior to Stephen's reign, thus making Richard the official earl, but Stephen will not have to force the handovers, meaning that Richard might not gain the earldom until Stephen's death. With the help of William's young wife, who loathes William, Aliena is able to allow Richard to capture the earldom's castle before Henry and Stephen's treaty can be made official and the King's Peace restored. William returns to the village of Hamleigh, and Waleran proposes to sell him the position of sheriff of Shiring so that he can oppose Richard and keep funding the cathedral. Remigius is abandoned by the two of them during this time, but Philip forgives him for his treachery and allows him to return to the priory.
Richard refuses to grant the priory access to the quarry, on the basis that it was once part of the earldom. After Aliena calls him out for his ingratitude towards Philip, she is attacked and nearly raped by Alfred, who is out of work again after Shiring Cathedral is abandoned. Richard arrives and kills Alfred in the ensuing fight. Seeing a chance to regain the earldom, William obtains a warrant to arrest Richard for murder on the king's behalf. Realising that Richard has no chance of a fair trial due to the attitudes towards marital rape of the time period and the hostility of both William and Stephen towards him, Philip proposes that Richard, who is more suited to be a soldier than an earl, fight in the Crusades as penance for killing Alfred; William would be unable to arrest him, and Aliena would be allowed to look after her brother's lands, therefore giving the earldom both a competent ruler and one willing to co-operate with the priory. Aliena and Jack marry within the new cathedral.
Part Six (1170-1174)[edit]
After many years, Kingsbridge cathedral is completed. Waleran still seeks to ruin Philip, and accuses him of fornication by claiming that Jonathan, now a well liked and committed monk, is Philip's son. With Philip's conviction certain due to a lack of evidence proving his innocence, Jack and Jonathan attempt to figure out the identity of the latter's father, both being unaware that he is Tom's son. They discover the truth when Jonathan recalls that he had been found near the monastery cell that Philip once ran, a fact that had previously been unknown to Jack, who then remembers seeing the baby Jonathan lying on his mother's grave. The two of them manage to convince Ellen, who has remained bitter towards Philip for his role in splitting up her and Tom, to testify on his behalf.
At Philip's trial, Ellen's testimony saves him from being convicted. Regardless, Waleran accuses Ellen of perjury, and she exposes his own perjury in the framing of Jacques Cherbourg, revealing that Waleran and the others had been bribed to dispose of him. Remigius confirms her testimony, having heard Prior James confess to his perjury shortly before the latter's death. He explains that James's misrule of the Priory had been the result of the guilt he felt for his part in the conspiracy, and admits that he had sought to become Prior to repair the damage, before admitting that Philip was better suited for the task. Waleran ultimately loses his position as bishop of Kingsbridge as a result of the revelations.
Later on, William and Waleran become involved with the plot to assassinate Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in order to protect their now crumbling positions of power. William leads the attack, and despite the efforts of Philip, who had traveled to Canterbury to meet with Becket, the archbishop is brutally murdered. Upon seeing the distraught congregation, Philip is inspired to treat Becket's death as a martyrdom, and urges the assembled people to spread word of the murder across Christendom. With King Henry refusing to defend Becket's killers, William is subsequently convicted of sacrilege by the efforts of both Philip and Tommy, the son of Jack and Aliena, and hanged.
At Kingsbridge, Jack meets with a ruined and repentant Waleran, now living as a monk in the priory, to learn why his father was framed. The former bishop explains that a group of barons had arranged the sinking of the White Ship in order to kill the king's son and heir, with the belief that they would be able to influence the succession and gain more independence from the crown as a result. After they learned that Jacques Cherbourg had survived the sinking, the barons had him imprisoned in England to prevent him from exposing their conspiracy. While initially content to leave him there, they eventually chose to have him killed after he learned English and started attracting unwanted attention, hiring Waleran, Percy, and James for this end. Finally understanding the truth behind his father's death, Jack is able to put it behind him. Elsewhere, the Pope forces King Henry's public repentance and symbolic subjugation of the crown to the church, in which Philip, now Bishop of Kingsbridge, participates.
Characters[edit]
- Jack Jackson (known also as Jack Builder): Son of Jack Shareburg (Jacques Cherbourg) and Ellen; he becomes an architect and skilled stonemason.
- Ellen: Daughter of a knight. She was unusual in being literate in English, French and Latin. The lover of Jack Shareburg and the mother of Jack Jackson, she meets Tom while living in the woods.
- Tom Builder: A builder whose lifelong dream is to build a cathedral.
- Alfred Builder: Tom's son, a mason who later marries Aliena, but abandons her after he finds out that she is pregnant with Jack's child.
- Martha: Daughter of Tom, sister to Alfred and Jonathan and stepsister to Jack.
- Prior Philip: A monk who dreams of Kingsbridge rising to greatness with a cathedral.
- Bishop Waleran Bigod: An ambitious and corrupt cleric constantly scheming his way to more power.
- Aliena: Daughter to Bartholomew, the original Earl of Shiring, and the planned bride of William Hamleigh.
- Richard (of Kingsbridge): Aliena's younger brother, a knight who becomes a skilled soldier and leader, who relies on Aliena's revenues from her wool business.
- William Hamleigh: The son of a minor lord, he temporarily gains the earldom of Shiring but eventually loses it to Richard, the son of the former earl, Bartholomew.
- Lord Percy Hamleigh, Earl of Shiring: Father of William, he ousts the rebel Earl Bartholomew and gains control of the earldom.
- Lady Regan Hamleigh, Countess of Shiring: Wife of Percy and William's ambitious mother.
Minor characters[edit]
- Francis of Gwynedd: Philip's brother, orphaned with him in Wales and raised by monks; became a secular priest with royal connections.
- Bartholomew, Earl of Shiring: Father of Aliena and Richard, he earns the enmity of the Hamleighs and is jailed for treason.
- Remigius: The former Sub-Prior of Kingsbridge who tries to secure the position of Prior. Primarily motivated by envy and spite.
- Cuthbert Whitehead: Kingsbridge Priory's cellarer. An early ally of Philip after his arrival in Kingsbridge.
- Milius Bursar: Kingsbridge Priory's bursar, he is an early ally of Philip.
- Johnny Eightpence: A gentle, simpleminded monk who cares for baby Jonathan.
- Jack Shareburg (Jacques Cherbourg): A jongleur who survives the wreck of the White Ship to become the lover of Ellen and father of Jack Jackson; executed.
- Agnes: First wife of Tom Builder and mother of Martha, Alfred and Jonathan.
- Jonathan: Son of Tom and Agnes Builder, he was raised from infancy by Prior Philip.
- Tommy (later called Thomas): Son of Jack and Aliena. With a talent for administration and command, he becomes the Earl of Shiring. He reluctantly oversees William Hamleigh's hanging.
- Sally: Daughter of Jack and Aliena. She becomes a stained glass artisan working on the Kingsbridge Cathedral.
- Raschid Alharoun: Jack's friend in Toledo, a Christian Arab merchant who introduces him to the scholarly world.
- Walter: William Hamleigh's groom/squire. Accompanies him through much of the novel.
- Elizabeth: Betrothed to William Hamleigh, she is beaten by him on their wedding night. Later befriended by Aliena and surrenders the keep to Richard's forces.
Reception[edit]
Historical accuracy[edit]
While the book has been praised for its description of Medieval life, it also features some historical inaccuracies. Some of these might be to make the characters and the plot more suited for modern readers while some are clear anachronisms:
- One of the characters is called Francis, as is an imaginary person when Philip is lying to Waleran Bigod in Chapter 2, ii. It is unlikely that anybody would bear this name fifty years before the birth of Francis of Assisi. Indeed, Francis (Italian: Francesco, meaning 'frenchman') was the saint's nickname, while his Christian name was Giovanni (John). The name became widespread only due to the saint's fame.
- Shareburg could not have been anglicized as such, because in the Norman pronunciation of the modern town Cherbourg, the Cher- element was pronounced [tʃɪr-] or [tʃɛr-] and was the same in Anglo-Norman, [tʃ] would have been retained in Middle English as well. [ʃɛr-] is Modern French. In the Old and Middle English and Anglo-Norman documents, Cherbourg is mentioned with different spellings from the 11th to the 15th century : Kiæresburh, Chirburg(h), Chierebour, Cheerebourg, Chierbourg(h), Ch(i)erburg(h), Chierbourc, Chirbourg(h), Chirburt, Chireburgh, etc.
- The English nobility of that period were Norman immigrants, together with other continental nationalities such as Bretons, Frenchmen (Paris and Île-de-France), Flemish and Angevin people. Anglo-Norman was the language of the court and upper class and it did not spread far into the rest of the English society. The ability of ordinary Englishmen to speak French was considered unusual,[5] but Thomas Becket's parents for example, who did not belong to the nobility, were traders and emigrated to England from Normandy and they were not the only ones. Thus, many of the encounters across social classes presented in the book have been characterized as implausible by some critics, although in fact bilingualism was then emerging in English society for practical and mercantile reasons. For example, the noblewoman Aliena (presumably a native Norman French-speaker) becomes a successful wool merchant, communicating with the Anglo-Saxon-speaking locals and running a successful business among them.
- Significantly, Tom and Ellen are rebuked for perpetrated fornication, and give the excuse that there was no priest at hand. Yet the diriment impediment 'lack of form' dates back to no earlier than the Council of Trent, and clandestine marriages were only forbidden by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 . The contemporary practice (as treated, for instance, by St. Thomas, S. th. Supp. 45) would have well made it possible for them to marry at once, without a priest, possibly taking their children as witnesses. Even more significantly, unmarried couples were fairly common throughout medieval society, and while the social standing of the woman would have been somewhat lowered by being a 'concubine' and not a married woman, the fact itself carried no social stigma and scarcely provoked any intervention by law and church.
- Follett depicts Toledo, in medieval Spain, as a country with no wheat supposedly due to a lack of proper flat terrain to cultivate it. In reality, the Kingdom of Castile's plains, to which Toledo belonged, were actually famous for their rather extensive wheat fields.
- Santiago de Compostela, northwest of Spain, is portrayed as a very hot city, like southern Spain is. In reality, Galicia, the northwest region of Spain, is cool and rainy. However, it does have warm weather during summer.
- Tom tries to find a hibernating squirrel'in the dead leaves on the forest floor […] to put in the broth. He was unlucky.' Squirrels found in the UK do not hibernate, although they are known to be lethargic in times of deep cold. (These would have been red squirrels in Medieval times.)
- Sugar is mentioned several times in the book. Sugar was not available in England at that time, except in courtly circles: 'It is reported that the household of Henry III was using sugar in 1264, but not until 1319 was sugar in more general use in Britain.'[6]
- Corn (maize) is also mentioned. However, corn as we know it today was not known in medieval Europe, since it is native to the Americas, and it was only after 1492 that it was traded to Europe. It should be noted that in British English, 'corn' can also be a generic term for grains such wheat, oats, and barley, that can be used to produce flour[7] which is Follett's meaning. Corn is actually a British English word not an American English word
- The priory storeroom is said to contain hops, which were not used in the UK for food production until centuries later.
- Many people in the book are reported as having breakfast, though there is some debate on whether all people in those times ate breakfast at all.[8][9]
Adaptations[edit]
Board games[edit]
Board game by Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler
Three separate board games have been developed that are based on The Pillars of the Earth:
- A German-style board game by Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler was published in 2006[10] by Kosmos and released at the Spiel game fair as Die Säulen der Erde . The game sold out long before the fair ended. It has been awarded the 2007 Deutscher Spiele Preis, the Spanish 'Game of the Year 2007'[11] and the Norwegian 'Best Family Game of 2007'[12] and the GAMES MagazineGame of the Year 2007.[12]
- A 2-player game was published by Kosmos in Germany and reprinted in the US as Pillars of the Earth: Builder's Duel.
- A trivia game, attributed to E. Follett, was first published in 2008 by the British publisher Sophisticated Games.
Television adaptation[edit]
A German-Canadian co-production was developed by the Munich-based Tandem Communications and Montreal-based Muse Entertainment, in association with Ridley Scott's Scott Free Films, to adapt the novel for a television movie.[13] It premiered on 23 July 2010 in Canada on The Movie Network/Movie Central and in the United States on Starz. Its UK premiere was in October 2010 on Channel 4. The Australian premiere was 9 December 2012 on ABC1.
Musical[edit]
In 2016, a musical version of The Pillars of the Earth was performed at Østre Gasværk in Copenhagen, Denmark, under the name Jordens Søjler.
Video game[edit]
Game developer and publisher Daedalic Entertainment announced their intention to develop an adventure game based on The Pillars of the Earth, to be released in 2017.[14] The game was published on 16 August 2017.[15]
References[edit]
- ^'BBC - The Big Read - Top 100 Books'. www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- ^'Ken Follett | Welcome'. Ken Follett. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- ^Follett, Ken. 'The Pillars of the Earth'. ken-follett.com.
- ^Follett, Ken. 'Kingsbridge: Real or fictional?'. ken-follett.com.
- ^Green, Judith A. (1997). The aristocracy of Norman England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 13. ISBN978-0521524650.
- ^'History of sugar'. About sugar. Sugar Nutrition UK. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- ^'corn Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary'. dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- ^Forrester, James (2010-08-06). 'The lying art of historical fiction'. Books Blog. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- ^'The Breakfast Conundrum'. Medieval Cookery. 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- ^The Pillars of the Earth at BoardGameGeek
- ^Castro, Jesús Torres (2007-12-24). 'JESS: Los Pilares de la Tierra - JdA 2007'. Boardgame News. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ abMartin, W. Eric (2007-11-01). 'Pillars of the Earth Wins, and Wins Again'. Boardgame news. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^Guider, Elizabeth; Roxborough, Scott (June 8, 2009). 'Three sign on for 'Pillars of the Earth''. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009.
- ^Maiberg, Emanuel (November 30, 2014). 'Best-Selling Novel The Pillars of the Earth Is Being Made Into a Game'. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^The Pillars of the Earth video game is out now Accessed 2017-09-04
External links[edit]
- The Pillars of the Earth on Ken Follett's website
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