All That Glitters is (Fool’s) Gold: Depictions of Court Entertainment in The Tudors

Abstract

The objective of any television show is first and foremost to entertain, to transport viewers to another time and place where they can escape the drudgeries of their daily lives. It is, therefore, fortunate for Michael Hirst and his historical soap opera The Tudors that such was also the primary objective of Henry VIII in entertaining his court. Unlike nearly every other facet of The Tudors, court entertainments enhance rather than detract from what audiences are likely to consider good television. Still the real-life decadence of Henry’s court, in Hirst’s opinion, is not sufficient to satiate the voracious appetite of Tudor enthusiasts. Thus, depictions of court entertainment are not immune from the dramatizations, embellishments, and fabrications commonplace throughout The Tudors.