Trump’s attacks on Leo resemble Henry VIII vs. Thomas More and Henry II vs. Thomas Becket. Works like Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, Bolt’s Man for All Seasons, and Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral explore these dramas.
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Tag Archives: J.D. Vance
Will No One Rid Me of This Meddlesome Pope?
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bring Up the Bodies, Donald Trump, Henry II, Henry VIII, Hilary Mantel, Man for All Seasons, Murder in the Cathedral, Pope Leo, Robert Bolt, T.S. Eliot, Thomas Becket, Thomas More, Wolf Hall Comments closed
Measure for Measure and Our Religious Hypocrites
Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, about a pious but corrupt judge, captures many of our own political figures that are brandishing their religion.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged corruption, Donald Trump, Measure for Measure, Pete Hegseth, religious hypocrisy, William Shakespeare Comments closed
J.D. Vance as Andrew Aguecheek
Think of J.D. Vance as Sir Andrew Aguecheek from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged ICE killings, Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Is Vance Cassius to Trump’s Caesar?
William Krystol imagines J.D. Vance as Cassius to Trump’s Caesar, secretly stabbing the president in the back.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Epstein affair, Julius Caesar, William Kristol, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Trump as Putin’s Luca Brasi
The GOP’s switch from anti- to pro-Russia is like switching from Eurasia to Eastasia in “1984.” But rather than resembling mob boss Don Corleone in the scenario, Trump is more like Putin’s Luca Brasi.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Godfather, Lindsey Graham, Mario Puzo, mob boss politics, Russo-Ukraine War, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky Comments closed
Trump vs. Zelensky, Harpy vs. Eagle
Trump and Vance attacking Zelensky is like the harpies of the shore plucking the eagle of the sea in Holmes’s “Old Ironsides.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Old Ironsides, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky Comments closed
Sane-Washing Vance and Mac the Knife
As I watched Vance sane-wash both Trump and himself in the debate, I thought of the sane-washing that occurs in Gay’s “Beggar’s Opera.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged anti-democratic theocracy, Beggar's Opera, Bill Kristol, Donald Trump, Election 2024, John Gay, Kevin Roberts, Lance Wallnau, Leonard Leo, Matthew Taylor, New Apostolic Reformation, Opus Dei, Project 2025, Seven Mountains Mandate Comments closed
Judge Invokes Handmaid’s Tale in Ruling
A Georgia judge has invoked “Handmaid’s Tale” is ruling against a six-week abortion ban, testifying to the power of literature.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Abortion, Book banning, Dobbs decision, Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Robert McBurney Comments closed