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Duel and Duality (Blackadder)
Encyclopedia
"Duel and Duality" is the sixth and final episode of the third series
of the BBC
sitcom Blackadder
.
(Stephen Fry
). Blackadder warns the Prince that Wellington threatens to kill any who take sexual advantage of his relations. The Prince believes that "Big Nose" Wellington won't find out because he is still in Spain
, fighting
Napoleon Bonaparte
. Unfortunately, he realizes that Wellington has triumphed six months ago and receives message that shows the Duke's intentions of challenging him to a duel
. Horrified, the Prince enlists Blackadder
's help and Baldrick suggests that the Prince finds someone else to take his place, as Wellington does not know what the Prince looks like. Blackadder prompts Baldrick to answer the Prince's objection that his face is known due to portraits hanging on every wall. Baldrick replies that his cousin told him that all portraits looked the same these days, because they were "painted to a romantic ideal rather than the true depiction of the idiosyncratic facial qualities of the person in question". In a second reply, Baldrick suggests Blackadder as the one to fight the duel.
Edmund isn't keen on the idea, but realizes that his mad Scottish
cousin MacAdder (also played by Rowan Atkinson
), who has come down to London, could take his place.
Later, Wellington decides to visit the Prince, and Blackadder and the Prince are forced to impersonate one another so that Wellington will not become suspicious during the actual duel. During Wellington's brief visit, Blackadder proves a far more competent Regent than the actual Prince Regent, and helps Wellington to mastermind the Battle of Trafalgar
. The Prince proves less apt a butler than Blackadder does a Regent, and finds himself on the receiving end of multiple assaults (both verbal and physical) from Wellington and Blackadder, who takes a certain amount of glee in helping maintain the illusion that he is the Regent, and the Prince a mere servant. After Wellington departs, Blackadder goes to see MacAdder, explaining his plan and offering MacAdder "enough cash to buy the Outer Hebrides
" (14 shilling
s and a sixpence
) as a reward for aiding him; unfortunately, MacAdder is busy with his kipper
salesman job on the day the duel is meant to take place, and goes back to Scotland with Mrs. Miggins. Blackadder tries to pull out of the duel, but the desperate Prince persuades him to continue with the plan in exchange for all of the Prince's possessions (such as large amounts of cash, a lewd cuckoo clock
and a set of pornographic
lithographs). Blackadder agrees, uttering the famous line that effectively sums up his character: "A man may fight for many things: his country, his principles, his friends, the glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child. But personally, I'd mud wrestle
my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock and a sack of French porn!
The duel does not run along with the traditional lines of swords or pistols; Wellington is a proponent of modern weapons, and so the duel is fought with Vickers-Armstrong 4-pounder cannon
ettes. Blackadder survives the duel, as the cannonball Wellington fired at him merely bounced off a cigarillo
case which was given to him by the Duke himself. The Duke, having grown to admire the "Prince", happily declares a draw as "God clearly spares you for greatness!" At that point Prince George enters and reveals that he is the real prince. Wellington, however, is outraged at what he believes to be insolence and, unable to contain himself, he shoots him.
King George
, who has become increasingly eccentric and now believes himself to be "a small village in Lincolnshire
, commanding spectacular views of the Nene
valley", arrives on the scene and does not notice that Blackadder is masquerading as the Prince Regent. Having been ordered to marry a rose bush, Blackadder takes on the role of the Prince Regent
knowing the King will never know the wiser and that Wellington already believes him to be Regent. He tells Baldrick to "Clear away that dead butler" and leaves grinning evilly, presumably becoming King
himself a few years later.
Shortly, whilst Baldrick is lamenting over the Prince's apparent death, the real Prince awakes, apparently unharmed, in Baldrick's arms, before sitting up and mentioning that he too had a case in his inside pocket which shielded him from Wellington's bullet. However, after fumbling around to find it, he fails to do so, and declares that he must have left it on his dresser, promptly dying again upon realising.
Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....
of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom Blackadder
Blackadder
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
.
Plot
Prince George has finally had a sexual encounter, but to Blackadder's astonishment, it emerges that it was with the two nieces of the Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
). Blackadder warns the Prince that Wellington threatens to kill any who take sexual advantage of his relations. The Prince believes that "Big Nose" Wellington won't find out because he is still in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, fighting
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. Unfortunately, he realizes that Wellington has triumphed six months ago and receives message that shows the Duke's intentions of challenging him to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
. Horrified, the Prince enlists Blackadder
Mr. E. Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder, Esq. is the main character in the third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. He was played by Rowan Atkinson.The series was set in the reign of George III of the United Kingdom . The character is in keeping with the trend of the series Blackadder is lower in rank in this series,...
's help and Baldrick suggests that the Prince finds someone else to take his place, as Wellington does not know what the Prince looks like. Blackadder prompts Baldrick to answer the Prince's objection that his face is known due to portraits hanging on every wall. Baldrick replies that his cousin told him that all portraits looked the same these days, because they were "painted to a romantic ideal rather than the true depiction of the idiosyncratic facial qualities of the person in question". In a second reply, Baldrick suggests Blackadder as the one to fight the duel.
Edmund isn't keen on the idea, but realizes that his mad Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
cousin MacAdder (also played by Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
), who has come down to London, could take his place.
Later, Wellington decides to visit the Prince, and Blackadder and the Prince are forced to impersonate one another so that Wellington will not become suspicious during the actual duel. During Wellington's brief visit, Blackadder proves a far more competent Regent than the actual Prince Regent, and helps Wellington to mastermind the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. The Prince proves less apt a butler than Blackadder does a Regent, and finds himself on the receiving end of multiple assaults (both verbal and physical) from Wellington and Blackadder, who takes a certain amount of glee in helping maintain the illusion that he is the Regent, and the Prince a mere servant. After Wellington departs, Blackadder goes to see MacAdder, explaining his plan and offering MacAdder "enough cash to buy the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
" (14 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s and a sixpence
Sixpence
Sixpence may refer to:*Sixpence *Sixpence *Sixpence *Flat cap, also called a sixpence*Sixpence None the Richer, an American pop/rock band...
) as a reward for aiding him; unfortunately, MacAdder is busy with his kipper
Kipper
A kipper is a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split from tail to head, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold smoked.In the United Kingdom, in Japan, and in some North American regions they are often eaten for breakfast...
salesman job on the day the duel is meant to take place, and goes back to Scotland with Mrs. Miggins. Blackadder tries to pull out of the duel, but the desperate Prince persuades him to continue with the plan in exchange for all of the Prince's possessions (such as large amounts of cash, a lewd cuckoo clock
Cuckoo clock
A cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum-regulated, that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and typically has a mechanical cuckoo that emerges with each note...
and a set of pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
lithographs). Blackadder agrees, uttering the famous line that effectively sums up his character: "A man may fight for many things: his country, his principles, his friends, the glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child. But personally, I'd mud wrestle
Mud wrestling
Mud wrestling is defined as physical confrontation that occurs in mud or a mud pit. The popular modern interpretation specifies that participants wrestle while wearing minimal clothing and usually going barefoot, with the emphasis on presenting an entertaining spectacle as opposed to physically...
my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock and a sack of French porn!
The duel does not run along with the traditional lines of swords or pistols; Wellington is a proponent of modern weapons, and so the duel is fought with Vickers-Armstrong 4-pounder cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
ettes. Blackadder survives the duel, as the cannonball Wellington fired at him merely bounced off a cigarillo
Cigarillo
A cigarillo is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped not in paper but in whole-leaf tobacco. Cigarillos can be found for purchase alone or in packs, and are often made without filters...
case which was given to him by the Duke himself. The Duke, having grown to admire the "Prince", happily declares a draw as "God clearly spares you for greatness!" At that point Prince George enters and reveals that he is the real prince. Wellington, however, is outraged at what he believes to be insolence and, unable to contain himself, he shoots him.
King George
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, who has become increasingly eccentric and now believes himself to be "a small village in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, commanding spectacular views of the Nene
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
valley", arrives on the scene and does not notice that Blackadder is masquerading as the Prince Regent. Having been ordered to marry a rose bush, Blackadder takes on the role of the Prince Regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
knowing the King will never know the wiser and that Wellington already believes him to be Regent. He tells Baldrick to "Clear away that dead butler" and leaves grinning evilly, presumably becoming King
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
himself a few years later.
Shortly, whilst Baldrick is lamenting over the Prince's apparent death, the real Prince awakes, apparently unharmed, in Baldrick's arms, before sitting up and mentioning that he too had a case in his inside pocket which shielded him from Wellington's bullet. However, after fumbling around to find it, he fails to do so, and declares that he must have left it on his dresser, promptly dying again upon realising.
Analysis
- The third series of Blackadder is the only one of the series in which Blackadder does not die (the Prince doing so in his place), Blackadder supposedly living the rest of his life as Prince George and later George IV, and one of two where Baldrick survives to the end (as he also, along with Percy, survives in the first series).
- When Blackadder and the Prince switch places, the Prince alludes to "that story-the Prince and the Porpoise" , a reference by the authors to The Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
, which was not written until 1881, well after the chronological setting of this episode (presumably some time around 1805, as preparations for the Battle of Trafalgar are mentioned, even though the Regency did not begin until 1811). In fact, the novel's author Mark TwainMark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
would not be born until November 30, 1835, more than five years after the death of George IV on June 26, 1830. - This episode has many similarities with the later film Sabotage!, in which Stephen Fry also played Wellington. In that movie, Napoleon set up a double to fight at Waterloo in his place. Additionally, Fry reprised the role of Wellington briefly in Blackadder Back and Forth.
- In the 2007 documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out, Emma ThompsonEmma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
referred to the scene where Wellington physically beats the Prince as being her favorite onscreen interaction between Fry and LaurieFry and LaurieFry and Laurie, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, were a successful English comedy double act, mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s. Having met in 1980 through mutual friend Emma Thompson , Fry and Laurie have since collaborated on numerous projects together, including Jeeves and Wooster, in which...
, who collaborated on many series before and following the success of Blackadder. - When George IIIGeorge III of the United KingdomGeorge III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
appears for the first time at the end of this episode he speaks with a German accent. Although the HanoveriansHouse of HanoverThe House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
are of German origin, and George III's great-grandfather George IGeorge I of Great BritainGeorge I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
spoke little more than a few words of English while his grandfather George IIGeorge II of Great BritainGeorge II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
spoke English fluently but with a strong German accent, George III was born in Britain and spoke English as his first language. He also never visited Germany. - Arthur Wellesley did not become Duke of Wellington until May 1814, whereas the Battle of TrafalgarBattle of TrafalgarThe Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
(which has not occurred yet in the episode) took place on 21 October, 1805. Furthermore, the only encounter the Duke of Wellington ever had with Lord Nelson was in 1805, when he was still major-general at the age of 36. Additionally, the Battle of WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
was around ten years after the Battle of Trafalgar. As for when Prince George mentioned that Wellesley was fighting in the Peninsula War, that conflict started in 1808 and won by the Allies in 1814, the official year Wellesley achieved his dukedom.
Music
- The music used when Blackadder is hit, and is stating his will, is the Adagio in G minor by Tomaso Albinoni.
- The music used when Baldrick is mourning the death of the Prince at the end of the episode is the Second Movement from Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.