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The Lion in Winter details one royal family's Christmas gathering in France during the thirteenth century. The family is that of Henry II of England; the invited guest is Philip Capet of France, and the holiday gathering takes place at Henry's castle of Chinon. No one's mind is on presents; rather, everyone is thinking of provinces - who controls them, who gives up what for which concession, and so on.

Author James Goldman has grounded his setting historically and then let the characters go to work on one another, with some of the wittiest, most brutal, and most heart-wrenching dialogue you'll find in any play. His characters all carry around razor-sharp wits. We get to know them, not through their actions, but through their words, through the verbal snares they set, and the verbal barbs they cast at one another. Therein lies, also, the great tragedy of the play: no one can show affection without being suspected of deceit, no one can give a kind word without receiving cruel treatment. And yet, beneath the jousting, we can see the characters aching for love - Eleanor's almost-but-not-quite admissions that she wants Henry back, Richard's heartbreaking confession to Philip.

"For the love of God, can't we love one another just a little? That's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children; we could change the world." -- Eleanor of Aquitaine

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