Endless Obstacles

Throughout this story each of the main charcters suffer many losses and setbacks. For most, these inconvenient events all have to do with the building of the cathedral in Kingsbridge. When King Stephen had given the rights to mine in the Shiring quarry to the Kingsbridge monastery, William Hamleigh, the Earl of Shiring wasn't happy. When he got the chance William went to the quarry and ran all the monastery's stonecutters out, killing five people. He then went on to have the Kingsbridge market shut down because they didn't have a license. William Hamleigh is the antagonist of every main in thstory. He has no redeeming qualities and all he can think about is himself and how to make others miserable. Prior Philip even has to travel into a battle area to obtain a market license from the new Empress Maud. At the end of this section William storms into the Kingsbridge market and terrorizes the people, burning the town and even killing Tom Builder, the master mason in charge of the cathedral's construction. This event was both very surprising and very sad for me. Tom Builder has been one of the main protagonists from the beginning of the book. The author was able to make him seem strong, kind, and fair, even when he made mistakes. For Prior Philip all these occurences caused by William Hamleigh have lost him friends, the safety of his people, and the progress on the cathedral multiple times. Each time Philip perseveres and finds a way to keep on going.



This video I have taken shows the solemn life of monks as well as a beautiful cathedral they perform services in.





Monks are calm and do not readily fight others, but in the story Prior Philip becomes very angry with those who do evil deeds and can become more agitated than is really acceptable for a Benedictine monk. In the story, however, his level of intensity is needed both to help the monastery come out of years of neglect and ineptidtude, and also to fight against all odds to finish building the cathedral at Kingsbridge. Without his excitable traits Prior Philip would never be able to accomplish his goals.



I have also found a website that gives information about the building and history behind medieval cathedrals. The cathedral at Kingsbridge in the book does not actually exist, but there are real cathedrals, such as the Wells Cathedral which has a rich history (follow this link to the website).

From the beginning of the story to the end there have been many relationships, some which change, and some which stay the same. One person that has remained the same in all her relationships is Ellen. She loves Tom, loves her son, is a mother to Martha, and loathes Alfred, all of which she has made known, and will not budge on. She is a person who sticks to her guns and has the will power to do what she wants no matter how things turn out. One person who has really changed all her relationships is Aliena. Richard, Aliena's brother, started out as someone she needed to protect and aid on his way in life. Now that they are older, Richard has become more independent and both siblings see each other more financially than emotionally. Richard is another expense to Aliena, and Aliena is just a source of money for Richard. They both work tirelessly to fulfill their promise to their father and regain the Earldom of Shiring, but while Richard has made this his life's goal, Aliena views this task as a burden. Aliena also loathes William Hamleigh, but she is no longer afraid of him, as she once was. As for Jack, Aliena doesn't know what to think. She loves him, but knows that nothing good can come of her affections. She confuses Jack incessantly with her constantly changing attitude towards him. Aliena still respects Prior Philip as well, as she has since she first met him in Winchester, but now she treats him more as an equal, for in the wool industry they are, and that is all Aliena can think about, gaining money to help Richard regain his rightful place.