by Marcus Hogan
WARNING
t h i s s e r i e s c o n t a i n s
strong sexual content
graphic violence
bawdy humor
elegance
horses
France & Italy
the spiralling age of the early renaissance
In 1434 an infant and child are betrothed. No one expects them to love each other. All expect them to lead their faction.
A Hundred years of war has claimed the life of France’s greatest heroine, the warrior farm girl who became a martyr. But since Joan’s tragic death, whilst peace with England appears to have settled, life in France remains on a knife edge. And despite the rising influence of new authors who advocate that young people should be allowed to marry whom they chose, as this promised couple grow, no one expects them to fall in love. By the time they reach the age of courtship however, all expect them to wed and lead the mighty House of Capulet.
Armand de Capulet - premiere son of a respected warrior House
Ilaria Marchand - premiere daughter of a rising merchant House
And so as fate wills it, Armand and Ilaria will be expected to navigate an elite world together with or without love - though fate has it’s own plan for both on that score. That world ahead of them is elegant but volatile, filled with ambitious rivals, relentless passions, dire premonitions, dooming curses and religious fanaticism during an age of trade expansion, war and inquisitions. What starts as a safeguarded childhood pathway to an elite future, will draw them into an adult world of danger, deceit and excess. But their world is constantly filled with laughter too, as a host of extraordinary characters gather about to follow them forward.
Get ready to unleash this epic adventure, a soaring tale of the rise of one couple destined to lead their house against the might of two more that loom large before them - Montecchi & Paris.
1 fated pair
3 mighty factions
destined to cross paths and answer a burning question - How did Romeo & Juliet’s families come to be at each other’s throats?
The answer is not for the faint-hearted.
YET SEEK IT IF YOU DARE.
Book Cover Gallery
FRONT
REAR
POQUELIN PRESS invites you to meet the creator -
AUTHOR: Marcus Hogan
Above - as Founder of the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory before his departure to write Capulet.
Below - as a young Director in the Boston University Master of Fine Arts Program 1990.
HOW IT BEGAN -
I conceived this project in Boston during the summer of ’92 when I was producing my first Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet). It was staged at the Huntington Theatre Studio and sold out before we opened. That was when the notion of a prequel was born that would reveal how the famous families came to be at each other’s throats and how the associations between so many characters were first formed. The full series story frame of Capulet (6 books) was written over 4 years writing 7 days a week 7 hours a days (give or take 5 or 6 days) and almost exclusively at Brisbane Square Library.
For the trivial record, my first experience performing was in the primary school choir which led me to playing the guitar and a life long association with music. My first experience with Shakespeare however was as a punishment in my last year of high school. I was given a detention for fighting (a bully was harassing a friend and though I’m no hero I intervened). The English Mistress caught us and during my detention made me memorize the ‘quality of mercy’ monologue from The Merchant of Venice. It had to be word perfect to avoid another stay. I recited it. She told me it wasn’t word perfect but said I was ‘good’ and would let me off if I agreed to audition for the play. I was shy but didn’t want another detention and was offered the lead.
That led me to a BA in Drama at the University of Queensland. UQ led to a BFA in Acting at Cornish College in the USA which led to specialized study at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NY (closed after 9/11) and finally an MFA in Directing at Boston University. Along the way I practised equestrian skills, martial arts and ballet (classical & jazz), became a professional fight choreographer and specialised in directing classics. Within a year of returning to Australia I founded the Society of Australian Fight Directors and the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory. Fast forward 25 years and I embarked upon this project.
I hope their tale moves you.
I found it very moving to write.
Forever Yours
Marcus Hogan
The triple fleur de lys - displayed on some elite crests as a sign of allegiance to a potent political faction known as the Guelphs.
That faction had a powerful rival known as the Ghibbelines. Their ancient grudge raged between them for more than two centuries.
In citadels across the Christian Empire where members of both factions lived side by side …
CHARACTER CREST GALLERY:
Every key character in CAPULET who holds elite status or becomes elevated during the epic journey has a familial crest and motto.
14 of these are displayed in this gallery.
Some are crests for sons/daughters of elite warrior families. Others are for those belonging to established/rising merchant families.
DISCLAIMER: Whilst a great deal of historical research was undertaken by Mr Hogan in creating the CAPULET series, all the elite characters (with the exception of a few notable political figures) are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real historical figures bearing the same/similar familial names at the times/places in history depicted in CAPULET … is entirely accidental.
Therefore all the elements in the crests and mottos displayed here are designed to match the fictional ancestry profiles described in the manuscripts.
