The Limits of Kingship

The Killer

This flow tracks the conflict between Berenger’s belief in sovereign command and the bodily, political, and cosmic forces he cannot control.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Orders Without Effect Orders Without Effect from "The Killer". Orders Without Effect Habitual Sovereignty Berenger responds to crisis by summoning ministers and issuing orders as though his authority remains intact.

Orders Without Effect from "The Killer". Orders Without Effect Habitual Sovereignty Berenger responds to crisis by summoning ministers and issuing orders as though his authority remains intact.

Orders Without Effect Habitual Sovereignty Berenger responds to crisis by summoning ministers and issuing orders as though his authority remains intact. A Hollow Center The missing officials and broken kingdom reveal the distance between royal language and practical power.

The Arrest That Fails The Arrest That Fails from "The Killer". The Arrest That Fails Command Versus Reality Berenger orders the Guard to arrest the court, but the Guard cannot move and the order turns back on its author.

The Arrest That Fails from "The Killer". The Arrest That Fails Command Versus Reality Berenger orders the Guard to arrest the court, but the Guard cannot move and the order turns back on its author.

The Arrest That Fails Command Versus Reality Berenger orders the Guard to arrest the court, but the Guard cannot move and the order turns back on its author. Authority Inverted The spectacle makes the King’s loss of control visible to everyone present.

Nature Refuses Obedience Nature Refuses Obedience from "The Killer". Nature Refuses Obedience Impossible Commands Berenger orders rain, trees, thunder, and bells to respond, but the world remains unchanged.

Nature Refuses Obedience from "The Killer". Nature Refuses Obedience Impossible Commands Berenger orders rain, trees, thunder, and bells to respond, but the world remains unchanged.

Nature Refuses Obedience Impossible Commands Berenger orders rain, trees, thunder, and bells to respond, but the world remains unchanged. Sovereignty Exposed The failure makes his old authority look like a belief sustained by habit rather than command of nature.

The Body Takes Command The Body Takes Command from "The Killer". The Body Takes Command Declining Agency Pain, stiffness, and exhaustion prevent the King from standing or retaining his insignia without help.

The Body Takes Command from "The Killer". The Body Takes Command Declining Agency Pain, stiffness, and exhaustion prevent the King from standing or retaining his insignia without help.

The Body Takes Command Declining Agency Pain, stiffness, and exhaustion prevent the King from standing or retaining his insignia without help. A Reversal of Rule Others decide where he sits and how he is cared for, while his body imposes the final limits.

The Crown Without a King The Crown Without a King from "The Killer". The Crown Without a King Final Stillness Queen Marguerite guides Berenger to the throne and tells him to surrender movement, breath, and speech.

The Crown Without a King from "The Killer". The Crown Without a King Final Stillness Queen Marguerite guides Berenger to the throne and tells him to surrender movement, breath, and speech.

The Crown Without a King Final Stillness Queen Marguerite guides Berenger to the throne and tells him to surrender movement, breath, and speech. Theatrical Emptiness His disappearance leaves no ruler, court, or room to sustain the old image of power.

When Berenger first sits on the throne

After the ministers disappear

As Berenger tests his powers

After the King’s repeated falls

At the close of the prescribed ceremony