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Elizabethan Drama Amnmv rmuutm Jmk> mHmm iw> Ai immnJf mm m Jm» Jiu iffin otv Ao JANET SPEMS .V io^cJ. ELIZABETHAN DRAMA ELIZABETHAN DRAMA BY JANET SPENS M.A., D.Litt. LADY MARGARET HALL, OXFORD METHUEN & GO. LTD. 36 ESSEX STREET W.G. LONDON First Published in ig22 — CONTENTS PAGE Bibliography ........ Shakespeare clue to History of Drama—Authorities to read first—Where do they get their information ? —Stationers' Register—Extant copies—Hcnslowe's Diary—Henslowe's importance—Collier's forging— Revels' Accounts and Cun- ningham, Mrs. Stopes, Mr. Law—-Town Records—The value of the Folio—Pagination—Punctuation—Sidney Lee and the Preface— Pollard's answer—The importance of a study of Elizabethan and of Shakespeare's individual handwriting. II Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama Unique character of Elizabethan drama—Basis of Greek drama was the chorus—Its uses later : (i) chorus as hero, (2) view of average person, {3) view of poet, (4) to give relief; for (i) and (2) inadequate substitutes in English drama Poet's standpoint given by the Induction and the Fool The Induction—The improvising Fool—Shakespeare's Fool —(4) Rehef, is it provided by comic scenes ? —Catastrophe in Greek plays related by messenger, in Elizabethan acted Minor catastrophes by messenger—Greek practice due to origin, not for avoidance of horrible—Physical horror in " Lear "—Curtainless theatre makes deaths on stage in large numbers impossible except at end—Greek catastrophe two-thirds through, English at end—Shakespeare's third acts—Explanation of the blinding of Gloster—Traditional forms in English drama permit of greater subtlety of characterization—Borrowing of stage situations—Tradi- tional dresses—Doubling of parts in early plays—Additional speeches—Dumb shows—Use of theory of drama—Three characteristics of tragedy—Why should the tragic catas- trophe produce ssthetic pleasure ? —Aristotle and the " " purgation —Marlowe's tragic satisfaction—Greatness of man—Shakespeare not clear—Hints for reading—Histories deal with the compromise of life—The imdying hero of the nation—Variety in Comedy—Character of Romances Natural development—" Comedy of Errors " a farce Court Comedies—Shakespeare's conception of Comedy. —— vi ELIZABETHAN DRAMA PAGE III Origins ......... 33 History of early drama (Greg) —Liturgical plays pass into hands of the Guilds— Representation—Texts in which mysteries have come down— " Morals " —" Interludes " Chrnuicic History— King John Plays—Shakespeare natural development, but element of romance not accounted for Munday's Robin Hood Plays. Comedy—Origins not clear—Comic element in mysteries Gammer Gurton—Latin Comedy—Entertainment of royal persons—Peele's "Arraignment of Paris"—Lyly develops this line—Element of English country life in Greene, but he apparently indebted to Munday. Tragedy—Marlowe not chief begetter of Shakespearean tragedy—Mysteries tragic in theme, but mediaeval use of word obscured the connexion—Elizabethan tragedy really linked with tragedies of Chaucer's " Monk " through " Lydgate's " Falls of Princes —Sackville's " Mirror for Magistrates"—His " Gorboduc " —Unsuited for the stage —Obscure dramatists combine classical stories with methods of mysteries—Edwards's plays on theme of friendship Hughes's " Misfortunes of Arthur " predecessor of "Spanish Tragedy"—Connexion— of "Hamlet" and " Macbeth " with this sort of drama "J. Csesar" related to Edwards's themes —Love tragedy such as " Romeo and Juliet " something " of a " sport —Possibly Shakespeare's most creative efiort. IV The Predecessors ....... 48 Elizabethan comedy very specially centred in Shakespeare Jonson only exception—Lyly fixes tN-pe of Court Comedy —Nature of Lyly's character-drawmg—Humour probably more amusing with child-actors—Shakespeare's debts to Lyly—Stratification in his plays—Grouping in " Mid- " summer Xight's Dream —Lyly's disfavour at Court Greene's importance questioned—His women the first really good women of rank—Mystery of Peele—His "Arraign- ment " above—Early publication—"David and Bethsabe" '— " —" Battle of Alcazar "—" Edward I " Old Wives' Tale —Looks like conscious artistic theory—Marlowe—Relation to Shakespeare—Theme, the infinite spirit of man—Marlowe's " " Superman —Shakespeare's view of type in " Richard " " " ni —Classical form in " Richard HI —" Richard II and " Edward II " compared—Marlowe and Renaissance spirit—Each play asserts value of some earthly good Problem of Faustus—Apparent orthodoxy—Conflict of " Conscience—Discussion of authorship of " Edward III —Summary—Countess scenes to Greene or Shakespeare In second part attitude is that of Peele—Passages reminis- cent of Marlowe—And of Shakespeare—Shakespeare as reviser on lines of "David and Bethsabe"—Plays compared —Work of Marlowe embedded—Craftsman attitude. — CONTENTS vii PAGE V The Revenge Play ...... 65 All tragedies before 1600 Revenge dramas and descended from Greek—Story of (Edipus—Influence of CEdipus and Orestes on Seneca—Senecan influence on Elizabethans in episodes and form—On tragic hero and ethical thought liercules and Atreus—Atreus's connexion with Hamlet's " idea that he " lacks gall to make oppression bitter —Plot of " Spanish Tragedy "—Hieronimo's delay due to his aged fear of death—Early Hamlet also afraid— " Antonio's Revenge " typical Revenge play—Sketch—Compared to " — " Macbeth —Marston's life " A Woman killed with Kindness "—" Tragedy of Hoffmann "—Tourneur—Evolu- tion complete. Shakespeare's Treatment— " Hamlet "—Three versions —Source of the copy of three versions—Peculiarities of First Quarto—Weakness of " Hamlet " plot—Laertes The current contemporary view of " Hamlet." VI The Apocrypha and Munday .... 83 Munday and Apocrypha both treated in spirit of inquiry Reasons for cloud over Munday—His own reputation Collier the literary forger his first editor—" The English " " Romayne Life —" Zelauto —Official spy and city poet " Munday and the Robin Hood legend—" As You Like It and Robin Hood nebula—Shakespeare's comedy a com- bination of folk-play and a literary source— " Twelfth Night "—" Midsummer Night's Dream "—Wilson's Pro- logue about plays not to be acted—Early plays like mimetic games ? — Paris Garden—Early drama a variety entertain- ment—^The bear in " IMucedorus " and " Winter's Tale " " Mucedorus's " likeness to Shakespeare's romances points to early date of latter—Other evidence—Romances belong to i584-Q3(?) —The Apocryphal plays—Authority of First Folio—Problem of " Troilus and Cressida "—The contradictory statements in the Quartos—A lost tragic "Troilus" play? —Short plays in series—"The Plotte of the Seven Deadly Sins "—" Pericles " possibly part of another sequence of the Deadly Sins—All the romances, with "Two Noble Kinsmen," "Troilus " and "Yorkshire Tragedy." originally part of such series plays—Links in connexion with mediaeval triumvirate, Chaucer, Gower, Lydgate—Subject of Kinsmen also points to early period —Recapitulation, VII The Contemporaries: I. Ben Jonson ....... 95 Difficulty of appreciating—His fame in his own day—Mix- " ture of prose and poetry— " Every Man in his Humour — viii ELIZABETHAN DRAMA PAGE \'ie\v of comedy—Bergson's view of the ridiculous Example—Jonson's comedy fits this explanation—His " plotting " consists in bringing his Humorous persons together—Apphcd to " Alchemist "—" Volpone " on same " lines—Meaning of " Humours —Contemporary portraits —^The " War of the Theatres "—Why did feeling run so — " " high ? " The Poetaster —Jonson a " translator —^The Roman plays— " Bartholomew Fair " and Dickens Jonson's grossncss—The amazing contrast of his Masques " The Masque of Queens " —" Of Blackness "—Effect on Comedy—Taste of the Stuarts. II. Chapman ....... 104 Chapman's variety—Difficulty of his expression—Influence of Donne—" Bussy D'Ambois " and Byron plays—Bussy's brother the Hamlet type—Bussy and Byron—Super- men—Peculiar standards on the subject of love— " M. d'Olive " mediaaval in a way—Chapman's effort to portray ideal gentlemen—Sidney and the secret love relation " Spenser's third and fourth books of the " Faerie Queene deal with love and friendship—Chapman not much inter- ested in women—Achilles of Iliad and Earl of Essex Chap- man's models—Insight in delineation of Byron—Mysti- cism in " Gentleman Usher " —Chapman points on to Milton. III. Dekker . .Ill Dekker's hard Ufe and optimistic views—Lack of unity in his plays—" Satiromastix "—Looseness of other plays due to unsuitability of form—His imity that of the novel not of the drama—" Old Fortunatus "—Dekker's sympathy with Fortunatus's choice—Men's business to live a full and " brave life—" Shoemaker's Holiday —His vindication of the tradesmen class—" Witch of Edmonton "—^The Witch a lonely old woman—The story of Frank—Likeness to Dickens's murderers. VIII The Successors: Beaumont and Fletcher ..... 122 Important point is relation to Shakespeare—Use Shake- speare's themes but change in accordance with conditions " of time—" Philaster " examined—Founded on " Hamlet —Hesitation due to love—Nature of his melancholy Insincerity of sentiment—" Maid's Tragedy "—Amintor another Hamlet copy—Attitude to King—Melantius com- pared to Laertes—Evadne's motive—Amintor's treatment of Aspatia due to Hamlet's of OpheUa—Beauty of single " scenes—Example in " Thierry and Theodoret —" Bon- duca "— " Faithful Shepherdess "—" The Knight of the —— CONTENTS ix PAGE Burning Pestle "—Only possible in decadent drama Unwholesome morality of Beaumont and Fletcher's stage —Romance ending of Shakespeare compared with Beau- mont and Fletcher's. IX The Decadents : Massinger, Middleton, Webster, and Ford
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