Elizabethan Drama

822.7 5748

First Published in 1922

5748

CONTENTS

PAGE

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Shakespeare clue to History of Drama-Authorities to read

first-Where do they get their information ?-Stationers'

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.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ELIZABETHAN DRAMA

་

Unique character of Elizabethan drama-Basis of Greek

drama was the chorus-Its uses later: (1) chorus as hero, (2)

view of average person, (3) view of poet, (4) to give relief;

for (1) 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) Relief, 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 aesthetic 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 undying hero of the

nation-Variety in Comedy-Character of Romances-

Natural development-" Comedy of Errors" a farce-

Court Comedies Shakespeare's conception of Comedy.

III

ORIGINS

History of early drama (Greg)-Liturgical plays pass into

hands of the Guilds-Representation-Texts in which

mysteries have come down-" Morals "-" Interludes ".

Chronicle 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 mediaval 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. Cæsar "related to Edwards's themes

-Love tragedy such as "Romeo and Juliet" something

of a "sport"-Possibly Shakespeare's most creative effort.

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THE PREDECESSORS

Elizabethan comedy very specially centred in Shakespeare—

Jonson only exception-Lyly fixes type of Court Comedy

-Nature of Lyly's character-drawing-Humour probably

more amusing with child-actors-Shakespeare's debts to

Lyly Stratification in his plays-Grouping in Mid-

summer Night'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

III"-Classical form in "Richard III "" 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.

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THE REVENGE PLAY

All tragedies before 1600 Revenge dramas and descended

from Greek-Story of Edipus-Influence of Edipus and

Orestes on Seneca-Senecan influence on Elizabethans in

episodes and form-On tragic hero and ethical thought-

Hercules 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."

THE APOCRYPHA AND MUNDAY

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 "Mucedorus " and "Winter's Tale "-
"Mucedorus's" likeness to Shakespeare's romances points
to early date of latter-Other evidence-Romances belong
to 1584-93 (?)-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 medieval triumvirate, Chaucer, Gower,
Lydgate Subject of Kinsmen also points to early period
-Recapitulation.

THE CONTEMPORARIES:

I. BEN JONSON .

VII

Difficulty of appreciating-His fame in his own day-Mix-

ture of prose and poetry-" Every Man in his Humour

View of comedy-Bergson's view of the ridiculous-

Example Jonson's comedy fits this explanation-His

"plotting consists in bringing his Humorous persons

together-Applied 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 grossness-The amazing contrast of his Masques-
"The Masque of Queens "-" Of Blackness"-Effect on
Comedy-Taste of the Stuarts.

II. CHAPMAN

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 " medieval 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