18 January, 1593 - The Jew of Malta

Here's what Lord Strange's Men performed at the Rose playhouse on this day, 424 years ago...

Henslowe writes: R at the Jew the 18 of Jenewary 1593 ... iij^ll

In modern English: Received at The Jew, 18^th January, 1593 ... £3

Caravaggio's portrait of the Grand

Master of the Knights of Malta,

1607-8.

Today, Lord Strange's Men revived again their satirical comic tragedy, The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe; you can read more about this play in the blog entry for 26th February 1592.

The Jew of Malta is the company's most consistently popular play, frequently pulling in huge crowds, and today's box office of 60 shillings is astonishing for an old play. The company last performed The Jew of Malta over a fortnight ago, and unlike the other plays in their repertory, it has not declined in popularity, but rather has risen a little. Lord Strange's Men must have loved this play, as it rarely let them down.

Henslowe links

• Transcript of this page of the Diary (from W.W. Greg's 1904 edition)
• Facsimile of this page of the Diary (from the Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project)

Comments?

Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!