Tuesday 31 December 2019

31 December, 1595 - The Wise Man of West Chester

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

Henslowe writes: ye 30 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at the wisman of weschester ... xxijs 
In modern English: [31st] December, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man of West  Chester ... 22 shillings

A man, who might possibly be
wise, carved on the choir
stalls of Chester Cathedral
Today, the Admiral's Men staged The Wise Man of West Chester, a lost play that appears to have been about a wizard in the English city of Chester; you can read more about it in the entry for 3 December, 1594.

The Christmastide enthusiasm for theatre seems to be over now, as The Wise Man of West Chester receives an unimpressive audience today.


Henslowe links



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Monday 30 December 2019

30 December, 1595 - Longshanks

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

Henslowe writes: ye 29 of desembȝ  1595 ... R at longshanckes ... xxxijs 

In modern English: [30th] December, 1595 ... Received at Longshanks ... 32 shillings

Portrait of Edward I in
Westminster Abbey
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Longshanks, their lost play about King Edward I of England; you can read more about it in the entry for 29 August.

The large crowds associated with Christmastide festivity appears to be ebbing as the season rolls on: Longshanks has filled only half the theatre, something it has been capable of doing on many ordinary days. Londonders may be returning to work and having less time for fun.



Henslowe links



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Sunday 29 December 2019

29 December, 1595 - Harry V


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

Henslowe writes: ye 28 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at harye the v ... lvjs 

In modern English: [29th] December, 1595 ... Received at Harry V ... 56 shillings

King Henry V, posthumous portrait
(late 16th or early 17th century)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Harry V, their play about King Henry V of England, who, according to legend, gave up a dissolute lifestyle and led his country to victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt before his untimely death. You can read more about this play in the entry for 28 November.

The season of Christmastide continues this week, and Londoners are still in festive mood and flocking to the playhouses. The Admiral's Men are performing Harry V to an almost full theatre and must be enjoying the boisterous atmosphere.


Henslowe links



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Friday 27 December 2019

27 December, 1595 - Barnardo and Philametta

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

Henslowe writes: ye 26 of desembȝ  1595 ... R at barnardo ... lviijs 

In modern English: [27th] December, 1595  ... Received at Barnardo ... 58 shillings

Click!
Portrait of a couple by an unknown French artist, c.1610
Today, the Admiral's Men revived Barnardo and Philametta, a lost play on an unknown subject; you can read more about it in the entry for 30 October.

Wow! Barnardo and Philametta has until now received truly dreadful box office implying that it was unappealing to audiences on an epic scale. But today, the Christmas holiday season has given the play a huge audience, representing an almost full theatre. Clearly Christmastime was all about going to see plays, regardless of quality.


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 28 December was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 29th for more Christmas shows and a new play. See you then!

Henslowe links



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Thursday 26 December 2019

26 December, 1595 - The Wonder of a Woman

Here's what the Admiral's Men performed at the Rose playhouse on this day, 424 years ago..
Henslowe writes: ye 25 of desembȝ 1595 S steuens day ... R at the wonder of a womon ... iijll ijs 

In modern English: [26th] December, 1595, St Stephen's Day ... Received at The Wonder of a Woman ... £3 and 2 shillings

Artemesia Gentileschi, Allegory of
Fame (early 1630s)
Merry Christmas! In Elizabethan England, today was St Stephen's Day, or the second day of Christmas (the equivalent of our Boxing Day). It was a time for feasting and the giving of presents, but it was also a time for theatre, as the Rose has opened its doors to Londoners on this festive day.

The Admiral's Men have chosen to perform The Wonder of a Woman, a lost play that you can read more about in the entry for 16 October. This play has been doing very poorly at the box office of late, but not today: on this festive occasion, the theatre is packed, regardless of the quality of the production.


Henslowe links



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Sunday 22 December 2019

22 December, 1595 - The New World's Tragedy

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

Henslowe writes: ye 22 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at the new worldes tragedie ... xxs 

In modern English: 22nd December, 1595 ... Received at The New World's Tragedy ... 20 shillings

Walter Raleigh attacking Trinidad, by
Theodore de Bry (1595)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost play The New World's Tragedy, which may have been about a calamitous event in the Americas. You can read more about this play in the entry for 17 September.

The company has returned to work for just one day; they are about to take more time off before Christmastide begins. They have chosen The New World's Tragedy, last performed ten days ago. Its mediocre box office suggests that Londoners are still in Advent mode, but this is likely to change when they flock to the theatres during Christmas. The players must be looking forward to that.


What's next?


There will be no blog entries for the next few days, as Henslowe records no performances.  Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on Boxing Day. See you then!

Henslowe links



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Wednesday 18 December 2019

18 December, 1595 - The First Part of Hercules

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

Henslowe writes: ye 18 of desembȝ 1595 ... mr pd ... R at j pt of herculos ... xiijs 

In modern English: 18th December, 1595 ... Master paid ... Received at First Part of Hercules ... 13 shillings

Hercules fighting the Nemean Lion by
Francisco de Zurbarán (1634)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived The First Part of Hercules, which retold some of the legends of the Greek mythological strongman, perhaps focusing on his Twelve Labours. You can read more about this play in the entry for 7 May.

Today's entry includes a note that Henslowe paid the license for the Rose to the Master of the Revels; you can read more about this in the entry for 8 November.

The players have waited three and a half weeks to restage the once-popular Hercules. Today's box office is even lower than it was before. And the players will not bother with their usual practice of performing Part Two tomorrow.

What's next?


There will be no blog entries for a few days, as Henslowe's Diary suggests that the players took some time off, perhaps to relax before the busy Christmas season. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 22nd. See you then!

Henslowe links



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Monday 16 December 2019

16 December, 1595 - Harry V


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

Henslowe writes: ye 16 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at hary the v ... xxixs 

In modern English: 16th December, 1595 ... Received at Harry V ... 29 shillings

King Henry V, posthumous portrait
(late 16th or early 17th century)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Harry V, their play about King Henry V of England, who, according to legend, gave up a dissolute lifestyle and led his country to victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt before his untimely death. You can read more about this play in the entry for 28 November.

The company has waited a week to bring back King Henry. The play continues to hover around the average for the Rose.


What's next?


For some reason, Henslowe records no performance tomorrow. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 18th. See you then!

Henslowe links



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Sunday 15 December 2019

15 December, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 14 of desembȝ  1595 ... R at the vij dayes ... xxiiij  
In modern English: [15th] December, 1595 ... Received at The Seven Days ... 24 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June.


19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

The Seven Days of the Week used to be one of the company's most frequently performed plays, but they have now waited a month to revive it. There has been a small improvement in the box office.


Henslowe links



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Thursday 12 December 2019

12 December, 1595 - The New World's Tragedy

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

Henslowe writes: ye 12 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at the new worldes tragedy ... xxxjs vjd

In modern English: 12th December, 1595 ... Received at The New World's Tragedy ... 31 shillings and sixpence

Walter Raleigh attacking Trinidad, by
Theodore de Bry (1595)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost play The New World's Tragedy, which may have been about a calamitous event in the Americas. You can read more about this play in the entry for 17 September.

The company continues to perform The New World's Tragedy every two weeks or so. Like Longshanks yesterday, it has experienced a sudden rise in box office, suggesting a boost in theatregoing at this time.


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because Henslowe records no performance for 13th December; neither does he record one for the 14th because that was a Sunday in 1595. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 15th. See you then!

Henslowe links



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Tuesday 10 December 2019

10 December, 1595 - Longshanks

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

Henslowe writes: ye 10 of desembȝ  1595 ... R at prynce longshanke ... xxxs 

In modern English: 10th December, 1595 ... Received at Prince Longshank ... 30 shillings

Portrait of Edward I in
Westminster Abbey
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Longshanks, their lost play about King Edward I of England; you can read more about it in the entry for 29 August.

The company has broken with its habit of performing Longshank every three weeks and has returned to it after only two - and has received higher box office than usual.

This is an intriguing entry, because just for once, Henslowe calls the play Prince Longshank, instead of his usual Longshank. This entry has led some scholars to wonder whether the play might have been about the exploits of the young Edward, who fought in the Crusades before he was king.


What's next? 


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because for some reason Henslowe records no performance on 11th December. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 12th. See you then!


Henslowe links



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Sunday 8 December 2019

8 December, 1595 - Harry V


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

Henslowe writes: ye 8 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at hary the v ... xxixs 

In modern English: 8th December, 1595 ... Received at Harry V ... 29 shillings

King Henry V, posthumous portrait
(late 16th or early 17th century)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Harry V, their play about King Henry V of England, who, according to legend, gave up a dissolute lifestyle and led his country to victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt before his untimely death. You can read more about this play in the entry for 28 November.

For its third performance, the players have quickly returned Harry V to the stage in under a week. Its box office is again merely average, but that is still good enough in this lean time of the year.


What's next?


For some reason, Henslowe records no performance tomorrow. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 10th. See you then!

Henslowe links



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Friday 6 December 2019

6 December, 1595 - Crack Me This Nut

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

Henslowe writes: ye 6 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at Crack me this nvtt ... xv shillings


In modern English: 6th December, 1595 ... Received at Crack Me This Nut ... 15 shillings

Dessert Still Life by Georg Flegel (1566-1638)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Crack Me This Nut. We know nothing about the content of this lost play, but you can read more about it in the entry for 5th September.

The company has waited a week and a half to revive Crack Me This Nut. It box office had plateaued at around 25 shillings for a while, but has now started to decline.


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 7 December was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 8th - see you then!


Henslowe links



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Wednesday 4 December 2019

4 December, 1595 - The Wonder of a Woman

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

Henslowe writes: ye 4 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at wonder of a womon ... xiiijs 

In modern English: 4th December, 1595 ... Received at Wonder of a Woman ... 14 shillings

Artemesia Gentileschi, Allegory of
Fame (early 1630s)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived The Wonder of a Woman. You can read more about this lost play in the entry for 16 October.

The players have waited two weeks to revive The Wonder of a Woman, but its box office is now already in the doldrums.


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow, because, for unknown reasons, no performance is recorded at the Rose on 5th December. We're entering a stretch of the Diary in which numerous days do not have performances recorded, a situation that will continue throughout December. We do not know whether the Rose was literally empty that day, or whether Henslowe's records are in error.

 Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 6th; see you then!



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Tuesday 3 December 2019

3 December, 1595 - Barnardo and Philametta

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

Henslowe writes: ye 3 of desembȝ  1595 ... R at barnardo ... vijs 

In modern English: 3rd December, 1595  ... Received at Barnardo ... 7 shillings

Click!
Portrait of a couple by an unknown French artist, c.1610
Today, the Admiral's Men revived Barnardo and Philametta, a lost play on an unknown subject; you can read more about it in the entry for 30 October.

Barnardo and Philametta continues to receive catastrophically awful box office. One cannot help suspect that it will not remain long in the repertory.

Henslowe links



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Monday 2 December 2019

2 December, 1595 - Harry V


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

Henslowe writes: ye 2 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at harey the v ... xxxvs 

In modern English: 2nd December, 1595 ... Received at Harry V ... 35 shillings

King Henry V, posthumous portrait
(late 16th or early 17th century)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Harry V, their play about King Henry V of England, who, according to legend, gave up a dissolute lifestyle and led his country to victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt before his untimely death. You can read more about this play in the entry for 28 November.

The players have rushed Harry V back to the stage, following its very successful premiere. Today the audience size is merely average, but that in itself is probably a relief, since the company's new plays have been quite disastrous of late.


Henslowe links



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Sunday 1 December 2019

1 December,1595 - A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies

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

Henslowe writes: ye 31 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at the toye to please chaste ladeyes ... xijs 

In modern English: [1st December, 1595] ... Received at The Toy to Please Chaste Ladies ... 12 shillings

Two Women at a Window by Murillo (1655-60)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies, an enigmatic lost play; you can read more about it in the entry for 14 November.

It is the first day of December, and we are now entering the period known as Advent, a period traditionally associated with fasting before Christmas. Although theatre was obviously still permitted, it's likely that a lot of Londoners would have felt guilty about attending during this time.

Perhaps this explains the disastrous box office of this third performance of A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies, which appears not to have pleased many ladies at all, chaste or otherwise.


Henslowe links



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Friday 29 November 2019

29 November, 1595 - The Welshman

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

Henslowe writes: ye 29 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at the welche man ... vijs 

In modern English: 29th November, 1595 ... Received at The Welshman ... 7 shillings

Sir Richard Clough (1530-70),
a Welsh merchant
Today's entry represents one of those occasional strange moments in Henslowe's Diary when a previously unknown play suddenly appears, draws a tiny audience, and then never reappears. We know nothing of The Welshman beyond its title and its one enigmatic entry.

Is this performance of The Welshman really what it seems to be: a one-off, spectacularly unsuccessful revival of an old play from the archives? Or is Henslowe giving a new name to an existing play in the repertory, such as Longshanks, which features a Welsh villain named Llywelyn? We'll probably never know. And perhaps it doesn't matter, since hardly anyone in London seems to have cared.


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 30 November was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on 1 December. See you then!


FURTHER READING


The Welshman information



Henslowe links



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Thursday 28 November 2019

28 November, 1595 - Harry V


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

Henslowe writes: ye 28 of novmbȝ 1595 ... ne ... R at harey the v ... iijll vjs 

In modern English: 28th November, 1595 ... New ... Received at Harry V ... £3 and 6 shillings

King Henry V, posthumous portrait
(late 16th or early 17th century)
Today, the Admiral's Men premiered a new play! To judge from its title, it must have told the story of King Henry V, the youthful English monarch who, according to legend, gave up a dissolute lifestyle and led his country to victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt before his untimely death.

Of course, readers and theatregoers today know this story from Shakespeare's famous trilogy, Henry IV, Parts One and Two and Henry V. But in 1595, those plays were still a couple of years in the future and would be performed by the Admiral's Men's main rivals. For the Rose audience, the story might instead have been remembered from an old play from the 1580s entitled The Famous Victories of Henry V, a text of which survives today.

Indeed, it's possible that Harry V was simply another name for The Famous Victories, if it had been obtained by the Admiral's Men to be revived now. But if so, it would have to have been in revised form, because Henslowe describes it as "new". The simpler explanation is that it was a brand new play on the same subject.

But for what it's worth, let's take a look at The Famous Victories to see one example of a non-Shakespearean play about Henry V.

If the play was The Famous Victories of Henry V


Image result for famous victories of henry vFor anyone familiar with Shakespeare's three plays about Prince Henry's journey toward kingship, The Famous Victories feels like a high-speed tear, as it presents the same story in one very short play.

It begins with Prince Henry and his lowlife friends getting involved in a robbery (akin to 1 Henry IV, scene 3.1). One of Henry's friends is an aristocratic ne'er-do-well named Sir John Oldcastle, nicknamed 'Jockey'; Shakespeare would later transform this role into his glorious comic creation, Falstaff, but the Oldcastle of The Famous Victories is a much less interesting figure and appears only briefly; an acorn from which an oak will grow.

Prince Henry ends up in prison because he boxes the Lord Chief Justice's ear (this incident is mentioned in 2 Henry IV but not staged). "Zounds, masters," gasps Derick the clown, "here's ado when princes must go to prison!" But prison produces no repentance in the young renegade. Upon his release, Henry vows that when he is king, he will fire the Lord Chief Justice and allow highwaymen to go free. Oldcastle tells him, "We shall never have a merry world till the old king be dead."

But when the prince visits his sickly father, the old king tells him that "these thy doings will end thy father's days". The prince has an attack of conscience and promises to abandon his "vile and reprobate companions". Visiting him later, the Prince finds his father dead - as he thinks - and takes the crown; this results in some awkwardness because the king is not in fact dead yet, but the two of them have a bonding session and the father forgives the son; Shakespeare repeats the same sequence of events at the end of 2 Henry IV.

Shakespeare also expanded upon is a scene in which Henry acquires a new seriousness. Upon finally inheriting the crown he banishes his old friends, telling them, "your former life grieves me, and makes me to abandon and abolish your company forever".

The Battle of Agincourt illustrated in
the Chronique d'Enguerrand de Monstrelet (15th c.) 
We now move into the play's equivalent of Shakespeare's Henry V: Henry declares war on France and heads off to batttle, while comic characters behave disreputably in a subplot. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English are vastly outnumbered, and the French soldiers gloat that they are the hardier soldiers:

Why, take an Englishman out of his warm bed and his stale drink but one month, and alas, what will become of him? But give the Frenchman a radish root, and he will live with it all the days of his life.

Meanwhile, Henry gives a short but stirring speech (not a patch on Shakespeare's "feast of Crispin" speech, it must be said), and a stage direction simply reads "The Battle".

The English defeat the French against impossible odds. And then, just as in Act 5 of Shakespeare's Henry V, Henry woos the French princess Katherine in plain-speaking manner ("Tush, Kate! But tell me in plain terms, canst thou love the King of England? I cannot do as these countries do that spend half their time in wooing.") And the play thus ends with a royal wedding in the offing, again just as in Shakespeare's, but with considerably less poetry:

Henry V. Welcome, sweet Kate! But, my brother of France, what say you to it?
Charles VI. With all my heart I like it. But when shall be your wedding day?
Henry V. The first Sunday of the next month, God willing.

The end. If you would like to read The Famous Victories of Henry V, the best way to do so is via the modern-spelling edition contained in Peter Corbin and Douglas Sedge's 1991 anthology The Oldcastle Controversy.

What we learn from this


This mysterious Harry V play reminds us that some of Shakespeare's plays should be thought of as parts of a wider theatrical conversation.   The Famous Victories had created a popular version of the Henry V legend and had turned the historical figure of Sir John Oldcastle one of Henry's disreputable friends. The real Oldcastle was nothing like this character - indeed, he was a Protestant heretic who was executed for leading a rebellion against Henry V and the church, and was regarded by Elizabethans as a martyr.

Shakespeare's Henry IV plays expanded - literally - upon the Oldcastle figure, turning him into a lovably corpulent and disgraceful old rogue. During the first performances of Part One, he was still called Oldcastle, but it seems that the martyr's descendants were offended by this portrayal of their venerable ancestor and complained, so Shakespeare changed the character's name to Falstaff, and included a line in the epilogue to Part Two stating that "Oldcastle died a martyr, and this is not the man".

This theatrical conversation continued a few years later, in 1599, when the Rose staged a new pair of plays entitled The True and Honourable History of the Life of Sir John Oldcastle, which contained a more respectful version of his life and martyrdom, and firmly separating him from the fat knight that he had inspired.

What we don't know is where today's Harry V play fits into all this. Is it just another name for The Famous Victories? Was it an mere imitation of it? Or did it have some other kind of take on the legend? And what version of Sir John Oldcastle did it present?

Despite all these mysteries, one thing we do know is that today's premiere was very successful, producing a packed auditorium for the first time in a long while, and proving that the name of Henry V could draw excited crowds.


FURTHER READING


Harry V information

  • Peter Corbin and Douglas Sedge, eds. The Oldcastle Controversy (Manchester University Press, 1991), 28 n.82
  • Andrew Gurr, Shakespeare's Opposites: The Admiral's Company, 1594-1625 (Cambridge University Press, 2009), 43
  • Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 2 (Oxford University Press, 2012), entries 773 and 1012


Henslowe links



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Wednesday 27 November 2019

27 November, 1595 - The New World's Tragedy

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

Henslowe writes: ye 27 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at the new wordles tragedy ... xviijs 

In modern English: 27th November, 1595 ... Received at The New World's Tragedy ... 18 shillings

Walter Raleigh attacking Trinidad, by
Theodore de Bry (1595)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost play The New World's Tragedy, which may have been about a calamitous event in the Americas. You can read more about this play in the entry for 17 September.

The company has waited two an a half weeks to revive The New World's Tragedy. Its box office shows a sudden decline to well below the average for the Rose.

Henslowe links



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Tuesday 26 November 2019

26 November, 1595 - Longshanks

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

Henslowe writes: ye 26 of novmbȝ  1595 ... R at longshancke ... xviijs 

In modern English: [26th] November, 1595 ... Received at Longshank ... 18 shillings

Portrait of Edward I in
Westminster Abbey
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Longshanks, their play about King Edward I of England; you can read more about it in the entry for 29 August.

The company continues with their practice of performing Longshanks approximately once every three weeks. However, the box office has suddenly declined to well below the average for the Rose. The audience may be wearying of it.

Henslowe links



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Monday 25 November 2019

25 November, 1595 - The Second Part of Hercules

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

Henslowe writes: ye 25 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at 2 pt of hercolos ... xvijs 

In modern English: 25th November, 1595 ... Received at Second Part of Hercules ... 16 shillings

The Embarkation of the Argonauts by Lorenzo
Costa (16th century). Hercules is on the prow
of the Argo.
Today, the players revived the second part of their lost Hercules play. Part Two continued the story of the Greek mythological strongman and may have included Hercules' participation in the quest for the Golden Fleece. You can read more about it in the entry for 23rd May.

Three weeks ago, the players experimented with performing The Second Part as a stand-alone play. They have not repeated that experiment this time, instead going back to performing the two plays as a pair on sequential days. The box office has declined markedly, though.


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Sunday 24 November 2019

24 November, 1595 - The First Part of Hercules

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

Henslowe writes: ye 24 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at j herculos ... xxs 

In modern English: 24th November, 1595 ... Received at 1 Hercules ... 20 shillings

Hercules fighting the Nemean Lion by
Francisco de Zurbarán (1634)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived The First Part of Hercules, which retold some of the legends of the Greek mythological strongman, perhaps focusing on his Twelve Labours. You can read more about this play in the entry for 7 May.

Despite attracting a solid audience last time, the players have waited a month to restage Hercules. Today's box office is much lower though, suggesting that enthusiasm for this once-popular play will be hard to restore.

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Friday 22 November 2019

22 November, 1595 - Olympio and Eugenio

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

Henslowe writes: ye 22 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at  olempo ... iiijs vjd

In modern English: 22nd November, 1595 ... Received at Olympio ... 4 shillings and sixpence

Portrait of Two Friends by Pontormo (1524)
Today, the Admiral's Men performed their play Olympio and Eugenio, which may or may not have been the same play as Seleo and Olympo (you can learn more about them in the entry for 4 September).

The Admiral's Men have ignored this play for six weeks. Finally, they have returned it to the stage, but it has returned one of the worst box office figures ever recorded at the Rose. Surely it must be time to give up on this play?!

What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 23 November was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 24th for a week that will include two new plays. See you then!


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Thursday 21 November 2019

21 November, 1595 - A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies

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

Henslowe writes: ye 21 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at a toye to please chaste ladeyes ... xxjs 

In modern English: 21st November, 1595 ... Received at A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies ... 21 shillings

Two Women at a Window by Murillo (1655-60)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies, an enigmatic lost play; you can read more about it in the entry for 14 November.

This is the second performance of A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies after its premiere a week ago. Unfortunately, word of mouth seems not to have been good, because its box office has already descended below the average for the Rose.


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Wednesday 20 November 2019

20 November, 1595 - The Wonder of a Woman

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

Henslowe writes: ye 20 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at wonder of a womon ... xxs 

In modern English: 20th November, 1595 ... Received at Wonder of a Woman ... 20 shillings

Artemesia Gentileschi, Allegory of
Fame (early 1630s)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived The Wonder of a Woman. You can read more about this lost play in the entry for 16 October.

Not long after its premiere, the box office for The Wonder of a Woman is continuing to sink further; it seems to have been a misfire.



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Tuesday 19 November 2019

19 November, 1595 - Barnardo and Philametta

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

Henslowe writes: ye 19 of novmbȝ  1595 ... R at barnardo ... vjs 

In modern English: 19th November, 1595  ... Received at Barnardo ... 6 shillings

Click!
Portrait of a couple by an unknown French artist, c.1610
Today, the Admiral's Men revived Barnardo and Philametta, a lost play on an unknown subject; you can read more about it in the entry for 30 October.

Oh dear me. On its third performance, Barnardo and Philametta has received a ridiculously small audience, the likes of which most plays never sink to.

The only conclusion we can draw is that Barnardo and Philametta must have been either (a) a load of absolute rubbish or (b) a work of experimental genius that the philistines of London didn't understand.

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Monday 18 November 2019

18 November, 1595 - Crack Me This Nut

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

Henslowe writes: ye 18 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at cracke me this nvtte ... xxiiij shillings


In modern English: 18th November, 1595 ... Received at Crack Me This Nut ... 24 shillings

Dessert Still Life by Georg Flegel (1566-1638)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Crack Me This Nut. We know nothing about the content of this lost play, but you can read more about it in the entry for 5th September.

The company is easing up on its performances of this once very popular play, now waiting a fortnight to revive it. The box office remains static, a sign that Crack Me This Nut still has some life in it.


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Friday 15 November 2019

15 November, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 15 of novmbȝ  1595 ... R at vij dayes ... xviij  
In modern English: 15th November, 1595 ... Received at Seven Days ... 18 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June.


19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

The company may be settling into a routine of performing The Seven Days of the Week once a fortnight, as it is no longer the crowd-pleaser that it once was.


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow as 16th November was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Neither will there be one on the 17th, as Henslowe records no performance, for unknown reasons. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 18th. See you then!

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