2 February, 1596 - The Jew of Malta

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 2 of febereary 1595 ... R at the Jew of malta ... lvij^s  

In modern English: 2^nd February, [1596] ... Received at The Jew of Malta ... 57 shillings

Caravaggio's portrait of the Grand

Master of the Knights of Malta,

1607-8.

Today, was Candlemas, a feast day and a public holiday to celebrate the end of winter. On this day, churches would be filled with candles. And, more importantly for Henslowe, theatres would be filled with punters.

For the holiday, the players have revived The Jew of Malta, Christopher Marlowe's satirical comic tragedy. You can read more about this play in the blog entry for 26th February 1592.

The company last performed this popular classic only three days ago, but they have quickly brought it back to draw in the holiday crowds. The gamble has paid off, with a very large crowd showing up at the Rose.

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?

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