7 January, 1597 - Hieronimo

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 7 of Jenewary 1597 ... R at Joronymo ... iij^ll

In modern English: 7^th January, 1597 ... Received at Hieronimo ... £3 

Woodcut from the 1615 edition of The Spanish Tragedy.

What a surprise! Today, a long-forgotten play has returned to the Rose. We last saw The Spanish Tragedy (or Hieronimo, as Henslowe calls it) four years ago in 1593. Back then, it was being performed by Lord Strange's Men, but there is continuity, as Edward Alleyn was the leading actor of both companies, and would have taken the leading role of Hieronimo, the grieving father who becomes an insane revenger. You can read more about this play in the entry for 14th March, 1592.

The company's return of The Spanish Tragedy to the Rose follows a pattern that we have seen earlier. Tamburlaine and Doctor Faustus are other examples of older plays that Edward Alleyn had starred in when acting with other companies, and have somehow now returned to the company currently occupying the Rose. 

The Spanish Tragedy had once been one of the most popular days of its age. It was already an old play when we first encountered it in Henslowe's Diary, and like most plays in the repertory, it gradually declined it popularity. The Admiral's Men may be calculating that after four years, the audience will be ready to love it again. And they appear to be correct, as the revival has brought a huge crowd to the Rose, almost filling it. Once again, Londoners can hear Alleyn uttering the famous lines, "Oh eyes, no eyes, but fountains fraught with tears!"

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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