8 January, 1597 - Vortigern

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 8 of Jenewary 1597 ... R at valteger ... xij^s 

In modern English: 8^th January, 1597 ... Received at Vortigern ... 12 shillings

Vortigern in his burning
castle. From a 14th-century
manuscript of Peter of
Langtoft's Chronicle of
England.  

Today, the Admiral's Men chose to perform Vortigern, their play about the legendary British king whose actions brought about the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. You can read more about this play in the entry for 4th December, 1596. 

The company has waited a week to revive Vortigern after its successful New Year's Day performance. Today, the crowd is very small though, suggesting that things are returning to normal after the Christmas season. 

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow, as 9 January was a Sunday in 1597 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 10th, for a week that will include a new play. See you then!

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!

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?

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

6 January, 1597 - That Will Be Shall Be

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 6 of Jenewary 1597 ... R at that wilbe shalbe ... xxxxij^s 

In modern English: 6^th January, 1597 ... Received at That Will Be Shall Be ... 42 shillings

Today is Twelfth Night, the end of the Christmas season, and a day of festivity. On this day, the Admiral's Men revived That Will Be Shall Be, an enigmatic lost play. You can read more about this play in the entry for 30 December, 1596.

This is another good result for That Will Be Shall Be, which has attracted a larger than average crowd to the Rose on its third performance, despite being performed three times in just one week. However, these big audiences may be due to the Christmas festivities, so we will see if the play continues to be popular next week. 

A female archer tries to take down a war elephant. The man on the
right appears to share the sentiments of this play's title.
From the Smithfield Decretals (c.1340)

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!

5 January, 1597 - Doctor Faustus

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 5 of Jenewary 1597 ... R at docterfostes ... v^s

In modern English: 5^th January, 1597 ... Received at Doctor Faustus ... 5 shillings

Faustus summoning Mephistopheles: from the
1616 text of the play 

Today, the Admiral's Men revived Dr Faustus, Christopher Marlowe's famous tragedy about a scholar who sells his soul to the devil. You can read more about it in the entry for 2 October, 1594.

Dr Faustus was last seen at the Rose three weeks ago, and its box office keeps getting worse. There seems to be little mileage left in this old classic. 

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!

4 January, 1597 - Nebuchadnezzar

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 4 of Jenewary 1597 ... R at nabucadonizer ... xvj^s 

In modern English: 4^th January, 1597 ... Received at Nebuchadnezzar ... 16 shillings

Nebuchadnezzar's dream
of the tree, from
Speculum Humanae
Salvationis, a 15th-
century French manuscript

Today, the Admiral's Men performed Nebuchadnezzar, their Biblical drama about the Babylonian king whose dreams were interpreted by the prophet Daniel. You can read more about this play in the entry for 18 December, 1596. 

The rollercoaster ride of the Christmastide season continues, as two successful performances are followed by this very disappointing one for Nebuchadnezzar. Londoners are not in festive mood every single day of the Christmas season.

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!

3 January, 1597 - That Will Be Shall Be

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 3 of Jenewary 1597 ... R at that wilbe shalbe ... xxxxij^s 

In modern English: 3^rd January, 1597 ... Received at That Will Be Shall Be ... 42 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived That Will Be Shall Be, an enigmatic lost play. You can read more about this play in the entry for 30 December, 1596.

London's theatregoers seem to have responded favourably to That Will Be Shall Be, which premiered a few days ago to a large audience, and has received a similarly sized audience today. This is an encouraging sign, although it may be due to the ongoing Christmas festivities, rather than to the quality of the play itself.

A female archer tries to take down a war elephant. The man on the
right appears to share the sentiments of this play's title.
From the Smithfield Decretals (c.1340)

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!

1 January, 1597 - Vortigern

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 1 of Jenewary 1596 ... R at valteger ... xxxxv^s 

In modern English: 1^st January, [1597] ... Received at Vortigern ... 45 shillings

Vortigern in his burning
castle. From a 14th-century
manuscript of Peter of
Langtoft's Chronicle of
England.  

Happy New Year! On the first day of 1597, an important holiday in the Elizabethan calendar, the Admiral's Men have chosen to perform Vortigern, their play about the legendary British king whose actions brought about the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. You can read more about this play in the entry for 4th December, 1596. 

The box office for Vortigern is greatly improved today, no doubt because many Londoners are in festive mood again. 

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow, as 2 January was a Sunday in 1597 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 3rd, for a week that will include the surprise return of an old favourite. 

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!