Wednesday, 26 September 2018

26 September, 1594 - The Love of an English Lady

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

Henslowe writes: ye 24 of septmbȝ 1594 ... ne... R at venesyon & the love of & Jngleshe lady ... 47s 

In modern English: [26th] September, 1594 ... New ... Received at Venetian and the Love of an English Lady ... 47 shillings


An English lady in winter,
etching by Wenceslas
Hollar (1644)
Today, the Admiral's Men performed a new play with a rather weird title, which should presumably read A Venetian and the Love of an English Lady. Later in the Diary, Henslowe will shorten its name to The Love of an English Lady. This play is lost, and, although its title is very precise, it gives few insights into its plot. Presumably somebody (perhaps a Venetian, unless that word crept in by mistake) falls in love with an English lady (or vice versa) but whether their amour takes place in Venice or England can never be known.

If this was a comedy involving Venice, it's intriguing to see it appear only a month after the players introduced The Venetian Comedy. They seem to be trying to diversify by creating Italian-style comedies, perhaps in an attempt a breaking away from the near-constant parade of violent dramas. However, the dismal box office of The Love of an English Lady - good for an ordinary day but terrible for a premiere - suggest that their audience will not be as receptive to these new plays as the company had hoped.

FURTHER READING

 

The Love of an English Lady information

  • Andrew Gurr, Shakespeare's Opposites: The Admiral's Company, 1594-1625 (Cambridge University Press, 2009), 207, 208.
  • Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 3 (Oxford University Press, 2013), entry 967.

Henslowe links



Comments?


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

Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)