1 September, 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: y^e 1 of septmbȝ 1595 ... R at j pte of hercvlos ... iii^ll iiij^s 

In modern English: 1^st September, 1595 ... Received at First Part of Hercules ... £3 and 4 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.

The company's first week back at the Rose after their long absence was disappointing, as the audience showed muted enthusiasm for most of their plays. This week, they have opted to restage one of the great successes of the previous season, Hercules. The actors must be relieved to see that the play has attracted a huge crowd to the Rose. Perhaps they should have started with this one in the first place.

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)

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