24 September, 1595 - The Second 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 24 of septmbȝ 1595 ... R at 2 pt of herculos ... xxiij^s 

In modern English: [24^th] September, 1595 ... Received at Second Part of Hercules ... 23 shillings

The Embarkation of the Argonauts by Lorenzo
Costa (16th century). Hercules is on the prow
of the Argo.

Today, the players revived the second part of their lost Hercules play. Part Two continued the story of the Greek mythological strongman and may have included Hercules' participation in the quest for the Golden Fleece. You can read more about it in the entry for 23rd May.

Just as with yesterday's disappointing performance of Part One, the second part has proven even more of a squib. The enthusiasm of Londoners for the exploits of Hercules has suddenly evaporated.

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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