Masques

Masques and Other Jacobean Works

"Where the bee sucks," was set by Robert Johnson, a contemporary of Shakespeare. In this performance, the singer is accompanied by recorder and lute.1

A New WorldA New MonarchyJohn de Critz, 1606NPGJohn de Critz, 1606Maritime Museum

Succession

Defined SuccessionHenry VIIIBy statute: Edward VI, Mary, ElizabethBy will: Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth and descendants of his sister, MaryEdward VIGreys before Mary

EliminationPhilip II claim for his daughter based on descent from Edward IIIGreysJane executed as proxy to prevent succession of MaryCatherines secret marriage to Edward Seymour was questionedSecret marriage of Arbella and William Seymour also results in charges

Neither Catherine or Edward could produce evidence of their marriage; they said it had happened, but was it legal by constitutional and canonical standards? They could not even produce the minister, summoned by Jane Seymour during that early morning. It remained up to Elizabeth; would she believe them or not? Elizabeth turned the entire matter over to the church and, on 10 May 1562, the Archbishop of Canterbury ruled there had been no marriage between Edward and Catherine. They were officially censured for having committed fornication; there would be a fine and imprisonment, to be determined by the Queens mercy.5

EliminationArbella StuartElizabeth: Prospects of marriage with SeymoursSecret marriage to William SeymourAnne StanleyIn 1579 Margaret Clifford had been accused of opposing a proposed marriage of Elizabeth and of sorcery in predicting her death

James VI of Scotland Had received support from ElizabethFavored by both Essex and Robert CecilAccession Council proclaims James VIwho is lineally and lawfully descended from the body of Margaret, daughter to the High and Renowned Prince, Henrie the seventh King of England, France, and Ireland, his great Grandfather, the said Lady Margaret being lawfully begotten of the body of Elizabeth, daughter to King Edward the fourth (by which happy conjunction both the houses of Yorke and Lancaster were united, to the joy unspeakeable of this Kingdome, formerly rent & torne by the long dissention of bloody and Civil Warres) the same Lady Margaret being also the eldest sister of Henry the eight, of famous memorie King of England as aforesayd All officials shall assist all things that are or shalbe necessary for the preventing, resisting, and suppressing of any disorderly assemblies, or other unlawfull Acte or Attempt, either in word or deede, against the publique peace of the Realme, or any way prejudiciall to the Right, Honour, State or Person, of our only undoubted and deere Lord and Soveraigne that now is, James the first King of all the said Kingdomes

Payments to the Scottish KingJames VI was always short of money to spend on personal projects or to grant gifts to friends and favourites. In 1586 a treaty was signed between Scotland and England, and parallel negotiations led to James VI being promised an annual subsidy by Elizabeth I. The Scottish king received 4000 sterling (36,000 Scots) as his first subsidy. However, the English queen never committed herself to a fixed annual payment, although James VI received regular payments until shortly before the death of Elizabeth I.

Records show that the payments were irregular and unpredictable, and the Scottish monarch had to earn his subsidy by being of value to Elizabeth I in one way or another, eg in 1594 James VI received 4000 sterling when Elizabeth heard news that Huntly and the Catholic earls had received gold from the Spanish to subsidise their rebellion. It should be noted that no payment was made in 1587 when Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed.

The English called the payment a gratuity or pension, and the Scots called it an annuity (claiming that James VI was entitled to an income from his grandmothers estates in England, ie Margaret Douglas, Lady Lennox).

Between 1586 and 1602 James VI received 58,500 sterling. This money would have been spent in many ways, eg paying off debts in England, buying goods in England, paying for a royal guard, financing military action against the Catholic earls and providing gifts for royal favourites. However, most of the money did not pass through the hands of government officers and detailed records were not kept.

The English subsidy contributed to the unequal relationship between James VI and Elizabeth I. So long as he hoped to succeed Elizabeth I on the English throne he had to maintain good relations between the two kingdoms.

In 1596 James VI's efforts to have himself declared heir apparent to the English throne culminated in the Treaty of Berwick, a formal alliance with England. However, so long as she lived, James VI had to earn his regular subsidies from Elizabeth I. This money could then be used to support a royal court in Scotland made up largely of nobles and courtiers who wanted James to succeed to the English throne.7

James I True Law of Free Monarchies, Scotland 1598, London 1603

Kings are called gods by the prophetical King because they sit upon God his throne in the earth and have the count of their administration to give unto him. Their office is "to minister justice and judgment to the people, as the same David saith; "to advance the good and punish the evil," as he likewise saith; "to establish good laws to his people and procure obedience to the same, as divers good kings of Judah did; "to procure the peace of the people, as the same David saith.

James I Advice for a Monarch, 1599

Advice to sonThe state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth, for kings are not only God's lieutenants upon earth and sit upon God's throne, but even by God himself they are called gods.

James advised his son to eat meat to be strong for traveling and during war time. He must also beware not to drink and sleep excessively. Furthermore, his wardrobe should always be clean and proper and he must never allow his hair and nails to grow long. In his writing and speech, he should use honest and plain language.9

Triumphal Arch of the New Augustus

House of Lords Cellar

John Soanes plan for HV, 1794

The Conspirators

Tolerance?I will never allow in my conscience that the blood of any man shall be shed for the diversity of opinion in religion No! I am so far from any intention of persecution, as I protest to God I reverence their Church as our Mother Church, though clogged with many infirmities and corruptions, besides that I ever did hold persecution as one of the infallible notes of a false church. But . . . I would be sorry that Catholics should so multiply as they might be able to practise their old principles on us.Letter to Cecil

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Anne of Denmark 1595

Isaac OliverRoyal Collection

Anne of Denmark1617

Paul van SomerRoyal CollectionHampton Court

Henry VIII acquired the house in 1538, and rebuilt it for Anne of Cleves. The palace was built around three main adjoining quadrangular courtyards covering fourteen hectares and utilising an existing 15th-century moated manor house.[2] He married Catherine Howard in the palace on 28 July 1540.[3]

It subsequently became the residence, at various times, of Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. It was to Oatlands that Mary Tudor retreated after her supposed pregnancy. Her previous residence, Hampton Court Palace, had housed the nursery staff that was assembled for the birth of the child. The announcement of a movement to Oatlands (considerably smaller than Hampton) ended any hope of a happy outcome of the Queen's pregnancy.

James I's wife Anne of Denmark employed Inigo Jones to design an ornamental gateway from the Privy Garden to the Park. In 1646, it was a temporary home of the infant Princess Henrietta of England, daughter of Charles I of England and and later Duchess of Orleans, sister-in-law of Louis XIV, whose governess smuggled her into France in the summer of 1646.15

Masques and Other Jacobean Works

"Where the bee sucks," was set by Robert Johnson, a contemporary of Shakespeare. In this performance, the singer is accompanied by recorder and lute.16

Music, Shakespeare and Tudor TheaterHenslow notes the Admirals Mens propertyItem, iii trumpets and a drum, and a treble viol, a bass viol, a bandore [like a bass guitar--the name became corrupted to "banjo"], a cithern [an early form of the guitar]Shakespeare calls forLutes and violsRecorders, hautboys (oboe related), trumpets and sackbuts

List of Actors First Folio

Contributors to the FolioHemmingsCondell

Principal actors were shareholdersSome on the list only known from later playsSome started as boy actors

Philips may have been a musicianJohn Lowin may have played Henry VIII and Falstaff in later revivalsWilliam Ostler in Jonson playsNathan Field may have replaced Shakespeare as actor and he also wrote plays. He died young after a wild life.Nicholas Tooley is believed to have been in Taming of the ShrewJoseph Taylor joined in1619John Shancke in Twelfth NightSome actors such as JohnRice started as boy players

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Actors Edward Alleyn (1566-1626)Title roles in Tamburlaine and Dr. Faustus, and Barabas in The Jew of Malta.Shares in the Bear Garden and Fortune theatreLeft 10,000 to found Dulwich College (College of Gods Gift)

College of God's Gift at Dulwich19

Actors Richard Burbage (1568-1619)Son of the builder of the TheatreLeads in Richard III, Hamlet, Lear and OthelloAstronomers and Stargazers this yearWrite but of four eclipses, five appear,Death interposing Burbage and there staying,Hath made a visible eclipse of playing.Thomas Middleton, 1619

Actors ComicsWilliam Kempe (d.~1610)Composer of jigsLove's Labour's Lost (1594), Peter; the Nurse's servant, in Romeo and Juliet (c.1595); Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream (15956), Lancelot in The Merchant of Venice (1597), Dogberry in Much Ado about Nothing (1598), and Cob in Ben Jonson's Every Man in his Humour (1598)

Actors ComicsRobert Armin (1563-1615)Composer of satiresConsidered more subtle than KempeProbable roles: Amiens or Touchstone in As You Like It (1599), Feste in Twelfth Night (1600), the Fool in King Lear (1605); Drugger in Jonsons The Alchemist (1610)

Actor - SupportingWilliam ShakespeareKing Henry in Henry IV, Parts I&2; The Ghost in Hamlet; Gaunt in Richard II

Swan Theatre, 1595Arnoldus Buchelius (Aernout van Buchel) (1565-1641), after a drawing of Johannes de Witt (1566-1622). Utrecht

Blackfriars Theatre, The TempestConjectured view

TheatresOutdoor (Globe): For classes from wealthy to working poorIndoor (Blackfriars): Middle and upper classMasques: Monarchs, nobility, guests

Purpose of MasquesFocus on contemporary issues through classical and allegorical modelsAssertion of power of courtShow off culture to foreign ambassadors[Reflect interest in the exotic]

Jean-Jacques Boissard, Habitus Variarum Orbis Gentium, Thessalonian Women, 1581

Rainbow portrait, Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. ~1600Hatfield House

A Predecessor - DumbshowHautboys play. The dumb-show entersEnter a King and a Queen very lovingly; the Queen embracing him, and he her. She kneels, and makes show of protestation unto him. He takes her up, and declines his head upon her neck: lays him down upon a bank of flowers: she, seeing him asleep, leaves him. Anon comes in a fellow, takes off his crown, kisses it, and pours poison in the King's ears, and exit. The Queen returns; finds the King dead, and makes passionate action. The Poisoner, with some two or three Mutes, comes in again, seeming to lament with her. The dead body is carried away. The Poisoner wooes the Queen with gifts: she seems loath and unwilling awhile, but in the end accepts his loveExeuntOPHELIA What means this, my lord?HAMLET Marry, this is miching mallecho; it means mischief.OPHELIA Belike this show imports the argument of the play.

Hamlet Act III, Scene 2

1:34:50Mallecho was derived from the Spanish noun malhecho (evil deed), based on the prefix mal-(evil) plus hecho (deed). Miching (MICH ing) is an adjective made of the present participle of the verb miche, meaning to "skulk" or "slink,"].

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Italian PrecedentNymph's costume,Bernardo Buontalenti,1589V&A

The short, clinging skirts were muchappreciated by male audiences and were a cause of great excitement when they firstappeared at the French court in 1548. Bernardo Buontalenti's design of a nymph'scostume (Fig. 2) for an intermezzo performed at the wedding of Virginia de Medici andCesare d'Este in 1589 is preserved in the Print Room of the Victoria and Albert Museum.She wears the Renaissance version of antique dress, a more lavish and complex costume30

NymphDaniel, Tethys FestivalInigo Jones1610

Masque of Blackness, Inigo Jones design, 1605

Blackness was the first of many masques for the Stuart Court on which Jonson and Jones would collaborate. The music for Blackness was composed by Alfonso Ferrabosco.Jones designed a raised and mobile stage for the masque, forty feet square and four feet off the floor; this was employed for many subsequent masques. The stage contained inner space for the machines that produced stage effects and the technicians who operated them. Blackness introduced effects that Jones would repeat with variation throughout his career as a stage designer: it opened with a tempestuous seascape, simulated by flowing and billowing cloths.

The plot of the masque follows the ladies arriving at the English Court to be "cleansed" of their blackness by King James; a stage direction that was impossible to fulfill on stage. As a result, The Masque of Beauty was written as a sequel to The Masque of Blackness. (The Masque of Beauty, originally intended for the following holiday season, was displaced by Hymenaei, the masque for the wedding of the Earl of Essex and Frances Howard. Beauty was finally performed in 1608.)The opening stormy sea was populated with six blue-haired merman-like tritons. The gods Oceanus ("blue") and Niger (black) entered, mounted upon giant seahorses. The twelve daughters of Niger, played by the Queen and her ladies in waiting, entered in the company of a dozen nymphs of Oceanus as torchbearers; the ladies of the Court were dressed in silver and azure, with pearls and feathers in their hair, while the torchbearers, in green doublets with gold puffed sleeves, had their faces, hands, and hair dyed blue. The ladies rode in a great hollow seashell, which seemed to float upon and move with the waves, and was accompanied by six large sea monsters carrying more torchbearersThe masque was expensive, costing 3000, and caused consternation amongst some English observers due to the perceived impropriety of the performance.

The sets, costumes, and stage effects were designed by Inigo Jones; Blackness was the first of many masques for the Stuart Court on which Jonson and Jones would collaborate. The music for Blackness was composed by Alfonso Ferrabosco.Jones designed a raised and mobile stage for the masque, forty feet square and four feet off the floor; this was employed for many subsequent masques. The stage contained inner space for the machines that produced stage effects and the technicians who operated them. Blackness introduced effects that Jones would repeat with variation throughout his career as a stage designer: it opened with a tempestuous seascape, simulated by flowing and billowing cloths.The opening stormy sea was populated with six blue-haired merman-like tritons. The gods Oceanus ("blue") and Niger (black) entered, mounted upon giant seahorses. The twelve daughters of Niger, played by the Queen and her ladies in waiting, entered in the company of a dozen nymphs of Oceanus as torchbearers; the ladies of the Court were dressed in silver and azure, with pearls and feathers in their hair, while the torchbearers, in green doublets with gold puffed sleeves, had their faces, hands, and hair dyed blue. The ladies rode in a great hollow seashell, which seemed to float upon and move with the waves, and was accompanied by six large sea monsters carrying more torchbearers.[2] (With Blackness as with many subsequent masques designed by Jones, one of the aspects of the show most commented upon by witnesses was the dazzling intensity of light involved...which inevitably says something about the normal conditions of life in the Jacobean era.)

Jonson'ssceneor rather Inigo Jones'swas a vast sea stretchingto the horizon with moving and breaking waves, and overall' an obscure and cloudy night-piece '. The Masquers were placed in a great concave shell, like motherof pearl, curiously made to move on those waters and rise with thebillow ; the top thereof was stuck with a chevron of lights, which,indented to the proportion of the shell, strook a glorious beam uponthem, as they were seated one above another.Sea-monsters swam at the sides carrying the torch-bearers,twelve ocean-nymphs, who ' had their lights burning outof whelks or murex shells '. The twelve masquers wereAethiopian princesses, daughters of Niger, blackened withtropical heat, and seeking a more temperate clime, a landwhere the sun, no longer scorching,leaves that climate of the sky To comfort of a greater Light, Who forms all beauty with his sight.They reach an island of snowy cliffs. At this, the Moon was discovered in the upper part of the house,triumphant in a silver throne made in figure of a pyramis ; hergarments white and silver, the dressing of her head antique andcrowned with a luminary or sphere of light, which, striking on theclouds and heightened with silver, reflected, as natural clouds do bythe splendour of the moon. The heaven about her was vaultedwith blue silk and set with stars of silver, which had in them theirseveral lights burning.

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Masque for the Kings of England and DenmarkSolomon and the Queen of Sheba, 1606The entertainment and show went forward, and most of the presenters went backward, or fell down; wine did so occupy their upper chambers. Now did appear, in rich dress, Hope, Faith, and Charity: Hope did assay to speak, but wine rendered her endeavours so feeble that she withdrew, and hoped the King would excuse her brevity: Faith was then all alone, for I am certain she was not joined with good works, and left the court in a staggering condition:Charity came to the King's feet, and seemed to cover the multitude of sins her sisters had committed . . . She then returned to Hope and Faith, who were both sick and spewing in the lower hall.John Harington

Masque of Queens, 1609Adapted from Chaucer House of FameA mistress witch and her eleven disciples dance, then each witch confesses her crimes and outrages to her mistressThey engage in"a magical dance, full of preposterous change and gesticulation." Then the masque proper: the House of Fame is displayed, with twelve virtuous Queens, their apotheosis being "Bel-Anna.

twelve virtuous Queens, their apotheosis being "Bel-Anna." (In addition to Anne, the roles of the twelve were filled by the Countesses of Arundel, Bedford, Derby, Essex, Huntington, and Montgomery, the Vicountess of Cranbourne, the Ladies Anne Clifford, Elizabeth Guilford, and Anne Winter, and the Lady Windsore.)34

Set DesignHouse of FameInigo Jones

has double doors within a large central arch,above which sit the twelve masquers on theirpyramidal throne. The figures on the roof areprobably musicians; the two deities on either sideof the cornice are identifiedb y Jonson as eminentfigureso f Honor and Virtue.T he facade isadorned with statues. Those on the lower tierrepresent the most excellent poets, as Homer,Virgil,L ucan, etc., as being the substantial supportersof Fame, while those on the upper [tier]are Achilles,A eneas,C aesar, and those greath eroeswhich these poets had celebrated

Jonson describesthe House of Fame created by Jones as amachina versatilis, a kind or revolving stage, andthat, in addition to the standard representationsof huomini famosi, the allegorical figures werederived from Ripa's Iconologia and the Hieroglyphicaof Horapollo; this means, there appearedFama bona as she is described in Iconolog. di CesareRipa, attired in white, with white wings, havinga collar of gold about her neck and a hearthanging at it which Horus Apollo in his Hieroglypinterprets the note of good fame35

Masque of Queens

Berenice of Egyptfor Lady Anne CliffordPenthesileiaQueen of the Amazons for the Countess of Bedford

Berenice was a daughter of Herod who had an affair with Titus

Generally use symbols from Cesare Ripas Iconologia, a standardhandbook of symbolic images published in 15

An important consideration in the design of costumes was that they should lookeffective in a candlelit hall. 'Tynsell' was widely used as it was enwrought with gold andsilver and cheaper than cloth of gold.36

Queen Zenobia

Zenobia of Playmyra revolted against Rome in the 3rd century and breifly ruled Egypt before being captured and taken to Rome

Zenobia Queen of the Palmy-renes, who, after the death of her husband Odenatus, hadthe Name to be reckoned among the XXX. that usurpedthe Roman Empire from Galienus. She continued a long andbrave War, against several Chiefs; and was at length tri-umphed on by Aurelian: but, ea specie, ut nihil pompabiliusP. Rom. videretur. Her Chastity was such, Ut ne virum suumquidem sciret, nisi tentatis conceptionibus. She liv'd in a mostroyal manner, and was adored to the custom of the Per-sians. When she made Orations to her Soldiers, she had always her Cask on. A Woman of a most divinespirit, and incredible beauty37

The TempestMasque scene conjured by Prospero for the marriage of Ferdiannd and Miranda. Act IV, Scene 1

three spirits appear in the shapes of the mythological figures of Iris (Junos messenger and the goddess of the rainbow), Juno (queen of the gods), and Ceres (goddess of agriculture). This trio performs a masque celebrating the lovers engagement. First, Iris enters and asks Ceres to appear at Junos wish, to celebrate a contract of true love. Ceres appears, and then Juno enters. Juno and Ceres together bless the couple, with Juno wishing them honor and riches, and Ceres wishing them natural prosperity and plenty.1:26 to 1:32 on video38

Oberon 1611Henry, Prince of WalesJames vetoes performance on horsebackFirst use of side wings and shuttersCostumes cost 1412

front curtain displaying a map of the British Isles, which was drawn to reveal a large rock or crag, lit by a moon that passed through the sky above. Perched on the crag, surrounded by satyrs and nymphs, an unusually sober and sagelike Silenus prophesied the arrival of the fairy prince, Oberon, who would bestow order and beneficent rule. The nymphs and satyrs danced joyfully at the news."Sidewings" are pieces of painted canvas that stand along the sides of the stage, resembling partial backdrops; they can be deployed in multiple pairs arranged for perspective effects. "Shutters" are painted backcloths split down the center, that can be slid in or out from the wings.39

Oberon, the faery princeCostume for Prince HenryOpening sceneryInigo Jones, 1610

Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly1611 Written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, with music by Alfonso Ferrabosco.Last masque where Anne performsFor French ambassadorCost 719; Jonson and Jones received 40 for the masque, a "dancing master" named Confess who taught the ladies their choreography was paid 50, and his assistant Bohan got 20. Ferrabosco received 20, musical assistants Robert Johnson and Thomas Lupo earned 5 for arranging the songs for lutes and violins. The five boys who played the Sphinx, Cupid, and the Graces got 2 apiece, the twelve actors (male) who played the she-fools got 1 each

VideoCollaboration of dancers from the Royal Ballet, with Company XIV and the Wiltons Music Hall, first ever recreation of Ben Jonson & Inigo Jones masque for fundraiser

Anne's ladies in waiting as Daughters of the Morn, with Anne herself as the Queen of the Orient. The anti-masque correspondingly featured twelve Follies or "she-fools." The masque begins with a long conversation between Cupid and a Sphinx; the conceit is that the Sphinx has captured "Love," who must in turn be liberated from this captivity hence the title. (Cupid's nakedness was simulated with a flesh-colored satin costume.) Cupid is freed by the priests of the Muses, who clue the god to the correct answers to the Sphinx's riddles (which are "Britain" and "King James"). The Queen and Daughters of the Morn also must be released from the Sphinx's imprisonment. Once they are released they appear in a cloud in the sky above their former prison.41

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