Chance Medley: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:05, 25 February 2015

Henry Chettle and/or Thomas Dekker, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday and Robert Wilson (1598)

Historical Records

Payments to Playwrights (Henslowe's Diary)

Lent vnto the company the 19 of aguste 1598 to }

paye vnto m^r willson monday & deckers in pte }

of payment of a boocke called chance medley the } iiij^ll v^s

some of iiij^ll v^s in this maner willson xxx^s cheattell }

xxx^s mondy xxv^s J say . . . . . . . . . . . . }

File:HADP f49 snippet.jpg
(Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project, MSS 7, fol.49v)

F. 49^v (Greg I.94)

pd vnto m^r. drayton the 24 of aguste 1598 }

in fulle payment of a Boocke called chance } xxxv^s

medley [or worse a feared then ^[hurte] the] some of . . }

File:HADP f49v snippet.jpg
(Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project, MSS 7, fol.49v)

Theatrical Provenance

The Admiral's were at the Rose when Henslowe paid Chettle, Dekker, Drayton, Munday and Wilson for "Chance Medley".

Probable Genre(s)

Comedy (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

See Critical Commentary below.

References to the Play

Critical Commentary

Subject Matter

Greg notes that "[t]he title is a legal phrase signifying a casualty not purely accidental, particularly accidental homicide, not without the killer's fault, though without evil intent. It was, however, very early though erroneously used in the sense of random action or fortuitous medley and confusion" (HD 2.196).

Wiggins notes that " 'chance medley' could refer to a narrative which proceeds by a chaotic agglomeration of accidents, or more specifically to the legal term for culpable but clergyable homocide" (1142).

Authorship

Henslowe's apparent substitution of Chettle's name where he had first given Dekker's is noticed by Fleay, who thinks Chettle is the correct attribution (BCED 1.68) and Chambers (2.169), whose preference to keep both names is followed in this entry. Wiggins (1142) neither includes Dekker in his list of playwrights associated with this title nor addresses this omission in his commentary, but the implication is that he believes Henslowe's "willson monday & deckers" is a mistake subsequently rectified by the specification of sums to be paid to Wilson, Chettle and Munday.

Title

Regarding the cancellation in the title as recorded by Henslowe, Wiggins observes: "Henslowe left space in the second entry for an alternative title; the title Worse Afeared than Hurt, was later added to this entry, but then deleted." He suggests it "may simply have been added in error, on the assumption that the payment (to Drayton) related to 1146 ["Worse Afeared than Hurt", originally entered by Henslowe as "Bad May Amend" on 30 Aug 1598] (which was co-authored by Drayton)" (1142).

For What It's Worth

Works Cited

citation goes here

Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated 24 Feb 2015.

@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 ==Critical Commentary==
-'''Wiggins''' (1142) does not include Dekker in his list of playwrights associated with this title; he does not address this omission in his commentary, but the implication is that he believes Henslowe's "willson monday & deckers" is a mistake subsequently rectified by the specification of sums to be paid to Wilson, ''Chettle'' and Munday. Regarding the cancellation in the title as recorded by Henslowe, Wiggins observes: "Henslowe left space in the second entry for an alternative title; the title ''Worse Afeared than Hurt'', was later added to this entry, but then deleted." He suggests it "may simply have been added in error, on the assumption that the payment (to Drayton) related to '''1146''' ["Worse Afeared than Hurt", originally entered by Henslowe as "Bad May Amend" on 30 Aug 1598] (which was co-authored by Drayton)".
+===Subject Matter===
+'''Greg''' notes that "[t]he title is a legal phrase signifying a casualty not purely accidental, particularly accidental homicide, not without the killer's fault, though without evil intent. It was, however, very early though erroneously used in the sense of random action or fortuitous medley and confusion" [http://www.archive.org/stream/henslowesdiary02hensuoft#page/196/mode/1up (HD 2.196)].
+'''Wiggins''' notes that " 'chance medley' could refer to a narrative which proceeds by a chaotic agglomeration of accidents, or more specifically to the legal term for culpable but clergyable homocide" (1142).
+<br>
+<br>
+===Authorship===
+Henslowe's apparent substitution of Chettle's name where he had first given Dekker's is noticed by '''Fleay''', who thinks Chettle is the correct attribution [http://www.archive.org/stream/abiographicalch01fleagoog#page/n80/mode/1up (''BCED'' 1.68)] and '''Chambers''' (2.169), whose preference to keep both names is followed in this entry. '''Wiggins''' (1142) neither includes Dekker in his list of playwrights associated with this title nor addresses this omission in his commentary, but the implication is that he believes Henslowe's "willson monday & deckers" is a mistake subsequently rectified by the specification of sums to be paid to Wilson, ''Chettle'' and Munday.
+<br>
+<br>
+===Title===
+Regarding the cancellation in the title as recorded by Henslowe, '''Wiggins''' observes: "Henslowe left space in the second entry for an alternative title; the title ''Worse Afeared than Hurt'', was later added to this entry, but then deleted." He suggests it "may simply have been added in error, on the assumption that the payment (to Drayton) related to '''1146''' ["Worse Afeared than Hurt", originally entered by Henslowe as "Bad May Amend" on 30 Aug 1598] (which was co-authored by Drayton)" (1142).
 <br>
 <br>

Lent vnto the company the 19 of aguste 1598 to	}
paye vnto m^r willson monday & deckers in pte	}
of payment of a boocke called chance medley the	}	iiij^ll v^s
some of iiij^ll v^s in this maner willson xxx^s cheattell	}
xxx^s mondy xxv^s J say . . . . . . . . . . . .	}

pd vnto m^r. drayton the 24 of aguste 1598	}
in fulle payment of a Boocke called chance	}	xxxv^s
medley [or worse a feared then ^[hurte] the] some of . .	}