Buckingham

Anon. (1593)

Historical Records

Performance Records

Playlists in Philip Henslowe's diary

Fol. 8^v (Greg, I.16)

Res at buckingam the 30 of desembʒ 1593	....................................	ljs
Res at buckingam the 1 of Jenewary 1593	....................................	lviijs
Res at buckingam the 10 of Jenewarye 1593	....................................	xxijs
Res at buckengam the 27 of Jenewarye 1593	....................................	xviijs

Theatrical Provenance

"Buckingham" was performed by Sussex's players at the Rose throughout their run, which began on 27 December 1593 and ended 6 February 1594. The play was apparently old (Henslowe did not mark it with his enigmatic "ne"), but it received excellent receipts averaging 37s. to Henslowe across its four performances.

Probable Genre(s)

History (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

It is reasonable to assume that the play relied on standard English chronicles for its narrative, but it is still uncertain which of the possible noblemen with the title of Buckingham the play featured.

References to the Play

None known.

Critical Commentary

Malone does not hazard a guess as to the nobleman featured in this play (p. 292), nor does Collier (p. 32), nor Fleay, BCED (2.298, #121). Greg II presumes that he was "Richard III's Buckingham" ([1] #30, p. 158), mentioning the character's appearance in a contemporary play by the Queen's men, The True Tragedy of Richard III. Chambers, ES (2.95, 130, 202, 217) suggests not only Richard III's Duke of Buckingham but also the third duke of that title, who was Henry VIII's favourite until his execution in 1521 for opposing Wolsey. The third Duke is a character in Shakespeare and Fletcher's Henry VIII.

Knutson, also assuming that "Buckingham" featured Richard III's henchman, calls attention to the cluster of plays from the historical time of the Wars of the Roses that in repertorial time were in performance from 1590 to 1594 (p. 48). Being more specific about repertorial competition, she calls "Buckingham" a "possible spin-off" and notes that it was probably in performance by Sussex's men when Shakespeare's Richard III was new (p. 70).

Egan offers a different identification: Thomas of Woodstock, one of whose titles was the Earl of Buckingham (I.92).

Wiggins, Catalogue #931 mentions each of the three men to hold the dukedom of Buckingham between 1402 and 1521 as candidates for the title character but finds the third duke the least likely; he suggests also that the play might have been naming the town of Buckingham.

Works Cited

Egan, Michael (ed.). The Tragedy of Richard II Part One: A Newly Authenticated Play by William Shakespeare. 3 vols. Lewiston, Queenston, Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press, 2006.

Knutson, Roslyn L. The Repertory of Shakespeare's Company, 1594-1613. Fayetteville, AR: The University of Arkansas Press, 1991.

Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 13 August 2012.