Uther Pendragon

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Historical Records

Performance Records (Henslowe's Diary)

F. 26^v / Greg 1.52

Aprell 1597
		29		ne..		tt at vterpendragon. . . . . . . . .		02|00|01 — 01 — 03
Maye 1597
		[4]3				tt at vterpendagon. . . . . . . . . .		01|05|00 — 01 — 00
		7				tt at pendragon. . . . . . . . . . . . .		00|14|00 — 04 — 00
		12				tt at pendragon. . . . . . . . . . . . .		0|[0]17|00 — 00 — 00
wittsone
mvnday
		16				tt at pendragon. . . . . . . . . . . . .		02|19|00 — 14 — 00

F. 27 / Greg 1.53

June 15		97
		2				tt at pendragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		00|16|00 — 04 — 06
		13				tt at pendragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		01|00|00 — 10 — 00

Henslowe's Inventory of Properties and Apparel

Greg, Papers, Appx. I, art. 1, p. 115. l. 29

Under the heading “The Enventary of the Clownes Sewtes and Hermetes Swetes, with dievers other sewtes, as follweth, 1598, the 10 of March:

Item, ... merlen gowne and cape

Theatrical Provenance

The Admiral's men acquired "Uther Pendragon" after Easter Term had begun in 1597 and played it at the Rose frequently into the summer (and perhaps beyond).

Probable Genre(s)

Pseudo-History (Harbage), legendary history (Wiggins, Catalogue])

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

The story of Uther Pendragon was familiar in the 1590s by way of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae. Other standard sources of historical/mythical narratives were also ubiquitous, including Holinshed's Chronicles, Malory's Morte D'Arthur, and The Mirror for Magistrates. See Paul Whitfield White in Critical Commentary below for real-world instances of the impersonation of Uther Pendragon in royal circles at ceremonies such as the Accession Day Tilts.

References to the Play

None specifically referencing the Admiral's play have been identified.

Critical Commentary

Paul Whitfield White, considering a cluster of plays in the Admiral's repertory in the 1590s, connects "Uther Pendragon" with "Valteger

Misha Teramura

Works Cited

White, Arthurian, M&S on Lost Plays

Teramura,Troy/Geoffrey mix, M&S on Lost Plays

Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 15 November 2019.