Brandimer

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Historical Records

Performance Records (Henslowe's diary)

Two records of performance survive in Henslowe’s accounts for early 1592:

Fol. 7 (Greg I, 13)

							Res at brandymer the 6 of aprell 1591	................................ xxijs

Fol. 7 ^v (Greg I, 14)

							Res at brandimer the 8 of maye 1592	....................................	xxiiijs

Theatrical Provenance

"Brandimer" was one of nineteen plays scheduled by Lord Strange's men at the Rose playhouse that apparently were not new in the late winter and spring of 1592.

Probable Genre(s)

Romantic comedy (?) Harbage

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

Neither Malone, Collier, nor Fleay, BCED ventures a guess as to the story line of "Brandimer."

Greg II (#19, p. 155) called attention to the similarity in name with Brandimart, who appears in Robert Greene's Orlando Furioso, which Strange's men had given one performance the previous February (21st). Greg did not think this character was lifted out of the Greene play and given the star role here, but he did consider that as "King of the Iles" Brandimer might have headlined a play with a strong English theme.

Wiggins, Catalogue #897, although not convinced by Greg's line of thought, projects a story line for King Brandimart in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, focusing on his early life. As an alternative, he offers a giant named Brandimore, who is killed by Guy of Warwick.

References to the Play

Information welcome.

Critical Commentary

Any commentary is dependent upon an identification of the title character; see Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues , above.

For What It's Worth

Wiggins, Catalogue #897 boosts the likelihood that the title character is the dragon by making an argument about theatricality across the repertories staged at the Rose and Fortune. He notes that the Jacobean ballad in which the dragon (Brandimore) is featured also mentions characters in other plays including "Sir John Mandeville" (Strange's), "Abraham and Lot" (Sussex's), and Tamburlaine (Admiral's).

Works Cited

Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 10 July 2020.