Alexander and Lodowick: Difference between revisions
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== For What It's Worth == | == For What It's Worth == | ||
Slater's career as player and theatrical businessman is relatively well documented, but the role is dramatist is conjectural. Even so, the conjecture is appealing. As we become more aware of the appetite for new plays across the theatrical industry, it seems reasonable that more than one player-businessman was also a playwright. | |||
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== Works Cited == | == Works Cited == | ||
<div style="padding-left: 2em; text-indent: -2em">Gurr, Andrew. ''Shakespeare's Opposites: The Admiral's Company 1594-1625''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.</div> | <div style="padding-left: 2em; text-indent: -2em">Gurr, Andrew. ''Shakespeare's Opposites: The Admiral's Company 1594-1625''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.</div> | ||
Revision as of 16:47, 22 November 2019
Historical Records
- Under the heading, "Jn the name of god amen begininge the 25 of novembʒ 1596 as foloweth the lord admerall players":
ye 14 of Jenewary 1597 ne . . Res at elexsander & lodwicke . . . . . . . . . . lvs
ffebreary 1597 11 ne.. tt at elexander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 03|05|00-17-00 12 tt at elexander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 01|14|09-13-00 begynyng in leant Marche 1597 5 tt at elexsander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 01|15|00-13-00 [not pd] [10]9 tt at lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01|16|07-04-00 20 tt at elexsander & lodovicke. . . . . . . . . . 01|17|00-04-02 [Easter] tewsday 29 tt at elexsander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 01|16|07-04-00 Aprelle 1597 5 tt at elexander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 01|02|00-03-05
F. 26v (Greg I, p. 52)
Aprelle 1597 12 tt at elexsander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 00|14|03-00-01 27 Res at elexsander & lodwick. . . . . . . . . . [1]02|14|00-00-00 Maye 1597 9 tt at lodwicke & elexand. . . . . . . . . . 00|14|00-00-00 whittsone T 17 tt at elexsander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 03|00|00-03-04 28 mr pd tt at elexsander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 03|13|01-10-00
F. 27 (Greg I, p. 53)
June 1597 S petterss daye 29 tt at elexsander & lodwick. . . . . . . . . . 01|02|00 — 14 — 00
F. 27v (Greg I, p. 54)
July 1597 15 tt at elexsander & lodwicke. . . . . . . . . . 00|08|00 — 13 — 00
Theatrical Provenance
The Admiral's men played "Alexander and Lodowick" at the Rose playhouse from January through (at least) July in 1597. They considered it a valuable commodity as late as May 1598, at which time they purchased the playbook from Martin Slater in a job lot including also " Hercules| (both parts), " Phocas," and "Pythagoras." In a subsequent separate transaction, the company paid Slater another 20s for the book (18 July 1598). Henslowe listed the playbook among those inventoried in March 1598/99. In that same month (March (1599), the company purchased "divers thinges" for the play, evidently for a revival.
Probable Genre(s)
Romance
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
Ballad, EBBA (http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/20275/xml)
The two faithfull Friends. The pleasant History of Alexander and Lodwicke , who were so like one ano ther, that none could know them asunder: wherein is declared how Lodwike married the Princesse of Hungaria in Alexanders name, and how each night he layd a naked sword betweene him and the Princesse , because he would not wrong his friend. To the tune of Flying Fame .
References to the Play
Information welcome.
Critical Commentary
Greg II acknowledged the possibility of Martin Slater's authorship of "Alexander and Lodowick" but was not convinced. Curious whether a lawsuit between Slater and three players who had left Pembroke's men in 1597 to join the Admiral's men (William Bird, Thomas Downton, and Gabriel Spencer) might have been about the plays Slater had sold to the Admiral's men in May 1598, Greg said he would "like to have the breviate" of the case for evidence on questions including Slater's possible authorship (pp. 310-11).
Gurr attributes the play to Martin Slater (p. 94), perhaps because he was paid an extra 20s. for "Alexander and Lodowick" in a separate and later payment in March 1599.
For What It's Worth
Slater's career as player and theatrical businessman is relatively well documented, but the role is dramatist is conjectural. Even so, the conjecture is appealing. As we become more aware of the appetite for new plays across the theatrical industry, it seems reasonable that more than one player-businessman was also a playwright.
Works Cited
Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; 21 November 2019.