Danish Tragedy
Historical Records
Payments to Playwrights (Henslowe's Diary)
F. 107 {Greg, I.169)
- Lent vnto thomas downton the 7 of July
- 1602 to [lend] geue vnto harye chettell in
- earneste of a tragedye called a danyshe
- tragedy
- the some of .................................. } xxs
Theatrical Provenance
The Admiral's men paid Chettle the 30s in earnest. Wiggins offers "Summer 1602" as a plausible date when the company might have put this show on at the Fortune (#1339).
Probable Genre(s)
Foreign History (Harbage); Tragedy (Henslowe, Wiggins)
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
Conjectures about the narrative of the play are embedded in guesswork by F. G. Fleay and W. W. Greg, who consider the possible relationship of this work with Chettle's play, Hoffman. See Critical Commentary, below.
References to the Play
None known.
Critical Commentary
Fleay, without explanation, identified the "Danish Tragedy" as a partial payment for Chettle's Hoffman (BCED, I.70).
In addition to Henslowe's payment specifically for Hoffman ("A tragedie called Hawghman" Greg, I.173), Fleay lumped a payment to Chettle and Thomas Heywood of 40s on 14 January 1603 from the Admiral's men for a play unnamed:
- F. 109 (Greg, I.173; the entry leaves the title space blank; Foakes (p. 208) notes that Greg adds an unidentified forger's phrase, "'Like quits Like"')
- Layd owt at the apoyntment of thomas
- Hewode in earneste of a playe called
- vnto mr harey chettell & thomas
- Hewode the 14 of January 1602 some of } xxxxs
Turning to accounts Henslowe kept for Worcester's men, 1602-03, Fleay assigned the following to Hoffman also:
- F. 115 (Greg, I.179)
- Lent vnto John ducke to paye for
- the turckes head & ij women's gowns
- mackenge & fresh watr for owld castle
- & the merger bill & harey chattel in
- earneste of a tragedy called … } 3li xs
- ye 24 of aguste 1602
- F. 116 (Greg, I.181) Foakes (p. 216)notes that Greg copied the forger's changes in bold; these include deleting "tragedy," inserting "playe" and providing some form of the name, Robin Goodfellow.
- Lent vnto harey chettell the 7 of septmber 1602
- at the apoyntment [to lend] in earnest of a
- {tragedie} called Robin hoodfellowe some of } xs
- Lent vnto John there the 8 of septmber
- to geue vnto harey chettell the some of … } xs
- Lent vnto harey chattel the 9 of septmber
- 1602 in parof payment of a {tragedie} playe
- called Robingoodfellowe some of } xs
Greg rejected Fleay's conjecture that Henslowe's payment to Chettle for the "Danish Tragedy" was an early payment for Hoffman because the payments were too far apart (from June to December). Rather, he conjectured that the "Danish Tragedy" was a prequel or "fore-piece dealing with the story of Hoffman's father, such as the extant work through presupposes"(Greg, II. 222-23, Item #238)
Erne repeats Greg's suggestion of "Danish Tragedy" as a prequel (p. 39).
Gurr also recycles Greg's suggestion (by way of Erne); perhaps thinking of Fleay's addition of Heywood to Chettle as playwright of "Danish Tragedy", Gurr mistakenly substitutes Haughton as a collaborator (p. 184).
Wiggins splits off the connections with Hoffman and treats the "Danish Tragedy" as an independent dramatic project by Chettle (#1339).
For What It's Worth
Just three weeks previously (22 June 1602), the Admiral's men had paid Ben Jonson some part of £10 for "new adicyons for Jeronymo" (Greg, I.168). Whatever the relationship textually of Chettle's "Danish Tragedy" to Hoffman, its relationship commercially was to the cluster of revenge plays on London stages c. 1600-1602, perhaps kickstarted by William Shakespeare's Danish tragedy (Hamlet) and the pair by John Marston for the children's company at St. Paul's, namely Antonio and Mellida and Antonio's Revenge but including also an apparent revival of Thomas Kyd's Spanish Tragedy (with new additions).
Works Cited
Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 30 May 2016.