Cutlack
Historical Records
Henslowe's Diary
F. 9 (Greg I.17)
Under the play list for "my lord admeralls men" on 14-16 May 1594:
- Rd at Cvlacke the 16 of maye 1594 xxxxijs
Under the play list "begininge at newington for "my Lord Admeralle men & my Lorde chamberlen men" for 10 performances, June 3-13:
ye 6 of June 1594 Rd at cvtlacke xjs
In Henslowe's play lists beginning 15 June 1594, the date on which W. W. Greg decided that the Admiral's players had returned to the Rose after their 10-day run at Newington with the Chamberlain's players:
ye 17 of June 1594 Rd at cutlacke xxxvs ye 24 of June 1594 Rd at cvtlacke xxvs ye 27 of June 1594 Rd at cvttlacke xxxvjs
F. 9v (Greg I.18)
ye 4 of Julye 1594 Rd at cvtlacke xxiiijs ye 15 of Julye 1594 Rd at cvtlacke xxxvs ye 29 of Julye 1594 Rd at cvtlacke xxixs ye 8 of aguste 1594 Rd at cvttlacke xiijs vjd ye 22 of aguste 1594 Rd at cvttlacke xxiijs vjd
F. 10 (Greg I.19)
ye 6 of septemb[er] 1594 Rd at cvtlacke xjs ye 26 of septmb[er] 1594 Rd at cuttlacke xiiijs
Theatrical Provenance
The newly formed Admiral's men introduced Cutlack without the enigmatic sign "ne" on 16 May 1594 when they acquired the lease at the Rose playhouse that they were to maintain until their move to the Fortune in the fall of 1600. They gave the play 12 performances before retiring it, apparently for good, as it does not reappear in records from Henslowe's diary. The absence of a "ne" suggests a prior history with another company before May 1594.
Probable Genre(s)
Tragedy? (Harbage)
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
In Annals Harbage offers "Guthlac ?" as a possible identification of the character Geoffrey of Monmouth calls "Guichlac" (III.2-4, 11). Guichlac was the king of the Danes in the time of Belinus and Brennius, sons of Mulmutius Dunwallow. The identification is supported by the following evidence: first, the narrative of Guichlac in Geoffrey's The History of the Kings of Britain; second, the connection of the name "Gutlack," or "Cutlake," with that narrative:
Guichlac's story, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth in The History of the Kings of Britain: Internet Archive
- • Brennius was returning to Britain with a force of Norwegian warriors to defend his holdings against the military take-over of his brother, Belinus, when Guichlac followed and attacked him.
- • In the course of the battle, Guichlac saw and desired the woman Brennius had married. Boarding Brennius's ship, Guichlac kidnapped the wife.
- • A storm arose suddenly, scattering the ships of both factions. In a curious turn of fate, Guichlac's ship beached in Northumbria where Belinus was encamped (on Brennius's territory). Belinus took Guichlac and Brennius's bride as prisoners to use as pawns of his revenge against Brennius.
- • Meanwhile Brennius landed with his Norwegians in Scotland; Belinus sought him out and defeated him.
- • At a council at York, Belinus released Guichlac, who offered yearly tribute in return for allowing him to go home to Denmark with Brennius's stolen bride.
- • There Guichlac remained until Belinus's son, Gurguint Barbtruc, invaded his home, killed him, and subjugated his people, all because Guichlac refused to pay to the son the tribute he had paid the father, Belinus.
"Gutlack" and "Cutlake" as variant spellings of "Guichlac" in the late 16th century:
- King Gurgunt I am hight, King Belins eldest sonne,
- Whose syre Dunwallo first, the Brittish crowne did weare.
- Whom truthlesse Gutlack forste to passe the surging seas,
- His falshode to reuenge, and Denmarke land to spoile.
- (B3r)
- My Brothers Kingdome seemes, forsooth, an Ouer-match to myne,
- My Kingdome, Cutlake, therefore is an Under-match to thyne?
- Nay, giue (and so I hope ye will) the Prize to me, and than,
- Let Cutlake with his Crowne of Danske vn-crowne me, if he can.
- (p. 63)
Cutlack's narrative was well known to Spenser. In Book II of The Faerie Queene, in the history book Guyon reads in the library at Alma's Castle, Spenser tells the story of Mulmutius Dunwallow in some detail, but he truncates the story of the bellicose sons. He thus omits the sub-plot of the Danish king, Guichlac, except to say that Belinus's son, Gurgunt, "Danmarke wonne,/ And ... did foy and tribute raise,/ The which was dew in his dead fathers dayes" (II.x.41.3-5).
References to the Play
In Epigram #43, "Of Clodius," Everard Guilpin mocks a braggart who copies moves from characters in plays, one of which is Cutlack:
- Clodus me thinks lookes passing big of late,
- With Dunstons browes, and Allens Cutlacks gate :
- What humours haue possest him so, I wonder,
- His eyes are lightning, and his words are thunder:
- What meanes the Bragart by his alteration?
- He knows he's known too wel, for this fond fashion :
- To cause him to be feared : what meanes he than ?
- Belike, because he cannot play the man.
- Yet would be awde, he keepes this filthy reuell,
- Stalking and roaring like to Job's great deuill.
Critical Commentary
Gurr renders general critical opinion of the allusion in Guilpen's epigram by interpreting "Allens Cutlacks gate" as a reference to the gait, or stride, of the character in the Admiral's play as performed by Edward Alleyn (203n). In another context, Gurr characterizes Cutlack as "heroic" (50).
For What It's Worth
Based on the evidence that "Cutlack" was the Danish king, Guichlac, the genre of the play might as well be "history" as Harbage's guess of "tragedy."
Works Cited
Guilpen, Everard. Skialetheia. 1598. Google Books
Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 8 March 2010.