Soldan and the Duke of —
Historical Records
In the Revels accounts a 1579-80 entry reads as follows:
The history of the Soldan and the Duke of [blank space] shewen at Whitehall
on Shrovesondaye at nighte enacted by the Earle of Derby his seruanuntes
wholly furnyshed in this offyce whereon was ymployed for two Robes of
blacke sarcenets, head Attyers and scarfes [blank space] ells of Sarcenett
a greate City a wood, A wood A Castell and vj payre of gloves (Feuillerat 321)
After this entry there are charges listed in the Revels accounts for Edmund Tilney for the costs of the rehearsal of
'dyuers plaies and Choise makinge
of x of them to be shown before her Maiestie at
Christmas twelfetide Candelmas and Shrovetide and
their sondry rehearsals afterwardes till to be presented
before her Maiestie (Feuillerat 325-26).
The reference to Shrovetide, 1580, indicates that this play was one of the ten rehearsed at the Revel's complex where Tilney resided.
Theatrical Provenance
Whitehall Palace.
Probable Genre(s)
History.
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
Stories of conflicts between Islam and Christianity, and specifically between the Ottoman empire and various Christian states, ran through various histories during the early Elizabethan period. It is doubtful that any of these of sometimes convoluted narratives would have been dramatized for a Shrovetide entertainment, but the stories of various conflicts (and truces) with various Islamic states would have been a backdrop for any play featuring a Sultan.
Wiggins (sn 681) suggests that one possible direct source for this play is the history of Saladin and Thorello in the Second Tome of Painter's Palace of Pleasure. The possible use of Painter's narrative is strengthened by the fact that Painter's translated histories were certainly or very possibly used for several other plays in this timeframe and beyond. As Wiggins points out, however, Thorello is not the duke of anything in Painter's story.
Wiggins describes Thorello as a 'commoner' who would have needed a promotion for the play title. Although this is technically true, Thorello is in fact a citizen of some standing in the story and a person who runs a household of some means. Still, he is not a duke.
References to the Play
If this play was a dramatic adaptation of the story of Thorello and Saladine from the second tome of Painter's Palace of Pleasure, then it is possible that this play fell in with the group of other popular adaptations maligned by Stephen Gosson. In Plays Confuted in Five Actions (1582), Gosson lists 'the Palace of pleasure' as one of the books that had been 'ransackt to furnish the Play houses in London' (D6v). The passage reads:
I may boldely say it, because I haue
seene it, that the Palace of pleasure,
the Golden Asse, the AEthiopian hi-
∣storie, Amadis of Fraunce, the
Rounde table, baudie Comedies in
Latine, French, Italian, and Spanish,
haue beene throughly ransackt, to fur-
∣nish the Playe houses in London. (D6v).
Critical Commentary
Wiggins (sn 681) the timeline for the performance of this play. It was 'presumably' performed for the Master of Revels, Edmund Tilney, before Saturday the 19th of December in 1579. Wiggins notes that this performance was 'part of the selection process for the court revels season.' Such a record reminds us of scene in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' when the Duke selects the wedding entertainment of the rude mechanicals against the protest of the Master of Revels in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
For What It's Worth
The records of the Revels Office thin out in the 1590s, so these earlier references to play rehearsals reveal a system that remained in place throughout Tilney's tenure.
Works Cited
Site created and maintained by Thomas Dabbs, Aoyama Gakuin University; updated 02 March 2017.