Robin Goodfellow

Anon. (1603)


Historical Records

Correspondence

In a letter dated 15 January 1604, Dudley Carleton (1st Viscount Dorchester), a politician whose career was on the upswing in 1603-4, gave his friend, John Chamberlain, the following information: "On New Year's night we had a play of Robin Goodfellow" (Lee 53).


Declared Accounts of the Treasurer of the Chamber

Item 115b:

To Iohn Hemynges one of his maties players vpon the Councelles warrt dated Hamptoncoute xviijou die Ianuary 1603 for his paynes and expences of himselfe and the rest of his Company in presenting sixe interludes or playes before the kinges maty and the prince viz one one St Stephins Day at night St Iohnes Day at night Innocentes Day and Newyers day at night before the kinges matie … and for two playes before the prince on the xxxth of December and the firste of Ianuary 1603 .... (Cook 38)


Theatrical Provenance

"Robin Goodfellow" was performed at court on 1 January 1604 by the King's Men for their patron and his heir, James I and Prince Henry. Carleton provides the play title (Lee 53), and the Chamber Accounts provide the date (the date cannot be 1 January 1605, for the Revels Accounts document that the Children of the Revels/Queen's Chapel performed George Chapman's All Fools on New Year's 1605). Although the court had recessed from London to Hampton Court for the winter of 1603-4, the performance of Robin Goodfellow would have been their first opportunity to entertain their new patron during the traditional holiday period at Christmastide.


Probable Genre(s)

Comedy (Harbage)


Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

References to the Play

Any revival of A Midsummer Night's Dream after January 1604 would have alluded to Robin Goodfellow in its five instances of calling Puck by that name: 2.1.osd, 34; 3.2.355; 4.1.180; 5/1/438. However, no revivals of the play are on record.


Critical Commentary

Chambers popularized the identification of "Robin Goodfellow" with A Midsummer Night's Dream, apparently on the basis of Puck/Robin as a memorable character from Shakespeare's play (1.362).


For What It's Worth

Biographies of Dudley Carleton (Oxford DNB) and John Chamberlain (Oxford DNB) provide insight into their credibility as witnesses of activities at court.


Keywords

<Key words that will help categorise this play.>


Works Cited

Chambers, E. K. William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1930.

Cook, David and F. P. Wilson. Dramatic Records in the Declared Accounts of the Treasurer of the Chamber 1558-1642. Malone Society Collections, 1961 (1962).


Knutson, Roslyn Lander. The Repertory of Shakespeare's Company, 1594-1613. Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 1991.


Lee



Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 26 October 2009.