Buckingham

Anon. (1593)


Historical Records

Henslowe's Diary


F. 8v (Greg, I.16)

Res at buckingam the 30 of desember 1593 ………. ljs
Res at buckingam the 1 of Jenewary 1593 ………. lviijs
Res at buckingam the 10 of Jenewarye 1593 ………. xxijs
Res at buckengam the 27 of Jenewarye 1593 ………. xviijs



Theatrical Provenance

Buckingham was performed by Sussex's men at the Rose throughout their run, which began on 27 December 1593 and ended 6 February 1594. The play was apparently old (Henslowe did not mark it with his enigmatic "ne"), but it received excellent receipts averaging 37s. to Henslowe across its four performances.

Probable Genre(s)

History (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues


It is reasonable to assume that the play relied on standard English chronicles for its narrative, but it is still uncertain which of the possible noblemen with the title of Buckingham the play featured.

References to the Play

None known.


Critical Commentary

Fleay did not hazard a guess as to the nobleman featured in this play.

Greg assumed that the duke was "Richard III's Buckingham" (II. 158, Item# 30). He pointed out that Richard's "Buckingham" appeared not only in Shakespeare's Richard III but also the similarly named play owned by the Queen's men, The True Tragedy of Richard III.

Knutson, also assuming that Buckingham featured Richard III's henchman, calls attention to the cluster of plays from the historical time of the Wars of the Roses that in repertorial time were in performance from 1590 to 1594 (48). Being more specific about repertorial competition, she calls Buckingham a "possible spin-off" and notes that it was probably in performance by Sussex's men when Shakespeare's Richard III was new (70).

Egan offers a different identification for the Buckingham of Buckingham: Thomas of Woodstock, one of whose titles was the earl of Buckingham (I.92).



For What It's Worth




Works Cited

Egan, Michael (ed.). The Tragedy of Richard II Part One: A Newly Authenticated Play by William Shakespeare. 3 vols. Lewiston, Queenston, Lampeter: Edwin Mellon Press, 2006.
Knutson, Roslyn L. The Repertory of Shakespeare's Company, 1594-1613. Fayetteville, AR: The University of Arkansas Press, 1991.



Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 13 August 2012.