Category:Duplicate plays: Difference between revisions

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Duplicate plays are plays that share narratives and (probably) genre. Examples among existing plays include ''The Famous Victories of Henry V'' (author unknown) and the trilogy on Prince Hal/King Henry V by Shakespeare (''1H4'', ''2H4'', ''H5''). It used to be that lost plays on the same subject as extant plays were routinely considered the same play; that is, they were lumped together as identical or variant texts; for example, the ''Oldcastle'' performed by the Chamberlain's men in 1600 was lumped with Shakespeare's ''1H4'' because the character of Falstaff was believed to have been well known as "Oldcastle." Similarly, theater historians lumped "Longshanks" with ''Edward I'', "Mahomet" and "Muly Molocco" with ''The Battle of Alcazar'', "Dido and Aeneas" with ''Dido Queen of Carthage'', and "The Wise Man of West Chester" with ''John a Kent and John a Cumber''. It is the policy of the ''Lost Plays Database'' to split lost plays from apparently duplicate extant plays unless compelling evidence requires that they be lumped together as the same (or variant versions of the same) play.
The category, "duplicate plays," covers titles that appear to share narratives and (probably) genre. An example among extant plays is the''The Famous Victories of Henry V'' (author unknown; provenance: the Queen's men) and the trilogy on Prince Hal/King Henry V by Shakespeare (''1H4'', ''2H4'', ''H5'').  
 
Edmond Malone, John Payne Collier, and F. G. Fleay established the habit among pre-twentieth-century theater historians of assuming that plays now lost were the same as (or were the foundation for) extant plays on the same subject. Lost plays were thus routinely lumped together with extant (or other lost) plays as identical or variant texts. For example, the ''Oldcastle'' performed by the Chamberlain's men in 1600 was lumped with Shakespeare's ''1H4'' because the character of Falstaff was believed to have been well known as "Oldcastle." Similarly, theater historians lumped "Longshanks" with George Peele's ''Edward I'', "Mahomet" and "Muly Molocco" with Peele's ''The Battle of Alcazar'', "Dido and Aeneas" with Christopher Marlowe's ''Dido Queen of Carthage'', and "The Wise Man of West Chester" with Anthony Munday's ''John a Kent and John a Cumber''. [[WorksCited|Greg II]] and [[WorksCited|Chambers, ''ES'']] continued the practice but also resisted the wholesale erasure of lost plays as discrete theatrical pieces. The trend away from lumping has continued among current theater historians.
 
It is the policy of the ''Lost Plays Database'' to separate lost plays from apparently duplicate extant plays unless compelling evidence requires that they be lumped together as the same (or variant versions of the same) play.

Revision as of 12:09, 24 December 2021

The category, "duplicate plays," covers titles that appear to share narratives and (probably) genre. An example among extant plays is theThe Famous Victories of Henry V (author unknown; provenance: the Queen's men) and the trilogy on Prince Hal/King Henry V by Shakespeare (1H4, 2H4, H5).

Edmond Malone, John Payne Collier, and F. G. Fleay established the habit among pre-twentieth-century theater historians of assuming that plays now lost were the same as (or were the foundation for) extant plays on the same subject. Lost plays were thus routinely lumped together with extant (or other lost) plays as identical or variant texts. For example, the Oldcastle performed by the Chamberlain's men in 1600 was lumped with Shakespeare's 1H4 because the character of Falstaff was believed to have been well known as "Oldcastle." Similarly, theater historians lumped "Longshanks" with George Peele's Edward I, "Mahomet" and "Muly Molocco" with Peele's The Battle of Alcazar, "Dido and Aeneas" with Christopher Marlowe's Dido Queen of Carthage, and "The Wise Man of West Chester" with Anthony Munday's John a Kent and John a Cumber. Greg II and Chambers, ES continued the practice but also resisted the wholesale erasure of lost plays as discrete theatrical pieces. The trend away from lumping has continued among current theater historians.

It is the policy of the Lost Plays Database to separate lost plays from apparently duplicate extant plays unless compelling evidence requires that they be lumped together as the same (or variant versions of the same) play.