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 xxxxij^s

Under the play list "begininge at newington for "my Lord ADmeralle men & my Lorde chamberlen men" for 10 performances, June 3-13:

y^e 6 of June 1594

Rd at cvtlacke

xj^s

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:

y^e 17 of June 1594	Rd at cutlacke	xxxv^s
y^e 24 of June 1594	Rd at cvtlacke	xxv^s
y^e 27 of June 1594	Rd at cvttlacke	xxxvj^s

F. 9v (Greg I.18)

y^e 4 of Julye 1594	Rd at cvtlacke	xxiiij^s
y^e 15 of Julye 1594	Rd at cvtlacke	xxxv^s
y^e 29 of Julye 1594	Rd at cvtlacke	xxix^s
y^e 8 of aguste 1594	Rd at cvttlacke	xiij^s vj^d
y^e 22 of aguste 1594	Rd at cvttlacke	xxiij^s vj^d

F. 10 (Greg I.19)

y^e 6 of septemb[er] 1594			Rd at cvtlacke			xj^s
y^e 26 of septmb[er] 1594			Rd at cuttlacke			xiiij^s

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

If Alfred Harbage is right that "Cutlack" is a variant spelling of "Guthlac," the title character of the play may then have been the king of the Danes whose name Geoffrey of Monmouth spells "Guichlac" (III.2-4, 11). Internet Archive

References to the Play

Guilpin

Critical Commentary

For What It's Worth

Works Cited

Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain. trans. Sebastian Evans, rev. Charles W. Dunn. New York: E. F. Dutton, 1958. Print. Internet Archive

Guilpen, Everard. Skialetheia Google Books

Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; updated 8 March 2010.