Henry I: Difference between revisions

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==Critical Commentary==
==Critical Commentary==
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Malone thought this might simply be a remodelling of Chettle, Dekker and Drayton's "[[Famous Wars of Henry I and the Prince of Wales]]" ([[1598]]). He mistakenly recorded its entry in the Stationers' Register "by some knavish bookseller" as taking place in 1660 (the date that "[[King Stephen]]", "[[Duke Humphrey]]", and "[[Iphis and Ianthe, or Marriage without a Man]]" were entered) (Malone 319).
'''Malone''' thought this might simply be a remodelling of Chettle, Dekker and Drayton's "[[Famous Wars of Henry I and the Prince of Wales]]" ([[1598]]). He mistakenly recorded its entry in the Stationers' Register "by some knavish bookseller" as taking place in 1660 (the date that "[[King Stephen]]", "[[Duke Humphrey]]", and "[[Iphis and Ianthe, or Marriage without a Man]]" were entered) (Malone 319).
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In the context of Moseley's entries, Gary Taylor refers to "Henry I" and "Henry II" as if a single play: "The 1653 entry also attributes to Shakespeare ''The Merry Devil of Edmonton'' (as did Charles I), and to Shakespeare and Davenport the lost ''Henry the First and Henry the Second'', which Davenport wrote or adapted in the 1620s..." (20, n43).
'''Bentley''' was sceptical about the reliability of Warburton's list as evidence, but confident that Moseley "certainly had a manuscript, and he must have had some reason for assigning it as he did." He casts doubts over the attribution however, noting that "[t]here is no evidence that Davenport began to write early enough to have collaborated with Shakespeare, and if he had, it is difficult to imagine a reason why the company should have waited eight years after Shakespeare's death to get a licence" (3.230). Nor, he adds, is it likely that the play was originally by Shakespeare and later revised by Davenport --- Herbert's licensing fee is on par with his usual fee for an entirely new play (3.231).
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In the context of Moseley's entries, '''Gary Taylor''' refers to "Henry I" and "Henry II" as if a single play: "The 1653 entry also attributes to Shakespeare ''The Merry Devil of Edmonton'' (as did Charles I), and to Shakespeare and Davenport the lost ''Henry the First and Henry the Second'', which Davenport wrote or adapted in the 1620s..." (20, n43).
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==For What It's Worth==
==For What It's Worth==



Revision as of 23:37, 29 January 2015

Davenport, Robert and Shakespeare, William (attrib.) (1624)


Historical Records

Dramatic Records of Sir Henry Herbert


1624, April 10. "For the king's company. The Historye of Henry the First, written by Damport [Davenport]; this 10 April, 1624,---1l. 0. 0."
(Adams 27-28)




Stationers' Register

09 September 1653 (S.R.II, 1.429 CLIO)

Master Mosely Entred also . . . the severall playes following . . xxs vjd
...
Henry the first, & Hen: the 2d, by Shakespeare & Davenport.



Warburton's list

"Henry I" appears as the 2nd play noted by John Warburton (1682-1759) in his list of the unprinted MS plays allegedly in his collection until destroyed by Warburton’s cook (Greg, "The Bakings of Betsy" 231):

The Honr. Loves by Will. Rowley
Henry ye 1st. by Will. Shakespeare & Rob. Davenport
The fair favourit
Minervas Sacrifise Phill. Masenger
Duke Humphery Will. Shakespear


See the full list from British Library Lansdowne MS. 807 here.


Theatrical Provenance

King's?


Probable Genre(s)

History


Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

<Enter any information about possible or known sources. Summarise these sources where practical/possible, or provide an excerpt from another scholar's discussion of the subject if available.>


References to the Play

<List any known or conjectured references to the lost play here.>


Critical Commentary


Malone thought this might simply be a remodelling of Chettle, Dekker and Drayton's "Famous Wars of Henry I and the Prince of Wales" (1598). He mistakenly recorded its entry in the Stationers' Register "by some knavish bookseller" as taking place in 1660 (the date that "King Stephen", "Duke Humphrey", and "Iphis and Ianthe, or Marriage without a Man" were entered) (Malone 319).

Bentley was sceptical about the reliability of Warburton's list as evidence, but confident that Moseley "certainly had a manuscript, and he must have had some reason for assigning it as he did." He casts doubts over the attribution however, noting that "[t]here is no evidence that Davenport began to write early enough to have collaborated with Shakespeare, and if he had, it is difficult to imagine a reason why the company should have waited eight years after Shakespeare's death to get a licence" (3.230). Nor, he adds, is it likely that the play was originally by Shakespeare and later revised by Davenport --- Herbert's licensing fee is on par with his usual fee for an entirely new play (3.231).

In the context of Moseley's entries, Gary Taylor refers to "Henry I" and "Henry II" as if a single play: "The 1653 entry also attributes to Shakespeare The Merry Devil of Edmonton (as did Charles I), and to Shakespeare and Davenport the lost Henry the First and Henry the Second, which Davenport wrote or adapted in the 1620s..." (20, n43).


For What It's Worth

<Enter any miscellaneous points that may be relevant, but don't fit into the above categories. This is the best place for highly conjectural thoughts.>


Works Cited

Malone, Edmond. “Additions: Historical Account of the English Stage”. The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare, with the Corrections and Illustrations of Various Commentators: Comprehending A Life of the Poet, and An Enlarged History of the Stage, by the Late Edmond Malone. With a new Glossarial Index. Vol.3: Prolegomena. London, 1821. 295-359. GoogleBooks
Taylor, Gary. "A History of The History of Cardenio". The Quest for Cardenio: Shakespeare, Fletcher, Cervantes, & the Lost Play. ed. David Carnegie and Gary Taylor. Oxford: OUP, 2012. 11-61.


Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated 15 January 2015.