Randall, Earl of Chester (Chester’s Tragedy)
Historical Records
3 Oct 1602, Henslowe advances 20s "in earnest of a play" to Middleton on behalf of Worcester's Men. The title is left blank.
21 October 1602, Henslowe pays Middleton 4 pounds in "part of payment for his play called Chester tragedy".
9 November 1602, Henslowe pays Middleton 40s "in full payment of his play called Randall, Earl of Chester".
Although the first entry is untitled, Feldmann and Tetzeli von Rosador believe it to refer to Randall given "[t]he progressive concretization of the title, the proximity of dates, [and] the complementary nature of the statements about the payments" (328).
Theatrical Provenance
During the process of writing the play seems to have changed hands from Worcester's Men to the Admiral's (328).
Probable Genre(s)
Tragedy.
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
There are three Earls of Chester called Ranulf in Holinshed's Chronicles, and two of them are colourful enough to warrant plays about them: Ranulf de Gernons (d. 1153) and Ranulf de Blundevill (d.1232). (330)
Anthony Munday included a "Ranulphe, Earl of Chester" in John a Kent and John a Cumber, and an Earl of Chester in both The Downfall and The Death of Robert, Earl of Huntingdon (the latter is de Blundevill; 330). He also appears briefly in the Admiral's Men's play Look About You. (329)
Piers Plowman (V.395) implies the presence of folk "rymes about Robyn hood and Randolf Earl of Chestre". (329)
The popular lost play The Wise Man of West Chester may also have been an influence (329).
De Blundevill's life involved opposition to England paying tithes to Rome and his rescue from a besieged castle, but that there is no obvious tragic potential. It's more likely that the play was about de Gernons, who pursued his personal autonomy over the rule of King Stephen, taking him captive, before being captured himself (330).
References to the Play
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Critical Commentary
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For What It's Worth
Feldmann and Tetzeli von Rosador imagine that the play might have depicted Ranulf de Gernon's opposition to the King, his capturing of him, and his subsequent surrender after being captured himself. They suggest that although Holinshed continues with a number of other "alliances intrigues and battles" involving Ranulf, Middleton could have created a teagic structure by having Ranulf be summarily killed at the end, perhaps "poisoned by William Peverell, whom, it is said, he had robbed of his land". They further speculate that Empress Matilda could have provided an "element of sexual violence or violent sexuality" (330).
Works Cited
- Doris Feldmann and Kurt Tetzeli von Rosador, "Lost Plays: A Brief Account", in Thomas Middleton: The Collected Works, ed. Gary Taylor and John Lavagnino (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2007), 328-333.
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