Siege of Dunkirk, with Alleyn the Pirate: Difference between revisions
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Henslowe purchased this play for the Admiral's men at the Fortune shortly before playing was suspended in anticipation of Queen Elizabeth's death; the period of suspension would be extended into 1604 due to outbreaks of plague.
Henslowe purchased this play for the Admiral's men at the Fortune shortly before playing was suspended in anticipation of Queen Elizabeth's death; the period of suspension would be extended into 1604 due to outbreaks of plague.
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==Probable Genre(s)==
==Probable Genre(s)==


Tragedy (Harbage); "Contemporary" (Wiggins #1401)
Tragedy (Harbage); "Contemporary" (Wiggins #1401)
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==Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues==
==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.>
Information Welcome.
 


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==References to the Play==
==References to the Play==


<List any known or conjectured references to the lost play here.>
'''Wiggins''' mentions two plays, ''If it Be Not Good, the Devil is In It'' and ''Northwest Ho!'' that allude to Dunkirk and/or imperiled English shipping (#1401).
 
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'''Wiggins''' ascribes the play to Massey (#1401). He puzzles over the curiosity that there was a relatively contemporary siege at Ostend ''c''. 1603 but not one at Dunkirk (#1401). He notes a Dunkirk siege in 1600, during which "the Dutch besiegers were assisted by an English regiment under Sir Francis Vere" (#1401). Speaking more generally, Wiggins observes that Dunkirk, a Spanish bastion, "was a base for piracy" and that in 1603 "the Privy Council was levying money to equip a naval force to protect English merchant shipping: (#1401). Wiggins considers the name Alleyn to indicate a pirate-character who "may have been a traitor or a defector," not Alleyn the player (#1401). Wiggins mentions two plays, ''If it Be Not Good, the Devil is In It'' and ''Northwest Ho!'' that allude to Dunkirk and/or imperiled English shipping. Considering the performance history of the play, Wiggins opines that the play was completed (despite this one payment of 40s. for it) but suggests that it would not have been a welcome a repertory addition in 1604 due to a changing political climate in which its apparent "anti-Spanish tack … would have been less apropos" (#1401).
'''Wiggins''' ascribes the play to Massey (#1401). He puzzles over the curiosity that there was a relatively contemporary siege at Ostend ''c''. 1603 but not one at Dunkirk (#1401). He notes a Dunkirk siege in 1600, during which "the Dutch besiegers were assisted by an English regiment under Sir Francis Vere" (#1401). Speaking more generally, Wiggins observes that Dunkirk, a Spanish bastion, "was a base for piracy" and that in 1603 "the Privy Council was levying money to equip a naval force to protect English merchant shipping: (#1401). He considers the name Alleyn to indicate a pirate-character who "may have been a traitor or a defector," not Alleyn the player (#1401). Considering the performance history of the play, Wiggins opines that the play was completed (despite this one payment of 40s. for it) but suggests that it would not have been a welcome a repertory addition in 1604 due to a changing political climate in which its apparent "anti-Spanish tack … would have been less apropos" (#1401).
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==For What It's Worth==
==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.>
Scholars assume that Edward Alleyn had retired to retirement by March 1603, but he had been recently performing in revivals of the Admiral's old favorites (or so it is supposed). Nothing in Henslowe's records disallows a conjecture that the purchase of "The Siege of Dunkirk" could not have been ''at the end'' of its run (i.e., 1602-3) rather than at an anticipated beginning.
 
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==Works Cited==
==Works Cited==


<List all texts cited throughout the entry, except those staple texts whose full bibliographical details have been provided in the masterlist of Works Cited found on the sidebar menu. Use the coding below to format the list>
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<div style="padding-left: 2em; text-indent: -2em"> citation goes here </div>
 
<If you haven't done so already, also add here any key words that will help categorise this play. Use the following format, repeating as necessary: [[category:example]]>
 


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Revision as of 16:40, 15 April 2016

Charles Massey (1603)


Historical Records

Payments to Playwrights (Henslowe's Diary)


F. 109v (Greg i.174)

Lent vnto Edward Jube the 7 of marche 1602
to geue vnto Charles masseye in earneste of
a playe called the sedge of doncerke wth
alleys the pyrete the some of … } xxxxs



Theatrical Provenance

Henslowe purchased this play for the Admiral's men at the Fortune shortly before playing was suspended in anticipation of Queen Elizabeth's death; the period of suspension would be extended into 1604 due to outbreaks of plague.

Probable Genre(s)

Tragedy (Harbage); "Contemporary" (Wiggins #1401)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

Information Welcome.



References to the Play

Wiggins mentions two plays, If it Be Not Good, the Devil is In It and Northwest Ho! that allude to Dunkirk and/or imperiled English shipping (#1401).


Critical Commentary

Greg questioned whether Massey was the author or perhaps the author's agent; he was equally skeptical of the idea (apparently Hazlitt's) that the tag phrase, "with Alleyn the Pirate," indicated a leading role for Edward Alleyn (Greg II.228, Item 257)

Wiggins ascribes the play to Massey (#1401). He puzzles over the curiosity that there was a relatively contemporary siege at Ostend c. 1603 but not one at Dunkirk (#1401). He notes a Dunkirk siege in 1600, during which "the Dutch besiegers were assisted by an English regiment under Sir Francis Vere" (#1401). Speaking more generally, Wiggins observes that Dunkirk, a Spanish bastion, "was a base for piracy" and that in 1603 "the Privy Council was levying money to equip a naval force to protect English merchant shipping: (#1401). He considers the name Alleyn to indicate a pirate-character who "may have been a traitor or a defector," not Alleyn the player (#1401). Considering the performance history of the play, Wiggins opines that the play was completed (despite this one payment of 40s. for it) but suggests that it would not have been a welcome a repertory addition in 1604 due to a changing political climate in which its apparent "anti-Spanish tack … would have been less apropos" (#1401).

For What It's Worth

Scholars assume that Edward Alleyn had retired to retirement by March 1603, but he had been recently performing in revivals of the Admiral's old favorites (or so it is supposed). Nothing in Henslowe's records disallows a conjecture that the purchase of "The Siege of Dunkirk" could not have been at the end of its run (i.e., 1602-3) rather than at an anticipated beginning.


Works Cited



Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita; updated 15 April 2016.