Troy’s Revenge, with the Tragedy of Polyphemus

Henry Chettle (1599)

Historical Records

Henslowe's Diary

F. 53v. (Greg I.102)

Lent vnto samvell Rowley the 16 of febreary

1598 to lend in p[ar]te of payment vnto harye

chettell vpon his boocke of polefemos . . . . xx^s

Lent vnto Thomas downton the 27 of febreary

1598 to paye vnto harey cheattell in fulle

payment for a playe called Troyes Revenge

w^th the tragedy of polefeme the some of fyftye

shellenges & strocken of his deatte w^ch he owes

vnto the company fyftye shelenges more . . . l^s

F. 61 (Greg I.105)

Hary cheattell hath strocken of his deate

as foloweth 1598 vnto the companye [...]

pd of his deate in his boocke of polefeme . . . l^s

F. 64v (Greg I.112)

Lent vnto the littell tayller the 4 of

octobre 1599 to bye diuers for the play

of polefeme the some of . . . viij^s

Theatrical Provenance

(Content welcome.)

Probable Genre(s)

Classical Legend (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

(Under construction; content welcome.)

Ultimately, Homer's Odyssey; Virgil's Aeneid 3; Theocritus, Idylls 6 and 11 (an English translation of the latter was published in 1588); Lydgate's Troy-Book; etc.

References to the Play

(Content welcome.)

Critical Commentary

Greg: "The title Troy's Revenge suggests a play on the fates of the Greek heroes, which would include the story of Odysseus and Polyphemus, though it is a strange incident to select as the central theme of a tragedy." (II.201)

For What It's Worth

(Content welcome.)

Works Cited

Batman, Stephen. A Christall Glasse of Christian Reformation. London, 1569.

Cicero. Those fyue questions, which Marke Tullye Cicero, disputed in his manor of Tusculanum. Trans. John Dolman. London, 1561.

Eliot, Thomas, trans. The Education or Bringinge vp of Children, translated oute of Plutarche. London, 1532.

Fraunce, Abraham. The Third Part of the Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch entituled, Amintas Dale. London, 1592.

Golding, Arthur, trans. The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, entituled, Metamorphosis. London, 1584.

Greene, Robert. “A briefe Apologie.” In Planetomachia. London, 1585.

Lydgate, John. The Auncient Historie and Onely Trewe and Syncere Cronicle of the Warres Betwixte the Grecians and the Troyans. London: 1555.

Theocritus. Sixe Idillia; that is, Sixe Small, or Petty Poems, or Æglogues, Chosen Out of the Right Famous Sicilian Poet Theocritus, and translated into English verse. Oxford: 1588.

Site created and maintained by Misha Teramura, Harvard University; updated 18 May 2013.