The Antiquary (play)
Encyclopedia
The Antiquary is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy
written by Shackerley Marmion
. It was acted in the 1634–36 period by Queen Henrietta's Men
at the Cockpit Theatre
, and first published in 1641
. The Antiquary has been succinctly described as "Marmion's best play."
, a famous antiquarian and art collector of the day. Marmion also was influenced by a contemporary controversy: in 1629, King Charles I
and his Privy Council
developed a scheme to confiscate the collection of the celebrated antiquary Charles Cotton the elder.
(although, with references to the Rialto
and the senate, he seems to have been thinking more about Venice
). Like some other rulers in folklore and story (Harun al-Rashid
being the most famous example), the Duke of Pisa chooses to go about in disguise among his subjects, to observe them and to amuse himself in the process. He witnesses a variety of odd characters, including Petrutio, who has been made vain and conceited by his foreign travels, and Moccinigo, an old man shocked by a courtesan's rejection into pursuing the hand of the 16-year-old Lucretia.
Veterano is an elderly and wealthy collector of antiquities; he denies his nephew Lionell any financial support and spends his money on his supposed treasures. Gullibly, he believes he owns the net in which Vulcan
captured Mars
and Venus
, and "the great silver box that Nero
kept his beard in." Lionell, an "ingenious witty gentleman" and a "young knave," cheats his uncle by selling him bogus rarities in disguise. The Duke, in confederacy with Lionell, threatens to confiscate Veterano's collection, since it is too precious to be in the hands of a private citizen; in response, Veterano wills his estate to Lionell.
Lionell places his boy page with Lucetia's parents, Lorenzo and Aemilia. Aemilia develops an infatuation with the boy; when Lorenzo discovers this, he is outraged. Aemilia manages to turn the tables on her husband with Lionell's help: she reveals that the page is a girl (Lionell's sister Angelia) in disguise, and accuses Lorenzo of sneaking his own mistress into their house. A shocked Lorenzo is forced to yield command of his household to his wife.
In addition to Moccinigo, Lucretia is courted by the ardent Aurelio — but she abuses her would-be lover so severely that she converts him into a misogynist. Yet when she learns that Moccinigo plots Aurelio's murder, Lucretia tries to forestall the crime and set things right; she apologizes to Aurelio, and he abandons his misogyny as quickly as he adopted it. Aurelio tricks Lucretia into marrying him by trapping her in appearances: he bribes her servant into granting him entry into her apartments, and emerges the next morning to announce that they are married. To save her honor, Lucretia must marry him in fact. (This plot device is used in other plays of the era, from Lording Barry
's Ram Alley, c. 1607, to Thomas Killigrew
's The Parson's Wedding
, 1641.)
Lionell and the Duke get Veterano drunk; in his inebriated state, Veterano claims that his hat was worn by Julius Caesar
, his breeches by Pompey the Great, and his eyeglasses by Hannibal. When he falls asleep, they dress the old man in a fool's coat. Waking to find himself so attired, Veterano goes to the Duke to complain — only to find that the "Duke" is his nephew in disguise.
Moccinigo is tricked and cheated into signing his estates over to the newly-married Aurelio and Lucretia. The foolish Petrutio is similarly tricked into marrying Lionell's sister Angelia, a young woman he'd formerly courted but neglected. (He believes he's marrying the Duke's sister — and in a sense he is, since the man he thinks is the Duke is actually Lionell.) The real Duke, emerged from concealment at the play's end, exults in the pleasure he's enjoyed and in the fitness of the outcome.
, Thomas d'Urfey
borrowed from Marmion's drama to create his Madame Fickle, or the Witty False One (1677
). Veterano reappears in different guises in later plays as well, in Samuel Foote
's The Nabob (1773
) and in John O'Keeffe's Modern Antiquities (1791
).
The Antiquary was also admired by Sir Walter Scott
; he included it in his collection Ancient British Drama.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
written by Shackerley Marmion
Shackerley Marmion
Shackerley Marmion , also Shakerley, Shakerly, Schackerley, Marmyon, Marmyun, or Mermion, was an early 17th-century dramatist, often classed among the Sons of Ben, the followers of Ben Jonson who continued his style of comedy...
. It was acted in the 1634–36 period by Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men.-Beginnings:...
at the Cockpit Theatre
Cockpit Theatre
The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was christened The Phoenix....
, and first published in 1641
1641 in literature
The year 1641 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Pierre Corneille marries Marie de Lampérière.*Sir William Davenant is convicted of high treason.*Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon becomes an advisor to King Charles I of England....
. The Antiquary has been succinctly described as "Marmion's best play."
Contemporary references
The play drew upon several contemporary sources for its inspiration. Antiquarianism and the collection of "rarities" was a growing trend in Marmion's era. Marmion's title character, Veterano, has a habit of staring at a sculpture with a broken nose; this may have been intended as an allusion to Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of ArundelThomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel
Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel KG, was a prominent English courtier during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I, but he made his name as a Grand Tourist and art collector rather than as a politician. When he died he possessed 700 paintings, along with large collections of sculpture,...
, a famous antiquarian and art collector of the day. Marmion also was influenced by a contemporary controversy: in 1629, King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and his Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
developed a scheme to confiscate the collection of the celebrated antiquary Charles Cotton the elder.
Synopsis
Marmion set his play in PisaPisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
(although, with references to the Rialto
Rialto
The Rialto is and has been for many centuries the financial and commercial centre of Venice. It is an area of the San Polo sestiere of Venice, Italy, also known for its markets and for the Rialto Bridge across the Grand Canal....
and the senate, he seems to have been thinking more about Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
). Like some other rulers in folklore and story (Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....
being the most famous example), the Duke of Pisa chooses to go about in disguise among his subjects, to observe them and to amuse himself in the process. He witnesses a variety of odd characters, including Petrutio, who has been made vain and conceited by his foreign travels, and Moccinigo, an old man shocked by a courtesan's rejection into pursuing the hand of the 16-year-old Lucretia.
Veterano is an elderly and wealthy collector of antiquities; he denies his nephew Lionell any financial support and spends his money on his supposed treasures. Gullibly, he believes he owns the net in which Vulcan
Vulcan (mythology)
Vulcan , aka Mulciber, is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes in ancient Roman religion and Roman Neopaganism. Vulcan is usually depicted with a thunderbolt. He is known as Sethlans in Etruscan mythology...
captured Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
and Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, and "the great silver box that Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
kept his beard in." Lionell, an "ingenious witty gentleman" and a "young knave," cheats his uncle by selling him bogus rarities in disguise. The Duke, in confederacy with Lionell, threatens to confiscate Veterano's collection, since it is too precious to be in the hands of a private citizen; in response, Veterano wills his estate to Lionell.
Lionell places his boy page with Lucetia's parents, Lorenzo and Aemilia. Aemilia develops an infatuation with the boy; when Lorenzo discovers this, he is outraged. Aemilia manages to turn the tables on her husband with Lionell's help: she reveals that the page is a girl (Lionell's sister Angelia) in disguise, and accuses Lorenzo of sneaking his own mistress into their house. A shocked Lorenzo is forced to yield command of his household to his wife.
In addition to Moccinigo, Lucretia is courted by the ardent Aurelio — but she abuses her would-be lover so severely that she converts him into a misogynist. Yet when she learns that Moccinigo plots Aurelio's murder, Lucretia tries to forestall the crime and set things right; she apologizes to Aurelio, and he abandons his misogyny as quickly as he adopted it. Aurelio tricks Lucretia into marrying him by trapping her in appearances: he bribes her servant into granting him entry into her apartments, and emerges the next morning to announce that they are married. To save her honor, Lucretia must marry him in fact. (This plot device is used in other plays of the era, from Lording Barry
Lording Barry
-Works:Barry is known as the author of one comedy, ‘Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks,’, 1611 and 1636, which was included in the second and subsequent editions of Robert Dodsley's ‘Old Plays.’ Anthony Wood says it was acted by the Children of the King's Revels before 1611....
's Ram Alley, c. 1607, to Thomas Killigrew
Thomas Killigrew
Thomas Killigrew was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England.-Life and work:...
's The Parson's Wedding
The Parson's Wedding
The Parson's Wedding is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Killigrew. Often regarded as the author's best play, the drama has sometimes been considered an anticipation of Restoration comedy, written a generation before the Restoration; "its general tone foreshadows the comedy of...
, 1641.)
Lionell and the Duke get Veterano drunk; in his inebriated state, Veterano claims that his hat was worn by Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, his breeches by Pompey the Great, and his eyeglasses by Hannibal. When he falls asleep, they dress the old man in a fool's coat. Waking to find himself so attired, Veterano goes to the Duke to complain — only to find that the "Duke" is his nephew in disguise.
Moccinigo is tricked and cheated into signing his estates over to the newly-married Aurelio and Lucretia. The foolish Petrutio is similarly tricked into marrying Lionell's sister Angelia, a young woman he'd formerly courted but neglected. (He believes he's marrying the Duke's sister — and in a sense he is, since the man he thinks is the Duke is actually Lionell.) The real Duke, emerged from concealment at the play's end, exults in the pleasure he's enjoyed and in the fitness of the outcome.
After 1642
During the RestorationEnglish Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, Thomas d'Urfey
Thomas d'Urfey
Thomas D'Urfey was an English writer and wit. He composed plays, songs, and poetry, in addition to writing jokes. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the Ballad opera....
borrowed from Marmion's drama to create his Madame Fickle, or the Witty False One (1677
1677 in literature
The year 1677 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Roger Morrice begins his Entring Book.* Francis North's A Philosophical Essay of Music published....
). Veterano reappears in different guises in later plays as well, in Samuel Foote
Samuel Foote
Samuel Foote was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager from Cornwall.-Early life:Born into a well-to-do family, Foote was baptized in Truro, Cornwall on 27 January 1720. His father, John Foote, held several public positions, including mayor of Truro, Member of Parliament representing...
's The Nabob (1773
1773 in literature
See also: 1772 in literature, other events of 1773, 1774 in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:*Richard Brinsley Sheridan marries Elizabeth Linley.*Samuel Johnson and James Boswell tour the Western Isles of Scotland-New books:...
) and in John O'Keeffe's Modern Antiquities (1791
1791 in literature
-Events:*Chinese writer and publisher Gao E and his partner Cheng Weiyan claim to have discovered Cao Xueqin's lost novel Dream of the Red Chamber* Samuel Taylor Coleridge begins his course at Jesus College, Cambridge.-New books:...
).
The Antiquary was also admired by Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
; he included it in his collection Ancient British Drama.