Gorboduc (play)
Encyclopedia
Gorboduc, also titled Ferrex and Porrex, is an English play from 1561. It was performed before Queen Elizabeth I on 18 January 1562, by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple
. The authors were Thomas Norton
and Thomas Sackville
, said to be responsible for the first three Acts, and the final two, respectively.
The play was entered into the Stationers' Register
on 22 September 1565. The first quarto
, published by the bookseller John Day, is undated, but is thought to have been issued ca. 1571. A second quarto followed in 1590
, printed by Edward Allde
for the stationer John Perrin.
The play is notable for several reasons: as the first verse drama in English
to employ blank verse
; for its political subject matter (the realm of Gorboduc
is disputed by his sons Ferrex
and Porrex
), which was still a touchy area in the early years of Elizabeth's reign; for its manner, progressing from the models of the morality
play and Senecan tragedy
in the direction which would be followed by later playwrights. That is, it can be seen as a forerunner of the whole trend that would later produce Titus Andronicus
and King Lear
. It is also provides the first well-documented performance of a play in Ireland
: Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy staged it at Dublin Castle
in 1601.
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
. The authors were Thomas Norton
Thomas Norton
Thomas Norton was an English lawyer, politician, writer of verse — but not, as has been claimed, the chief interrogator of Queen Elizabeth I.-Official career:...
and Thomas Sackville
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset was an English statesman, poet, dramatist and Freemason. He was the son of Richard Sackville, a cousin to Anne Boleyn. He was a Member of Parliament and Lord High Treasurer.-Biography:...
, said to be responsible for the first three Acts, and the final two, respectively.
The play was entered into the Stationers' Register
Stationers' Register
The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including printers, bookbinders, booksellers, and publishers in England...
on 22 September 1565. The first quarto
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
, published by the bookseller John Day, is undated, but is thought to have been issued ca. 1571. A second quarto followed in 1590
1590 in literature
-Events:*The Children of Paul's perform at Court twice in the first week of January; one of the plays they acted may have been John Lyly's Midas. Later in the year, however, they are banned from performing because of the involvement of their chief script-writer, Lyly, in the Marprelate...
, printed by Edward Allde
Edward Allde
Edward Allde was an English printer in London during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. He was responsible for a number of significant texts in English Renaissance drama, including some of the early editions of plays by William Shakespeare.-Life:Edward Allde was part of a family of professional...
for the stationer John Perrin.
The play is notable for several reasons: as the first verse drama in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to employ blank verse
Blank verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the sixteenth century" and Paul Fussell has claimed that "about three-quarters of all English poetry is in blank verse."The first...
; for its political subject matter (the realm of Gorboduc
Gorboduc
Gorboduc was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was married to Judon. At an old age, he became senile and his sons, Ferrex and Porrex, feuded over who would take over the kingdom...
is disputed by his sons Ferrex
Ferrex
Ferrex was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of Gorboduc and Judon.When his father had become old, he waged war on his brother, Porrex, for who would succeed to the kingship. He fled to Gaul and enlisted the help of Suhard, the king of the...
and Porrex
Porrex I
Porrex I was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of Gorboduc and his death began a dynastic civil war....
), which was still a touchy area in the early years of Elizabeth's reign; for its manner, progressing from the models of the morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
play and Senecan tragedy
Senecan tragedy
Senecan tragedy is a body of ten 1st century dramas, of which eight were written by the Roman Stoic philosopher and politician L. Annaeus Seneca . Rediscovered by Italian humanists in the mid-16th century, they became the models for the revival of tragedy on the Renaissance stage...
in the direction which would be followed by later playwrights. That is, it can be seen as a forerunner of the whole trend that would later produce Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...
and King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. It is also provides the first well-documented performance of a play in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
: Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy staged it at Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
in 1601.
Synopsis
At the play's beginning, the argument gives the following summary of the play's action: "Gorboduc, King of Britain, divided his realm in his lifetime to his sons, Ferrex and Porrex. The sons fell to dissention. The younger killed the elder. The mother that more dearly loved the elder, for revenge killed the younger. The people, moved with the cruelty of the fact, rose in rebellion and slew both father and mother. The nobility assembled and most terribly destroyed the rebels. And afterward for want of issue of the prince, whereby the succession of the crown became uncertain, they fell to civil war in which both they and many of their issues were slain, and the land for a long time almost desolate and miserably wasted."Characters
- GorboducGorboducGorboduc was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was married to Judon. At an old age, he became senile and his sons, Ferrex and Porrex, feuded over who would take over the kingdom...
, King of Great Britain - Videna, Queen and wife to King Gorboduc
- FerrexFerrexFerrex was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of Gorboduc and Judon.When his father had become old, he waged war on his brother, Porrex, for who would succeed to the kingship. He fled to Gaul and enlisted the help of Suhard, the king of the...
, Elder Son to King Gorboduc - PorrexPorrex IPorrex I was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of Gorboduc and his death began a dynastic civil war....
, Younger Son to King - Clotyn, Duke of Cornewall
- Fergus, Duke of Albany
- Mandud, Duke of Leagre
- Gwenard, Duke of Cumberland
- Eubulus, Secretary to the king Gorboduc
- Arostus, A Counsellour of king Gorboduc
- Dordan, A Counsellour assigned by the king to his Eldest Son Ferrex
- Philander, A Counsellour assigned by the king to his younger Son Porrex
- Hermon, A Parasite of Ferrex
- Tyndar, A Parasite of Porrex
- Nuntius, A Messenger of Ferrex's death
- Nuntius, A Messenger of Duke Fergus rising
- Marcella, A Lady of the Queen's privy Chamber
- Chorus, Four ancient and sage men of Britain