Jack Drum's Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Jack Drum's Entertainment is a late Elizabethan play written by the dramatist and satirist John Marston
c. 1599–1600. It was first performed by the Children of Paul's, one of the troupes of boy actors
popular in that era.
The play was entered into the Stationers' Register
on Sept. 8, 1600
, and first published in quarto
in 1601
by the bookseller Richard Olive. A second quarto appeared in 1616, issued by Philip Knight, and a third in 1618 from Nathaniel Fosbrooke. All three quartos are anonymous, though Marston's authorship is unanimously recognized by scholars.
The play is a burlesque romantic comedy, which tells the story of the love between Pasquil and Katherine and the trials and tribulations that they face on the way to happiness. The subplot is the story of a collection of fools who attempt to outwit each other while fighting over women. The play satirizes both human folly in general and the madness of being in love, although its harshest criticism is reserved for those who cannot feel love, like the wicked usurer Mamon, or those who believe themselves superior, failing to recognize that all men may be foolish at times, like the self-satisfied critic Brabant Senior.
It has been suggested that Marston wrote Jack Drum's Entertainment in collaboration with the playwright Thomas Dekker, but the evidence for this is inconclusive.
The play is one element in the War of the Theatres
of 1599–1601. Brabant Senior represents Ben Jonson
, Marston's literary contemporary and rival. Individual critics have tried to identify other characters in the play with other historical figures besides Jonson, though few of these have won acceptance from the scholarly consensus, with one possible exception: the character Sir Edward Fortune may be the actor Edward Alleyn
, who was building the Fortune Theatre
in 1600.
John Marston
John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods...
c. 1599–1600. It was first performed by the Children of Paul's, one of the troupes of boy actors
Boy player
Boy player is a common term for the adolescent males employed by Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the mainstream companies and performed the female roles, as women did not perform on the English stage in this period...
popular in that era.
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 Sept. 8, 1600
1600 in literature
The year 1600 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The Admiral's Men perform Dekker's The Shoemaker's Holiday at Court....
, and first published in 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"...
in 1601
1601 in literature
The year 1601 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - The Lord Chamberlain's Men stage a performance of Shakespeare's Richard II at the Globe Theatre. The performance is specially commissioned by the plotters in the Earl of Essex's rebellion of the following day...
by the bookseller Richard Olive. A second quarto appeared in 1616, issued by Philip Knight, and a third in 1618 from Nathaniel Fosbrooke. All three quartos are anonymous, though Marston's authorship is unanimously recognized by scholars.
The play is a burlesque romantic comedy, which tells the story of the love between Pasquil and Katherine and the trials and tribulations that they face on the way to happiness. The subplot is the story of a collection of fools who attempt to outwit each other while fighting over women. The play satirizes both human folly in general and the madness of being in love, although its harshest criticism is reserved for those who cannot feel love, like the wicked usurer Mamon, or those who believe themselves superior, failing to recognize that all men may be foolish at times, like the self-satisfied critic Brabant Senior.
It has been suggested that Marston wrote Jack Drum's Entertainment in collaboration with the playwright Thomas Dekker, but the evidence for this is inconclusive.
The play is one element in the War of the Theatres
War of the Theatres
The War of the Theatres is the name commonly applied to a controversy from the later Elizabethan theatre; Thomas Dekker termed it the Poetomachia....
of 1599–1601. Brabant Senior represents Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
, Marston's literary contemporary and rival. Individual critics have tried to identify other characters in the play with other historical figures besides Jonson, though few of these have won acceptance from the scholarly consensus, with one possible exception: the character Sir Edward Fortune may be the actor Edward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
, who was building the Fortune Theatre
Fortune Playhouse
The Fortune Playhouse was an historic theatre in London. It was located between Whitecross Street and the modern Golden Lane, just outside the City of London...
in 1600.