The Case is Altered
Encyclopedia
The Case is Altered is an early comedy by Ben Jonson
. First published in 1609
, the play presents a range of problems for scholars attempting to understand its place in Jonson's canon of works.
), indicating that it must have been in existence and known to Nashe's readers before that date. Scholars generally date the play to c. 1597. Yet it did not appear in print until a decade later. The Case is Altered was entered into the Stationers' Register
on Jan. 26, 1609, with the publishing rights assigned to the booksellers Henry Walley and Richard Bonion; a second entry in the Register, dated July 20 of the same year, adds Bartholomew Sutton's name to Walley's and Bonion's. The quarto
that appeared in 1609 was printed in three states with three different title pages.
had originated as the Children of the Chapel
, and went through a series of name changes during its tempestuous career; the version of the name used in a given case can help to date a performance or production. In this case, it is thought that The Case is Altered was printed in 1609 because it had recently been revived by the boys' troupe playing at the Blackfriars Theatre
. It is not known what company may have performed the original version of the play before 1599 (The Children of the Chapel were not active in dramatic performance in 1597-98).
, which was written later than The Case is Altered.) Anthony Munday
is certainly connected with the play in at least one sense: Act I satrizes him as "Antonio Balladino" — though he has also been put forward as a possible part-author of the play, as has Henry Porter. Critics have noted that the play was never included in any of the three folio collections of Jonson's works in the 17th century, and was apparently never mentioned by him; and also that its romantic plot and its loose structure (with a blending of multiple plots and subplots) are atypical of the general nature of Jonson's drama. One commentator calls the play a "false start" and a "loose end" in Jonson's canon.
The play, however, is strongly dependent upon Classical examples in a way suggestive of Jonson: The Case is Altered borrows plots from two of the plays of Plautus
, the Captivi
("The Captives") and the Aulularia
("The Pot of Gold"). The former supplies the plot of the Milanese Count Ferneze and his persecuted slave — who turns out to be his long-lost son; and the latter the tale of the miser Jaques and his supposed daughter Rachel. The result is an Elizabethan/Plautine confection at least somewhat comparable to Shakespeare's
A Comedy of Errors.
While The Case is Altered is not a major element in Jonson's dramatic achievement, critics have regarded it as significant in that it probably represents Jonson's first attempt at a comedy of humors, a type of play he would develop further in Every Man in His Humour (1598) and Every Man out of His Humour
(1599).
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...
. First published in 1609
1609 in literature
The year 1609 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - the Children of the Blackfriars perform Middleton's A Trick to Catch the Old One at Court....
, the play presents a range of problems for scholars attempting to understand its place in Jonson's canon of works.
Date and publication
The play's title is mentioned by Thomas Nashe in his pamphlet Lenten Stuff (registered on Jan. 11, 15991599 in literature
-Events:* Undated - Opening of the Globe Theatre.*June 4 - Middleton's Microcynicon and Marston's Scourge of Villainy are publicly burned, as ecclesiastical authorities crack down on the craze for satire of the past year. The Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury tighten their...
), indicating that it must have been in existence and known to Nashe's readers before that date. Scholars generally date the play to c. 1597. Yet it did not appear in print until a decade later. The Case is Altered 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 Jan. 26, 1609, with the publishing rights assigned to the booksellers Henry Walley and Richard Bonion; a second entry in the Register, dated July 20 of the same year, adds Bartholomew Sutton's name to Walley's and Bonion's. The 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"...
that appeared in 1609 was printed in three states with three different title pages.
- Q1a: under the title Ben Jonson, His Case is Altered, published by Bartholomew Sutton.
- Q1b: as A Pleasant Comedy, called: The Case is Altered, and "Written by Ben. Jonson." Published by Sutton and William Barrenger.
- Q1c: under the same title as Q1b, and from the same publishers, but with Jonson's name as author removed.
Performance
All three title pages state that the play was acted by the Children of the Blackfriars. This company of boy actorsBoy 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...
had originated as the Children of the Chapel
Children of the Chapel
The Children of the Chapel were the boys with unbroken voices, choristers, who formed part of the Chapel Royal, the body of singers and priests serving the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they were called upon to do so....
, and went through a series of name changes during its tempestuous career; the version of the name used in a given case can help to date a performance or production. In this case, it is thought that The Case is Altered was printed in 1609 because it had recently been revived by the boys' troupe playing at the Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...
. It is not known what company may have performed the original version of the play before 1599 (The Children of the Chapel were not active in dramatic performance in 1597-98).
Mixed authorship?
The text of the 1609 edition is somewhat irregular. The play's first three acts adhere to the scheme of formal Act-scene division that Jonson favored in his works — but Acts IV and V do not, suggesting a second author or a revision by another hand. (Revision could also explain a few anomalies in the text, like an allusion to Jonson's Every Man in His HumourEvery Man in His Humour
Every Man in His Humour is a 1598 play by the English playwright Ben Jonson. The play belongs to the subgenre of the "humours comedy," in which each major character is dominated by an overriding humour or obsession.-Performance and Publication:...
, which was written later than The Case is Altered.) Anthony Munday
Anthony Munday
Anthony Munday was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer. The chief interest in Munday for the modern reader lies in his collaboration with Shakespeare and others on the play Sir Thomas More and his writings on Robin Hood.-Biography:He was once thought to have been born in 1553, because...
is certainly connected with the play in at least one sense: Act I satrizes him as "Antonio Balladino" — though he has also been put forward as a possible part-author of the play, as has Henry Porter. Critics have noted that the play was never included in any of the three folio collections of Jonson's works in the 17th century, and was apparently never mentioned by him; and also that its romantic plot and its loose structure (with a blending of multiple plots and subplots) are atypical of the general nature of Jonson's drama. One commentator calls the play a "false start" and a "loose end" in Jonson's canon.
The play, however, is strongly dependent upon Classical examples in a way suggestive of Jonson: The Case is Altered borrows plots from two of the plays of Plautus
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
, the Captivi
Captivi
Captivi is a Latin play by the early Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. The title has been translated as The Captives or The Prisoners, and the plot concerns slavery and prisoners of war. Although the play contains much broad humor, it is a relatively serious treatment of significant themes...
("The Captives") and the Aulularia
Aulularia
Aulularia is a Latin play by the early Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. The title has been translated as The Pot of Gold, and the plot revolves around a literal pot of gold that the miserly protagonist, Euclio, guards zealously...
("The Pot of Gold"). The former supplies the plot of the Milanese Count Ferneze and his persecuted slave — who turns out to be his long-lost son; and the latter the tale of the miser Jaques and his supposed daughter Rachel. The result is an Elizabethan/Plautine confection at least somewhat comparable to Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
A Comedy of Errors.
While The Case is Altered is not a major element in Jonson's dramatic achievement, critics have regarded it as significant in that it probably represents Jonson's first attempt at a comedy of humors, a type of play he would develop further in Every Man in His Humour (1598) and Every Man out of His Humour
Every Man Out of His Humour
Every Man out of His Humour is a satirical comedy written by English playwright Ben Jonson, acted in 1599 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is a conceptual sequel to his 1598 comedy Every Man in His Humour...
(1599).