The Politician
Encyclopedia
The Politician is a Caroline era stage play, a tragedy
by written James Shirley
, and first published in 1655
.
, was published by the bookseller Humphrey Moseley
in 1655 in alternative quarto
and octavo
formats. The quarto was a solo-play edition; the octavo paired The Politician with The Gentleman of Venice, in an edition meant to match the Shirley collection titled Six New Plays that Moseley had issued two years earlier, in 1653. Buyers could have had the two new plays bound together with the earlier collection if they so chose.and he never lived
in the later 1630s, before it appeared in London. No license from the Master of the Revels
has been found for The Politician, though the May 26, 1641
license for The Politic Father, an otherwise-unknown play, may apply to it. The title page of the first edition states that the play was acted by Queen Henrietta's Men
at the Salisbury Court Theatre
, the venue that the company occupied in the 1637–42 period.
, Shirley's source for his plot was the tale of the King of Romania, the prince Antissus, and his mother-in-law, from the Urania of the Countess of Montgomery
(1621). Thomas Killigrew
borrowed plot elements from The Politician for his tragedy The Pilgrim.
But his plans misfire: Haraldus is distressed to learn that his mother is Gotharus's mistress; when Gotharus's minions get Haraldus drunk, he dies of a fever. The rumored assassination of the Prince provokes rebellion amoing the people and the army; with the rebels at the gates, Marpisa turns against her lover. Gotharus hides in a coffin prepared for Turgesius; the mob finds the coffin and carries it out to bury it with honors. On their way, the people encounter Duke Olaus and the still-living Prince; the intended assassin proved a loyal subject. The opened coffin reveals Gotharus, dead. Marpisa appears, bragging that she has poisoned Gotharus, blaming him for the death of her son; she dies from the same poison herself as the assembled crowd watches. The King offers to abdicate in pennance for his faults, but Turgesius supports the restoration of his father, and announces his plan to marry Albina, Gotharus's virtuous widow.
The serious action of the main plot is varied and counterpointed by comic material with the characters Sueno and Helga.
and of Macbeth
," though without the "profound psychology of a Shakespearian masterpiece. It impresses one rather for its swift, tense scenes, its gloom, its horror." "Particularly in the closing act...the ferocity of the erstwhile timorous Marpisa approaches to magnificence." Felix Schelling, however, complained that the "wicked characters" die while the virtuous survive, resulting in "only half a tragedy" in which "moral struggle has been replaced by intrigue and counter-intrigue."
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
by written James Shirley
James Shirley
James Shirley was an English dramatist.He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so much for any transcendent genius in himself, as that he was the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly...
, and first published in 1655
1655 in literature
The year 1655 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*May - Jeremy Taylor is imprisoned for four months at Chepstow Castle.*August 6 - The Blackfriars Theatre is demolished....
.
Publication
The Politician, along with another Shirley play, The Gentleman of VeniceThe Gentleman of Venice
The Gentleman of Venice is a Caroline era stage play, a tragicomedy written by James Shirley, and first published in 1655.The play was licensed for performance in London by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on October 30, 1639. It was acted by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre...
, was published by the bookseller Humphrey Moseley
Humphrey Moseley
Humphrey Moseley was a prominent London publisher and bookseller in the middle seventeenth century.Possibly a son of publisher Samuel Moseley, Humphrey Moseley became a "freeman" of the Stationers Company, the guild of London booksellers, on 7 May 1627; he was selected a Warden of the Company on...
in 1655 in alternative 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"...
and octavo
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"...
formats. The quarto was a solo-play edition; the octavo paired The Politician with The Gentleman of Venice, in an edition meant to match the Shirley collection titled Six New Plays that Moseley had issued two years earlier, in 1653. Buyers could have had the two new plays bound together with the earlier collection if they so chose.and he never lived
Date
The play is thought to date from c. 1639, though firm information of its stage history is lacking; it may have been staged in Dublin, where the author was working at the Werburgh Street TheatreWerburgh Street Theatre
The Werburgh Street Theatre, also the Saint Werbrugh Street Theatre or the New Theatre, was a seventeenth-century theatre in Dublin, Ireland...
in the later 1630s, before it appeared in London. No license from the Master of the Revels
Master of the Revels
The Master of the Revels was a position within the English, and later the British, royal household heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels" that originally had responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities, known as revels, and later also became responsible for stage censorship,...
has been found for The Politician, though the May 26, 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....
license for The Politic Father, an otherwise-unknown play, may apply to it. The title page of the first edition states that the play was acted 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 Salisbury Court Theatre
Salisbury Court Theatre
The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre in 17th-century London. It was located in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishops of Salisbury. Salibury Court was acquired by Richard Sackville in 1564; when Thomas Sackville was created Earl of Dorset...
, the venue that the company occupied in the 1637–42 period.
Source
According to 17th-century commentator Gerard LangbaineGerard Langbaine
Gerard Langbaine was an English dramatic biographer and critic, best known for his An Account of the English Dramatic Poets , the earliest work to give biographical and critical information on the playwrights of English Renaissance theatre...
, Shirley's source for his plot was the tale of the King of Romania, the prince Antissus, and his mother-in-law, from the Urania of the Countess of Montgomery
Lady Mary Wroth
Lady Mary Wroth was an English poet of the Renaissance. A member of a distinguished literary English family, Wroth was among the first female British writers to have achieved an enduring reputation...
(1621). 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:...
borrowed plot elements from The Politician for his tragedy The Pilgrim.
Synopsis
The play possesses a highly unusual (for Shirley) setting in Norway. Gotharus is an ambitious political operator, determined to control the Norwegian throne. He sows distrust between the King and his son and heir Prince Turgesius, using forged letters indicating that the Prince covets the throne. He arranges that both Turgesius and the Prince's granduncle Duke Olaus are sent on a distant military expedition, planning that the Prince will not survive. Next Gotharus manipulates a wedding between the debauched King and the widow Marpisa, who is Gotharus's mistress; his goal is to place Marpisa's son Haraldus on the throne. Haraldus, however, proves too naive to be a willing tool, and Turgesius is marching home after a notable victory; Gotharus decides to assassinate the Prince and to have Haraldus seduced to make him more malleable.But his plans misfire: Haraldus is distressed to learn that his mother is Gotharus's mistress; when Gotharus's minions get Haraldus drunk, he dies of a fever. The rumored assassination of the Prince provokes rebellion amoing the people and the army; with the rebels at the gates, Marpisa turns against her lover. Gotharus hides in a coffin prepared for Turgesius; the mob finds the coffin and carries it out to bury it with honors. On their way, the people encounter Duke Olaus and the still-living Prince; the intended assassin proved a loyal subject. The opened coffin reveals Gotharus, dead. Marpisa appears, bragging that she has poisoned Gotharus, blaming him for the death of her son; she dies from the same poison herself as the assembled crowd watches. The King offers to abdicate in pennance for his faults, but Turgesius supports the restoration of his father, and announces his plan to marry Albina, Gotharus's virtuous widow.
The serious action of the main plot is varied and counterpointed by comic material with the characters Sueno and Helga.
Critical response
Arthur Nason called The Politician "reminiscent of both HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
," though without the "profound psychology of a Shakespearian masterpiece. It impresses one rather for its swift, tense scenes, its gloom, its horror." "Particularly in the closing act...the ferocity of the erstwhile timorous Marpisa approaches to magnificence." Felix Schelling, however, complained that the "wicked characters" die while the virtuous survive, resulting in "only half a tragedy" in which "moral struggle has been replaced by intrigue and counter-intrigue."
Sources
- Forsythe, Robert Stanley. The Relations of Shirley's Plays to the Elizabethan Drama. New York, Columbia University Press, 1914.
- Nason, Arthur Huntington. James Shirley, Dramatist: A Biographical and Critical Study. New York, 1915; reprinted New York, Benjamin Blom, 1967.
- Schelling, Felix Emmanuel. Elizabethan Drama 1558–1642. 2 Volumes, Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1908.
- Sharpe, Kevin M., and Steven N. Zwicker, eds. Reading, Society, and Politics in Early Modern England. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2003.