The Wonder of Women
Encyclopedia
The Wonder of Women, or The Tragedy of Sophonisba is an early Jacobean stage play written by the satiric dramatist John Marston
. It was first performed by the Children of the Revels
, one of the troupes of boy actors
popular at the time, in the Blackfriars Theatre
.
The play was entered into the Stationers' Register
on March 17, 1606
, and published later that year by the bookseller John Windet. The title page of the first edition states that the play was acted at the Blackfriars, with no mention of the company's name — which indicates that the play must have been performed in late 1605 or early 1606, after the Queen's Revels Children has lost royal patronage as a result of the Eastward Hoe
scandal.
The play tells the story of the Carthaginian princess, Sophonisba, who is being lustfully pursued by an unwanted suitor, the lecherous and unscrupulous Syphax, despite her having recently married the noble warrior Massinissa. Meanwhile, Carthage
is being attacked by the forces of the Roman
general Scipio
.
The plot is highly sensationalist and melodramatic, and the play features several scenes of high stylization, martial pomp, and ritual. In the address "To the General Reader," prefixed to the print edition of the play, Marston explains that he has written the play as a poetic statement, not a factually accurate history. The play's themes include the difficulty of acting honorably in a corrupt society, and the importance of maintaining personal integrity.
John Marston
John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods...
. It was first performed by the Children of the Revels
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....
, 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 at the time, in 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...
.
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 March 17, 1606
1606 in literature
The year 1606 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*May 27 - The English Parliament passes An Act to Restrain Abuses of Players, which tightens the censorship controls on public theatre performances, most notably on the question of profane oaths.*December 26 - Shakespeare's King...
, and published later that year by the bookseller John Windet. The title page of the first edition states that the play was acted at the Blackfriars, with no mention of the company's name — which indicates that the play must have been performed in late 1605 or early 1606, after the Queen's Revels Children has lost royal patronage as a result of the Eastward Hoe
Eastward Hoe
Eastward Hoe or Eastward Ho, is an early Jacobean era stage play, a satire and city comedy written by George Chapman, Ben Jonson, and John Marston, printed in 1605. The play was written in response to Westward Ho, an earlier satire by Thomas Dekker and John Webster...
scandal.
The play tells the story of the Carthaginian princess, Sophonisba, who is being lustfully pursued by an unwanted suitor, the lecherous and unscrupulous Syphax, despite her having recently married the noble warrior Massinissa. Meanwhile, Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
is being attacked by the forces of the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
general Scipio
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
.
The plot is highly sensationalist and melodramatic, and the play features several scenes of high stylization, martial pomp, and ritual. In the address "To the General Reader," prefixed to the print edition of the play, Marston explains that he has written the play as a poetic statement, not a factually accurate history. The play's themes include the difficulty of acting honorably in a corrupt society, and the importance of maintaining personal integrity.