Cynthia’s Revels: ‘O That Joy So Soon Should Waste’
Episode 196:
Following on from the humours plays ‘Every Man In His Humour’ and ‘Every Man Out of His Humour’ Johnson stayed with comedy for his next offering, but rather than returning to the public stage and the adult playing companies he turned his attention to the court and the children’s companies that were very much in vogue at the time. Jonson, one feels, was always searching for popularity, but as you will hear there were some other very good artistic reasons for his choices, but certainly not least of his concerns was his continuing search for favour with the court and the income that such appreciation would bring him.
The origins of the play written for the court and the Children of the Chaple playing company
Why this type of play is a fit for the child playing troupes
The print history of the play
A brief synopsis of the play
Myth, Satire and Masque - the complexities with getting an understanding of the play
The minor role of plot compared to words and music in the play
The performance style of the boy playing companies compared to the adult companies
The verbal sketching of characters as part of the satiric intent
The play as part of the battle of the poets
Unpicking the satiric portraits in the play
The introduction of the Poetaster
The masque and it’s role in the play
Jonson’s coded support for the Earl of Essex in the play
Early responses to the play and the longer historical view
Link to European Review of History Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/european-review-of-history-podcast/id1695812614
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www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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