Histriomastix
Encyclopedia
Histriomastix: The Player's Scourge, or Actor's Tragedy is a critique of professional theatre and actors, written by the Puritan
author and controversialist William Prynne
.
While the publishing history of the work is not absolutely clear, there is reason to believe that Histriomastix was published late in 1632 by the bookseller Michael Sparke, although it had been in preparation by its author for almost ten years prior to its final printing. (The title page of the first edition is erroneously dated 1633; as a result many sources cite this as the date of publication.) Depositions given in connection with Prynne's trial indicate that the actual writing of the text was accomplished between spring 1631 and mid-to-late 1632.
Histriomastix represents the culmination of the Puritan attack on the English Renaissance theatre
. Running to over a thousand pages, and with a main title of 43 lines, it marshals a multitude of ancient and medieval authorities against the "sin" of dramatic performance. The book condemns most aspects of dramatic performance it its era, from the practice of boy actors representing women to the "obscene lascivious love songs, most melodiously chanted out upon the stage...."
Prynne's book was not by any means the first such attack on the stage, though it certainly was the longest. Its Puritan theology was in any case unwelcome to the ecclesiastical authorities led by the Archbishop of Canterbury
William Laud
. Prynne had to appear before the Star Chamber
and was sentenced in 1634 to be pilloried, branded, imprisoned for life and was fined £5,000. At his trial, some fifty separate and allegedly treasonous excerpts from the book were quoted; but the one that has attracted most attention from subsequent critics is Prynne's attack on women actors as "notorious whores," which was, at the time, taken as a direct reference to Queen Henrietta Maria
. (The Queen had a speaking role in Walter Montagu's masque The Shepherd's Paradise
, which was staged on January 9, 1633, most likely after Prynne's book was in print. But she had also appeared and danced in two earlier masques, and performed a spoken part in French in a private performance of Honorat de Racan's
pastoral
, Artenice, in 1626.)
The notorious book was never fully suppressed, however; in the next generation, even King Charles II
had a copy in his library.
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
author and controversialist William Prynne
William Prynne
William Prynne was an English lawyer, author, polemicist, and political figure. He was a prominent Puritan opponent of the church policy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Although his views on church polity were presbyterian, he became known in the 1640s as an Erastian, arguing for...
.
While the publishing history of the work is not absolutely clear, there is reason to believe that Histriomastix was published late in 1632 by the bookseller Michael Sparke, although it had been in preparation by its author for almost ten years prior to its final printing. (The title page of the first edition is erroneously dated 1633; as a result many sources cite this as the date of publication.) Depositions given in connection with Prynne's trial indicate that the actual writing of the text was accomplished between spring 1631 and mid-to-late 1632.
Histriomastix represents the culmination of the Puritan attack on the English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
. Running to over a thousand pages, and with a main title of 43 lines, it marshals a multitude of ancient and medieval authorities against the "sin" of dramatic performance. The book condemns most aspects of dramatic performance it its era, from the practice of boy actors representing women to the "obscene lascivious love songs, most melodiously chanted out upon the stage...."
Prynne's book was not by any means the first such attack on the stage, though it certainly was the longest. Its Puritan theology was in any case unwelcome to the ecclesiastical authorities led by the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
. Prynne had to appear before the Star Chamber
Star Chamber
The Star Chamber was an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was made up of Privy Counsellors, as well as common-law judges and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters...
and was sentenced in 1634 to be pilloried, branded, imprisoned for life and was fined £5,000. At his trial, some fifty separate and allegedly treasonous excerpts from the book were quoted; but the one that has attracted most attention from subsequent critics is Prynne's attack on women actors as "notorious whores," which was, at the time, taken as a direct reference to Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
. (The Queen had a speaking role in Walter Montagu's masque The Shepherd's Paradise
The Shepherd's Paradise
The Shepherd's Paradise was a Caroline era masque, written by Walter Montagu and designed by Inigo Jones. Acted in 1633 by Queen Henrietta Maria and her ladies in waiting, it was noteworthy as the first masque in which the Queen and her ladies filled speaking roles...
, which was staged on January 9, 1633, most likely after Prynne's book was in print. But she had also appeared and danced in two earlier masques, and performed a spoken part in French in a private performance of Honorat de Racan's
Honorat de Bueil, seigneur de Racan
Honorat de Bueil, seigneur de Racan was a French aristocrat, soldier, poet, dramatist and member of the Académie française....
pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
, Artenice, in 1626.)
The notorious book was never fully suppressed, however; in the next generation, even King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
had a copy in his library.
Further reading
- The Idolatrous Eye: Iconoclasm and Theater in Early Modern England by Michael O'Connell ISBN 0-19-513205-X contains an attempt to shed light on the Puritans' fanatical opposition to the theatre.
- Ungodly Delights: Puritan Opposition to the Theatre 1576-1633 by Colin Rice ISBN 9788876942440.