Perkin Warbeck (play)
Encyclopedia
Perkin Warbeck is a Caroline era history play by John Ford
. It is generally ranked as one of Ford's three masterpieces, along with 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
and The Broken Heart
. T. S. Eliot
went so far as to call Perkin Warbeck "unquestionably Ford's highest achievement...one of the very best historical plays outside of the works of Shakespeare in the whole of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama."
, as The Chronicle History of Perkin Warbeck. A Strange Truth. The quarto
was issued by the bookseller Hugh Beeston, with a dedication by Ford to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
. The title page bears Ford's anagrammatic motto, "Fide Honor," and states that the play was performed "(some-times)" by Queen Henrietta's Men
at the Phoenix or Cockpit Theatre
.
A second edition appeared in 1714
in duodecimo
format. Ford's play was reportedly revived at Goodman's Fields in 1745
, during Bonnie Prince Charlie
's invasion of England; two other, contemporary plays about Warbeck were also acted at that time. After 1745, the next production occurred in 1975 at Stratford-upon-Avon
.
Ford's primary historical sources for the play were The History of the Reign of King Henry VII by Francis Bacon
(1622
) and The True and Wonderful History of Perkin Warbeck by Thomas Gainsford (1618
). A manuscript of the play exists, though it is a late product, dating to around 1745, and offers little additional insight into the play.
, claims to be "Richard IV," one of the princes supposedly murdered in the Tower of London
during the reign of Richard III
, but who allegedly escaped to champion the cause of the House of York
. The Scottish invasion and two Cornish uprisings are shown; but Warbeck's efforts to win the crown are not successful, the Spanish peacemaker Pedro de Ayala
appears as 'Hialas.' Ford departs from his sources in one notable instance: he depicts the captured Warbeck in an encounter with Lambert Simnel
, another defeated pretender to the throne who has renounced his claim and been pardoned. Simnel offers Warbeck the same chance, but Warbeck refuses to yield. In the play's climactic final scene, Warbeck is placed in the stocks, a public humiliation preceding his execution; Warbeck's followers are shown with halters around their necks as they too are led to death.
Overall, Ford treats Warbeck with sympathy and compassion; without actively taking Warbeck's part, he strives for a neutral treatment, in contrast with the overwhelmingly negative tone of official Tudor historiography.
John Ford (dramatist)
John Ford was an English Jacobean and Caroline playwright and poet born in Ilsington in Devon in 1586.-Life and work:...
. It is generally ranked as one of Ford's three masterpieces, along with 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore is a tragedy written by John Ford. It was likely first performed between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. The play was first published in 1633, in a quarto printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Richard Collins...
and The Broken Heart
The Broken Heart
The Broken Heart is a Caroline era tragedy written by John Ford, and first published in 1633."The play has long vied with Tis Pity She's a Whore as Ford's greatest work...the supreme reach of his genius...."...
. T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
went so far as to call Perkin Warbeck "unquestionably Ford's highest achievement...one of the very best historical plays outside of the works of Shakespeare in the whole of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama."
Date, performance, publication
The play's date of authorship is uncertain, though it is widely thought to have been written in the 1629–34 period. It was first published in 16341634 in literature
The year 1634 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The King's Men perform Cymbeline at the court of King Charles I of England.*January 22 - The King's Men perform Davenant's The Wits at the Blackfriars Theatre....
, as The Chronicle History of Perkin Warbeck. A Strange Truth. 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"...
was issued by the bookseller Hugh Beeston, with a dedication by Ford to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne KG KB PC was an English polymath and aristocrat, having been a poet, equestrian, playwright, swordsman, politician, architect, diplomat and soldier...
. The title page bears Ford's anagrammatic motto, "Fide Honor," and states that the play was performed "(some-times)" 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 Phoenix or Cockpit Theatre
Cockpit Theatre
The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was christened The Phoenix....
.
A second edition appeared in 1714
1714 in literature
The year 1714 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Sir Samuel Garth, poet and royal physician, is knighted by King George I of Great Britain...
in duodecimo
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"...
format. Ford's play was reportedly revived at Goodman's Fields in 1745
1745 in literature
The year 1745 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The London theatres stage competing productions of Shakespeare's King John in response to the Jacobite invasion of Bonnie Prince Charlie...
, during Bonnie Prince Charlie
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
's invasion of England; two other, contemporary plays about Warbeck were also acted at that time. After 1745, the next production occurred in 1975 at Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
.
Authorship, sources
Though the play is credited to Ford in contemporaneous sources, some critics have argued that is it sufficiently atypical of his work to raise the possibility of a second hand in the play—most likely Ford's repeated collaborator Thomas Dekker. Other scholars, however, disagree, and assign the play to Ford alone.Ford's primary historical sources for the play were The History of the Reign of King Henry VII by Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
(1622
1622 in literature
The year 1622 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 28 - Loiola, a Latin comedy mocking the Jesuits, is acted at Cambridge; the performance is repeated before King James I on March 12.*March 12 - Teresa of Ávila The year 1622 in literature involved some significant...
) and The True and Wonderful History of Perkin Warbeck by Thomas Gainsford (1618
1618 in literature
The year 1618 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Sir Francis Bacon is appointed Lord Chancellor by King James I of England.*Ben Jonson sets out to walk to Scotland....
). A manuscript of the play exists, though it is a late product, dating to around 1745, and offers little additional insight into the play.
Genre and plot
The history play was rather outmoded in the Caroline era—a fact that Ford himself mentions in the Prologue to his play: "Studies have of this nature been of late / So out of fashion, so unfollowed..." (lines 1-2). Ford sticks close to his historical sources, more so than most playwrights of the English Renaissance era who ventured into the history-play genre. Ford's Warbeck, like his historical modelPerkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
, claims to be "Richard IV," one of the princes supposedly murdered in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
during the reign of Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, but who allegedly escaped to champion the cause of the House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
. The Scottish invasion and two Cornish uprisings are shown; but Warbeck's efforts to win the crown are not successful, the Spanish peacemaker Pedro de Ayala
Pedro de Ayala
Don Pedro de Ayala was a 16th-century Spanish diplomat employed by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile at the courts of James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England. His mission to Scotland was concerned with the King's marriage and the international crisis caused by the pretender...
appears as 'Hialas.' Ford departs from his sources in one notable instance: he depicts the captured Warbeck in an encounter with Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel was a pretender to the throne of England. His claim to be the Earl of Warwick in 1487 threatened the newly established reign of King Henry VII .-Early life:...
, another defeated pretender to the throne who has renounced his claim and been pardoned. Simnel offers Warbeck the same chance, but Warbeck refuses to yield. In the play's climactic final scene, Warbeck is placed in the stocks, a public humiliation preceding his execution; Warbeck's followers are shown with halters around their necks as they too are led to death.
Overall, Ford treats Warbeck with sympathy and compassion; without actively taking Warbeck's part, he strives for a neutral treatment, in contrast with the overwhelmingly negative tone of official Tudor historiography.