Saint Patrick for Ireland
Encyclopedia
Saint Patrick for Ireland is a Caroline era stage play, written by James Shirley
and first published in 1640
. It is notable as an early development in Irish theatre
.
The play was written and performed during Shirley's stay in Dublin in the years 1637–40. Shirley, one of the most prominent and successful London playwrights of the previous decade, moved to Dublin during the long closure of the London theatres, from May 1636 to October 1637, due to an epidemic of bubonic plague
. St. Patrick for Ireland was clearly written specifically for Shirley's new Dublin audience; it was performed in the autumn of 1639
, at the Werburgh Street Theatre
in Dublin, "the first Irish playhouse." There is no record of a London performance in Shirley's era...or later.
The play was entered into the Stationers' Register
on April 28, 1640, and was issued later that year in an octavo
volume, printed by J. Raworth for the bookseller Robert Whitaker. In both the Prologue and Epilogue to the 1640 printed text, Shirley promises to continue the story of St. Patrick in a second part to the play — which apparently was never written. Because of this, however, the existing play is sometimes referred to as Part 1, or 1 St. Patrick for Ireland. The play was reissued in 1657
in London, in a quarto
that it shared with Shirley's The Constant Maid
. The play was next reprinted in Dublin in 1751, when William Rufus Chetwood included it in A Select Collection of Old Plays.
The play's genre has been described as "neo-miracle," an updated version of the miracle or mystery play
that typified Medieval theatre
. Shirley applied his knowledge of the stage devices of the London stage to tell a story rich in Christian miracle lore. (One critic has speculated that the proposed second part of the play would have dealt with "St. Patrick's Purgatory," an Irish place of pilgrimage.) Shirley's primary source for historical data on his subject was the biography of the saint by Abbot Jocelyn of Furness
(c. 1185). The play's apparent pro-British-imperial political implications provoked a response, in Landgartha, a drama composed by the Dublin lawyer Henry Burnell and staged on March 17, 1640. One of the dedicatory verses to that play criticizes dramatists who employ "flames and fire / Tempests and whirlwinds" to tell their stories — a reference to the effects in Shirley's play.
s are up in arms, and soldiers are manning all the ports, in response to a prophecy of St. Patrick's arrival and his coming success in converting Ireland to Christianity. The King, Leogarius, has been having nightmare visions of the coming campaign against him. But of course, St. Patrick's arrival is not the military-style campaign that the King fears; the saint comes with a group of priests — and his guardian angel, Victor. Leogarius tries to poison Patrick, but fails; a servant drinks the poison and dies, but is brought back to life by Patrick (a miracle that converts Leogarius's queen). In another instance, two men disguise themselves as the statues of Jupiter
and Mars
in a pagan temple (Shirley conflates the Druids with Roman mythology
), and when the King is present the statues move and speak and demand the blood of Patrick. After the ceremony is done, the masqueraders descend from their pedestals, and as a reward are allowed to "dance" with the Queen's daughters. In the final confrontation, the Druid Archimagus summons up poisonous snakes to kill the sleeping Patrick; but the saint providentially wakes in time and dispels the snakes from the entire island. The Archimagus is swallowed by the earth. The King converts to Christianity as a result — though Patrick mistrusts the firmness of his change of heart (a reservation that leaves an opening for a continuation of the story).
Forsythe notes significant parallels in structure and characterization with the Dekker/Massinger
play The Virgin Martyr
, among other works of the era.
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 1640
1640 in literature
The year 1640 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 21 - Salmacida Spolia, a masque written by Sir William Davenant and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace — the final royal masque of the Caroline era.*March 17 - Henry Burnell's play Landgartha...
. It is notable as an early development in Irish theatre
Irish theatre
The history of Irish theatre begins with the Gaelic Irish tradition. Much of the literature in that Celtic language was destroyed by conquest, except for a few manuscripts and fragments, such as the Book of Fermoy...
.
The play was written and performed during Shirley's stay in Dublin in the years 1637–40. Shirley, one of the most prominent and successful London playwrights of the previous decade, moved to Dublin during the long closure of the London theatres, from May 1636 to October 1637, due to an epidemic of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. St. Patrick for Ireland was clearly written specifically for Shirley's new Dublin audience; it was performed in the autumn of 1639
1639 in literature
The year 1639 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*May 21 - The King's Men act John Fletcher's The Mad Lover.*Blaise Pascal's family move to Rouen.*François de La Mothe-Le-Vayer is elected to the Académie Française....
, at the Werburgh Street Theatre
Werburgh 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 Dublin, "the first Irish playhouse." There is no record of a London performance in Shirley's era...or later.
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 April 28, 1640, and was issued later that year in an 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"...
volume, printed by J. Raworth for the bookseller Robert Whitaker. In both the Prologue and Epilogue to the 1640 printed text, Shirley promises to continue the story of St. Patrick in a second part to the play — which apparently was never written. Because of this, however, the existing play is sometimes referred to as Part 1, or 1 St. Patrick for Ireland. The play was reissued in 1657
1657 in literature
The year 1657 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Prohibition of young male actors in Japan.* Madame de la Fayette becomes friends with Madame de Sévigné.-New books:*François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac - Pratique du théâtre...
in London, in a 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"...
that it shared with Shirley's The Constant Maid
The Constant Maid
The Constant Maid, or Love Will Find Out the Way is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by James Shirley and first published in 1640....
. The play was next reprinted in Dublin in 1751, when William Rufus Chetwood included it in A Select Collection of Old Plays.
The play's genre has been described as "neo-miracle," an updated version of the miracle or mystery play
Mystery play
Mystery plays and miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song...
that typified Medieval theatre
Medieval theatre
Medieval theatre refers to the theatre of Europe between the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the Renaissance in approximately the 15th century A.D...
. Shirley applied his knowledge of the stage devices of the London stage to tell a story rich in Christian miracle lore. (One critic has speculated that the proposed second part of the play would have dealt with "St. Patrick's Purgatory," an Irish place of pilgrimage.) Shirley's primary source for historical data on his subject was the biography of the saint by Abbot Jocelyn of Furness
Jocelyn of Furness
Jocelyn of Furness was a Cistercian hagiographer, known for his Lives of Saint Waltheof, Saint Patrick, Saint Kentigern and Saint Helena....
(c. 1185). The play's apparent pro-British-imperial political implications provoked a response, in Landgartha, a drama composed by the Dublin lawyer Henry Burnell and staged on March 17, 1640. One of the dedicatory verses to that play criticizes dramatists who employ "flames and fire / Tempests and whirlwinds" to tell their stories — a reference to the effects in Shirley's play.
Synopsis
At the start of the play, the Irish DruidDruid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s are up in arms, and soldiers are manning all the ports, in response to a prophecy of St. Patrick's arrival and his coming success in converting Ireland to Christianity. The King, Leogarius, has been having nightmare visions of the coming campaign against him. But of course, St. Patrick's arrival is not the military-style campaign that the King fears; the saint comes with a group of priests — and his guardian angel, Victor. Leogarius tries to poison Patrick, but fails; a servant drinks the poison and dies, but is brought back to life by Patrick (a miracle that converts Leogarius's queen). In another instance, two men disguise themselves as the statues of Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
and Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
in a pagan temple (Shirley conflates the Druids with Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
), and when the King is present the statues move and speak and demand the blood of Patrick. After the ceremony is done, the masqueraders descend from their pedestals, and as a reward are allowed to "dance" with the Queen's daughters. In the final confrontation, the Druid Archimagus summons up poisonous snakes to kill the sleeping Patrick; but the saint providentially wakes in time and dispels the snakes from the entire island. The Archimagus is swallowed by the earth. The King converts to Christianity as a result — though Patrick mistrusts the firmness of his change of heart (a reservation that leaves an opening for a continuation of the story).
Forsythe notes significant parallels in structure and characterization with the Dekker/Massinger
Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor, are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
play The Virgin Martyr
The Virgin Martyr
The Virgin Martyr is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragedy written by Thomas Dekker and Philip Massinger, and first published in 1622. It constitutes a rare instance in Masssinger's canon in which he collaborated with a member of the previous generation of English Renaissance dramatists —...
, among other works of the era.