Sir Giles Goosecap
Encyclopedia
Sir Giles Goosecap is an early 17th-century stage play, a comedy
first published, anonymously, in 1606
. Consensus scholarship attributes the play's authorship to George Chapman
.
on January 10, 1606, and was published later that year in a quarto
printed by John Windet for the bookseller Edward Blount. The title page of the quarto states that the play was acted by the Children of the Chapel
, a production that most likely occurred in the 1601–3 period. (The Children of the Chapel were known by that name only in the company's first three years of existence, before the theatres closed in May 1603 due to an epidemic of bubonic plague
. When the theatres re-opened, the company was known as the Children of the Queen's Revels or variations thereof.) The play was revived in the mid-1630s at the Salisbury Court Theatre
; a second quarto followed that revival, issued in 1636
by Hugh Perry and Roger Bell.
in 1906. Parrott's attribution essay has come to be regarded as among the best of its kind, and its conclusion has won general acceptance; even Samuel Schoenbaum
, a prominent critic of authorship studies in general, conceded that Parrott's argument was likely valid.
comedy that Chapman had introduced in his An Humorous Day's Mirth
(1597
); Captain Foulweather, for example, is an extreme Francophile
who not only embraces French ways but rejects English manners — and English women.
Superficially, the play is a farce about "gulled knights and waggish servants," though it has also been perceived to possess deeper levels of meaning; critics have judged it a "rarefied, pedantic neo-platonic
allegory" as well as "a modern dress version of the Troilus
story, based primarily on Chaucer's
account and on Estienne Tabourot's Les apothegmes du sieur Gaulard."
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
first published, anonymously, in 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...
. Consensus scholarship attributes the play's authorship to George Chapman
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
.
Date, performance, publication
The play was entered into the Stationers' RegisterStationers' 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 January 10, 1606, and was published later that year 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"...
printed by John Windet for the bookseller Edward Blount. The title page of the quarto states that the play was acted by the Children of the Chapel
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....
, a production that most likely occurred in the 1601–3 period. (The Children of the Chapel were known by that name only in the company's first three years of existence, before the theatres closed in May 1603 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...
. When the theatres re-opened, the company was known as the Children of the Queen's Revels or variations thereof.) The play was revived in the mid-1630s at the Salisbury Court Theatre
Salisbury Court Theatre
The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre in 17th-century London. It was located in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishops of Salisbury. Salibury Court was acquired by Richard Sackville in 1564; when Thomas Sackville was created Earl of Dorset...
; a second quarto followed that revival, issued in 1636
1636 in literature
The year 1636 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 31 - The King's Men perform Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at St. James's Palace.*February - James Shirley's The Duke's Mistress is performed at St...
by Hugh Perry and Roger Bell.
Authorship
19th-century critics noted the resemblances between Sir Giles Goosecap and Chapman's acknowledged comedies. The case for Chapman's authorship was stated persuasively by T. M. ParrottThomas Marc Parrott
Thomas Marc Parrott was a prominent twentieth-century American literary scholar, long a member of the faculty of Princeton University in New Jersey....
in 1906. Parrott's attribution essay has come to be regarded as among the best of its kind, and its conclusion has won general acceptance; even Samuel Schoenbaum
Samuel Schoenbaum
Samuel Schoenbaum was a leading 20th century Shakespearean biographer and scholar.Born in New York, Schoenbaum taught at Northwestern University from 1953 to 1975, serving for the last four years of this period as the Frank Bliss Snyder Professor of English Literature. He later taught at the City...
, a prominent critic of authorship studies in general, conceded that Parrott's argument was likely valid.
The plot
The play centers on the melancholic poet-lover Clarence and his relationship with his mistress, the Countess Eugenia. Lord Momford, Eugenia's uncle, helps to treat and cure Clarence's depression by aiding him in the realization of his bond with Eugenia. The supporting characters conform to greater or lesser degrees to the concept of humoursFour humours
Four Temperaments is a theory of proto-psychology that stems from the ancient medical concept of humorism and suggests that four bodily fluids affect human personality traits and behaviors.- History and development :...
comedy that Chapman had introduced in his An Humorous Day's Mirth
An Humorous Day's Mirth
An Humorous Day's Mirth is an Elizabethan era stage play, a comedy by George Chapman, first acted in 1597 and published in 1599.Algernon Charles Swinburne called Chapman's play one of the finest comedies in English...
(1597
1597 in literature
-Events:*February - Pembroke's Men contract with Francis Langley to play the next year at his new Swan Theatre. Their season goes disastrously wrong in July, when they stage the scandalous play The Isle of Dogs, which provokes the authorities to close all of the London theatres for the remainder of...
); Captain Foulweather, for example, is an extreme Francophile
Francophile
Is a person with a positive predisposition or interest toward the government, culture, history, or people of France. This could include France itself and its history, the French language, French cuisine, literature, etc...
who not only embraces French ways but rejects English manners — and English women.
Superficially, the play is a farce about "gulled knights and waggish servants," though it has also been perceived to possess deeper levels of meaning; critics have judged it a "rarefied, pedantic neo-platonic
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism , is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists, with its earliest contributor believed to be Plotinus, and his teacher Ammonius Saccas...
allegory" as well as "a modern dress version of the Troilus
Troilus
Troilus is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War...
story, based primarily on Chaucer's
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
account and on Estienne Tabourot's Les apothegmes du sieur Gaulard."