The King's Entertainment at Welbeck
Encyclopedia
The King's Entertainment at Welbeck in Nottinghamshire, alternatively titled Love's Welcome at Welbeck, was a masque
or entertainment written by Ben Jonson
, and performed on May 21, 1633
at the Welbeck
estate of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
. It has been argued that the philosopher Thomas Hobbes
may have participated in the entertainment as a performer.
conducted a royal progress through northern England to Scotland in the spring and summer of 1633, he stayed and was entertained at the country houses of important aristocrats. The most lavish, and in retrospect the most famous of those 1633 shows, was Jonson's at Welbeck. Charles was so pleased with it that he requested another from the same source on his 1634 progress, which resulted in the "more spectacular" show, Love's Welcome at Bolsover
. Newcastle spent between £4000 and £5000 on the masque, which was considered a phenomenal sum for such an occasion — until the following year, when the bill for the Bolsover show exceeded that by £10,000.
The commission for the masque came at a welcome time in Jonson's career. After Chloridia
in February 1631
, Jonson no longer received commissions for masques from the Stuart
Court; in his long battle of egos with Inigo Jones
, Jones had finally won and Jonson had lost. In September of the same year, Jonson had also lost his post as the chronologer of the city of London. The Duke of Newcastle, who had an established relationship with Jonson, stepped in to support the poet laureate
in his time of need.
. The dialogue was followed by six hooded figures who give a display at the quintain
, comparable to a display of jousting
or "barriers." (Regarding the latter, see: The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers
.) The quintain display was brought to a conclusion by a "Gentleman" who reporved the rustics and their sport, and hailed the King for his love, goodness, and other virtues.
This ambivalent text has been read as reflecting a larger ambivalence in the Court's position on relevant issues. Charles had re-published the Book of Sports and Jacobean proclamations urging noblemen to maintain and uphold traditional country life. Yet the Stuart Court was itself oriented far more to an urban and palatial style that tended to draw the aristocracy away from the country and toward the attractions of London.
in 1641
, and was thereafter included in his canon. A manuscript of the masque is extant among the Newcastle papers, as is the letter from Jonson that probably accompanied the delivery of the text.
was a fundamental aspect of the trivium, the basic educational system of the day; participation in a rhetorical exercise like the Accidence/Fitz-Ale debate is comprehensible in light of that tradition.)
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio...
or entertainment written by Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
, and performed on May 21, 1633
1633 in literature
The year 1633 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*On May 21, Ben Jonson's masque The King's Entertainment at Welbeck is performed....
at the Welbeck
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
estate of 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...
. It has been argued that the philosopher Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
may have participated in the entertainment as a performer.
Background
When King Charles ICharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
conducted a royal progress through northern England to Scotland in the spring and summer of 1633, he stayed and was entertained at the country houses of important aristocrats. The most lavish, and in retrospect the most famous of those 1633 shows, was Jonson's at Welbeck. Charles was so pleased with it that he requested another from the same source on his 1634 progress, which resulted in the "more spectacular" show, Love's Welcome at Bolsover
Love's Welcome at Bolsover
Love's Welcome at Bolsover is the final masque composed by Ben Jonson. It was performed on July 30, 1634, three years before the poet's death, and published in 1641....
. Newcastle spent between £4000 and £5000 on the masque, which was considered a phenomenal sum for such an occasion — until the following year, when the bill for the Bolsover show exceeded that by £10,000.
The commission for the masque came at a welcome time in Jonson's career. After Chloridia
Chloridia
Chloridia: Rites to Chloris and Her Nymphs was the final masque that Ben Jonson wrote for the Stuart Court. It was performed at Shrovetide, February 22, 1631, with costumes, sets and stage effects designed by Inigo Jones.-The masque:...
in February 1631
1631 in literature
The year 1631 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 9 - Love's Triumph Through Callipolis, a masque written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, is staged at Whitehall Palace....
, Jonson no longer received commissions for masques from the Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
Court; in his long battle of egos with Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
, Jones had finally won and Jonson had lost. In September of the same year, Jonson had also lost his post as the chronologer of the city of London. The Duke of Newcastle, who had an established relationship with Jonson, stepped in to support the poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
in his time of need.
The show
The show opened with a scene portraying the Passions, Love and Doubt, and the Affections, "Joy, Delight, &c.," who sing with a chorus in support. After dinner, the show resumed with a dialogue between Accidence, a schoolmaster, and Fitz-Ale, a heraldHeraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
. The dialogue was followed by six hooded figures who give a display at the quintain
Quintain
Quintain may refer to:* Quintain , a jousting game* Quintain Estates and Development, a property company* Quintaine Americana, a rock band...
, comparable to a display of jousting
Jousting
Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...
or "barriers." (Regarding the latter, see: The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers
The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers
The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers, sometimes called The Lady of the Lake, is a masque or entertainment written by Ben Jonson in honour of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the son and heir of King James I of England...
.) The quintain display was brought to a conclusion by a "Gentleman" who reporved the rustics and their sport, and hailed the King for his love, goodness, and other virtues.
This ambivalent text has been read as reflecting a larger ambivalence in the Court's position on relevant issues. Charles had re-published the Book of Sports and Jacobean proclamations urging noblemen to maintain and uphold traditional country life. Yet the Stuart Court was itself oriented far more to an urban and palatial style that tended to draw the aristocracy away from the country and toward the attractions of London.
Texts
The text of the masque was published in the second folio collection of Jonson's worksBen Jonson folios
The folio collections of Ben Jonson's works published in the seventeenth century were crucial developments in the publication of English literature and English Renaissance drama. The first folio collection, issued in 1616, treated stage plays as serious works of literature instead of popular...
in 1641
1641 in literature
The year 1641 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Pierre Corneille marries Marie de Lampérière.*Sir William Davenant is convicted of high treason.*Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon becomes an advisor to King Charles I of England....
, and was thereafter included in his canon. A manuscript of the masque is extant among the Newcastle papers, as is the letter from Jonson that probably accompanied the delivery of the text.
Hobbes
In 1998, A. P. Martinich argued that the figure of Fitz-Ale in the entertainment may have been filled by Thomas Hobbes. Martinich based his argument on details from Hobbes's published works and his known relationship with Newcastle, who partonized Hobbes as he did a range of other writers. (The idea of a philosopher turning actor may be strange to a modern sensibility. But training in rhetoricRhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
was a fundamental aspect of the trivium, the basic educational system of the day; participation in a rhetorical exercise like the Accidence/Fitz-Ale debate is comprehensible in light of that tradition.)