The Law Against Lovers
Encyclopedia
The Law Against Lovers was a dramatic adaptation of Shakespeare, arranged by Sir William Davenant
and staged by the Duke's Company
in 1662
. It was the first of the many Shakespearean adaptations staged during the Restoration
era.
Davenant was not shy about changing the Bard's work; he based his text on Measure for Measure
, but also added Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing
— "resulting in a bizarre and fascinating combination." He made Angelo from the former play, and Benedick from the latter, into brothers. The comedy of Pompey the clown and Elbow the constable is excised. Angelo doesn't really try to seduce the virtuous Isabella; he merely tests her commitment to chastity and virtue, like a protagonist in a John Fletcher
play. Beatrice has a little sister named Viola, who sings and dances.
Samuel Pepys
saw The Law Against Lovers at the theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields
on February 18, 1662, and was pleased by it; as he recorded in his Diary,
(Female performers were still a recent innovation at that time, having first appeared on the English stage only since December 1660. The "little girl" was the popular Moll Davis
, then about fourteen years old; she danced a sarabande
while playing castanets.)
Oddly, Davenant was able to represent The Law Against Lovers as his own work; he apparently had jumbled up Shakespeare so successfully that his audience did not recognize what they were seeing and hearing. Both Pepys and John Evelyn
were in the house on the same night, and both recorded their impressions of the show — but neither mentions Shakespeare in his remarks. And neither did other viewers. Davenant's adaptation was published in 1673
.
As extreme as it may sound to a modern sensibility, Davenant's version was not the last word on adapting Measure for Measure. In 1699
, Charles Gildon
produced a re-adaptation of Davenant's adaptation: Measure for Measure, or Beauty the Best Advocate. (Davenant took from Shakespeare without acknowledgement; Gildon did the same to Davenant.) Rather than conceal the Shakespearean source, Gildon advertised it, going so far as to have the ghost of Shakespeare speak the play's epilogue. Gildon simplified the whole (Beatrice and Benedick were omitted), but added a masque
about Dido and Aeneas
and the music of the lately-deceased Henry Purcell
. Gildon's version was also staged at Lincoln's Inn Fields
; Thomas Betterton
played Angelo, and Anne Bracegirdle
was Isabella.
Neither Davenant's nor Gildon's adaptation was a great success with its audience, and neither was revived after its initial production.
William Davenant
Sir William Davenant , also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned both the Caroline and Restoration eras and who was active both before and after the English Civil...
and staged by the Duke's Company
Duke's Company
The Duke's Company was one of the two theatre companies that were chartered by King Charles II at the start of the English Restoration era, when the London theatres re-opened after their eighteen-year closure during the English Civil War and the Interregnum.The Duke's Company had the patronage of...
in 1662
1662 in literature
The year 1662 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*September 29 - Samuel Pepys sees the King's Company production of A Midsummer Night's Dream...
. It was the first of the many Shakespearean adaptations staged during the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
era.
Davenant was not shy about changing the Bard's work; he based his text on Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
, but also added Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
— "resulting in a bizarre and fascinating combination." He made Angelo from the former play, and Benedick from the latter, into brothers. The comedy of Pompey the clown and Elbow the constable is excised. Angelo doesn't really try to seduce the virtuous Isabella; he merely tests her commitment to chastity and virtue, like a protagonist in a John Fletcher
John Fletcher (playwright)
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
play. Beatrice has a little sister named Viola, who sings and dances.
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
saw The Law Against Lovers at the theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
on February 18, 1662, and was pleased by it; as he recorded in his Diary,
- "I went to the Opera, and saw 'the Law against Lovers', a good play and well performed, especially the little girl's, whom I never saw act before, dancing and singing...."
(Female performers were still a recent innovation at that time, having first appeared on the English stage only since December 1660. The "little girl" was the popular Moll Davis
Moll Davis
Mary "Moll" Davis was a seventeenth-century entertainer and courtesan, singer and actress who became one of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England.- Early life, theatre career:...
, then about fourteen years old; she danced a sarabande
Sarabande
In music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of quarter notes and eighth notes in alternation...
while playing castanets.)
Oddly, Davenant was able to represent The Law Against Lovers as his own work; he apparently had jumbled up Shakespeare so successfully that his audience did not recognize what they were seeing and hearing. Both Pepys and John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
were in the house on the same night, and both recorded their impressions of the show — but neither mentions Shakespeare in his remarks. And neither did other viewers. Davenant's adaptation was published in 1673
1673 in literature
The year 1673 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*With the death of Sir Henry Herbert, Thomas Killigrew is appointed Master of the Revels...
.
As extreme as it may sound to a modern sensibility, Davenant's version was not the last word on adapting Measure for Measure. In 1699
1699 in literature
The year 1699 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Jonathan Swift is out of work after the death of his employer, Sir William Temple.*Joseph Addison receives a pension of £300 to enable him to travel abroad.-New books:...
, Charles Gildon
Charles Gildon
Charles Gildon , was an English hack writer who was, by turns, a translator, biographer, essayist, playwright, poet, author of fictional letters, fabulist, short story author, and critic. He provided the source for many lives of Restoration figures, although he appears to have propagated or...
produced a re-adaptation of Davenant's adaptation: Measure for Measure, or Beauty the Best Advocate. (Davenant took from Shakespeare without acknowledgement; Gildon did the same to Davenant.) Rather than conceal the Shakespearean source, Gildon advertised it, going so far as to have the ghost of Shakespeare speak the play's epilogue. Gildon simplified the whole (Beatrice and Benedick were omitted), but added a masque
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...
about Dido and Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
and the music of the lately-deceased Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
. Gildon's version was also staged at Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
; Thomas Betterton
Thomas Betterton
Thomas Patrick Betterton , English actor, son of an under-cook to King Charles I, was born in London.-Apprentice and actor:...
played Angelo, and Anne Bracegirdle
Anne Bracegirdle
Anne Bracegirdle was an English actress.Little is known of Bracegirdle's early life. Her precise date of birth is a source of great dispute due to conflicting records of her life. She was baptised in Northampton on 15 November 1671, although her tombstone says that she died at the age of 85...
was Isabella.
Neither Davenant's nor Gildon's adaptation was a great success with its audience, and neither was revived after its initial production.