The Opportunity
Encyclopedia
The Opportunity is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy
written by James Shirley
, published in 1640
. The play has been called "a capital little comedy, fairly bubbling over with clever situations and charming character."
The Opportunity was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels
, on November 29, 1634
. It was acted by Shirley's regular company, Queen Henrietta's Men
, at the Cockpit Theatre
. The 1640 quarto
was dedicated by Shirley to a personal friend, Capt. Richard Owen. Shirley relied on El Castigo del Penséque by Tirso de Molina
as his source for the plot of his play.
The 1640 quarto
was printed by Thomas Cotes
for the booksellers Andrew Crooke and William Cooke
. The play was popular, and was revived early in the Restoration
era, in November 1660
. During the Interregnum
when the theatres were closed, material from The Opportunity was extracted and performed as a droll
called The Price of Conceit, published in The Wits in 1672
.
. He comes to visit Urbino
with his friend Pisauro. One in Urbino, Aurelio discovers that he is being mistaken for a man named Borgia, the son of an elderly aristocrat named Mercutio. As a lark, Aurelio allows the misapprehension to persist. It's a potentially serious situation: though recalled from banishment, Borgia has powerful potential enemies—he was accused of having murdered a brother of Ursini, the favorite of Urbino's ruling Duchess. Borgia also has a beautiful sister called Cornelia, a waiting woman to the Duchess—with whom Aurelio quickly falls in love.
Ursini, however, also loves Cornelia; to gain her favor he forgives her "brother," Borgia/Aurelio, and obtains a pardon for him from the Duchess. But Ursini also wants "Borgia" to give his blessing to his suit of Cornelia—a galling circumstance for Aurelio. Compounding the problem, Cornelia is in love with Aurelio, but is repulsed by what she thinks is the unnatural nature of her feelings. The Duchess, too, is enamored of Borgia/Aurelio, to the displeasure of her courtiers; and she is a beautiful and desirable woman who can make her husband a duke. Both Cornelia and Ursini react with jealousy at the Duchess's interest in Aurelio. Also displeased is the "ambassador" from Ferrara
, who has been negotiating a potential marriage between his Duke and the Duchess of Urbino. (This "ambassador" is in fact the Duke of Ferrara himself.)
The complications come to a head in the play's balcony scene. In the night, below the balcony, stands Aurelio; unknown to him, the Duke of Ferrara watches from behind. Above, on the balcony, Cornelia pretends to be the Duchess; she tells Aurelio not to rely on her favor—"she" plans to marry the Duke. The Duke, of course, is delighted with this, and leaves. The Duchess comes upon this scene, and supplants Cornelia on the balcony; she in turn pretends to be Cornelia, and in this guise asks Aurelio to bless "her" marriage, that is Cornelia's marriage, with Ursini. Aurelio, thinking that he will lose both women, asserts his true identity: he tells "Cornelia" that he is not her brother, and asks her to love him for himself. The false Cornelia, surprised, gives him a little encouragement, but leaves him still in doubt.
Next morning, the Duchess tells Aurelio that she will help him to any Urbinese bride he fancies, even "the proudest, greatest in our duchy, without all limitations." Before they can come to an understanding, Cornelia enters to announce the Duke, who thinks he has the Duchess's agreement to marry him. The Duchess, of course, denies giving any such promise, and Cornelia confesses her part in the masquerade and the misunderstanding. Further misunderstandings ensue, however, with a misdirected love letter; in the end, the Duchess accepts the Duke and Cornelia accepts Ursini, and the befuddled Aurelio leaves Urbino to resume his travels.
The Opportunity also has a comic subplot, which involves Aurelio's servant Pimponio and a page.
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...
written by James Shirley
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...
, 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...
. The play has been called "a capital little comedy, fairly bubbling over with clever situations and charming character."
The Opportunity was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels
Master of the Revels
The Master of the Revels was a position within the English, and later the British, royal household heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels" that originally had responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities, known as revels, and later also became responsible for stage censorship,...
, on November 29, 1634
1634 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....
. It was acted by Shirley's regular company, 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 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....
. The 1640 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 dedicated by Shirley to a personal friend, Capt. Richard Owen. Shirley relied on El Castigo del Penséque by Tirso de Molina
Tirso de Molina
Tirso de Molina was a Spanish Baroque dramatist, poet and a Roman Catholic monk.Originally Gabriel Téllez, he was born in Madrid. He studied at Alcalá de Henares, joined the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy on November 4, 1600, and entered the Monastery of San Antolín at Guadalajara,...
as his source for the plot of his play.
The 1640 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 printed by Thomas Cotes
Thomas Cotes
Thomas Cotes was a London printer of the Jacobean and Caroline eras, best remembered for printing the Second Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays in 1632.-Life and work:...
for the booksellers Andrew Crooke and William Cooke
Andrew Crooke and William Cooke
Andrew Crooke and William Cooke were London publishers of the mid-17th-century. In partnership and individually, they issued significant texts of English Renaissance drama, most notably of the plays of James Shirley....
. The play was popular, and was revived early in 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, in November 1660
1660 in literature
The year 1660 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* January 1 - Samuel Pepys starts his diary.* February - John Rhodes reopens the old Cockpit Theatre in London, forms a company of young actors and begins to stage plays...
. During the Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
when the theatres were closed, material from The Opportunity was extracted and performed as a droll
Droll
A droll is a short comical sketch of a type that originated during the Puritan Interregnum in England. With the closure of the theatres, actors were left without any way of plying their art. Borrowing scenes from well-known plays of the Elizabethan theatre, they added dancing and other...
called The Price of Conceit, published in The Wits in 1672
1672 in literature
The year 1672 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* In London, the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is destroyed by fire. The King's Company moves into the theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields, which their rivals the Duke's Company left the previous year.* During the 1672–73 theatre...
.
Synopsis
Aurelio Andreozzi is a young gentleman from MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. He comes to visit Urbino
Urbino
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...
with his friend Pisauro. One in Urbino, Aurelio discovers that he is being mistaken for a man named Borgia, the son of an elderly aristocrat named Mercutio. As a lark, Aurelio allows the misapprehension to persist. It's a potentially serious situation: though recalled from banishment, Borgia has powerful potential enemies—he was accused of having murdered a brother of Ursini, the favorite of Urbino's ruling Duchess. Borgia also has a beautiful sister called Cornelia, a waiting woman to the Duchess—with whom Aurelio quickly falls in love.
Ursini, however, also loves Cornelia; to gain her favor he forgives her "brother," Borgia/Aurelio, and obtains a pardon for him from the Duchess. But Ursini also wants "Borgia" to give his blessing to his suit of Cornelia—a galling circumstance for Aurelio. Compounding the problem, Cornelia is in love with Aurelio, but is repulsed by what she thinks is the unnatural nature of her feelings. The Duchess, too, is enamored of Borgia/Aurelio, to the displeasure of her courtiers; and she is a beautiful and desirable woman who can make her husband a duke. Both Cornelia and Ursini react with jealousy at the Duchess's interest in Aurelio. Also displeased is the "ambassador" from Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, who has been negotiating a potential marriage between his Duke and the Duchess of Urbino. (This "ambassador" is in fact the Duke of Ferrara himself.)
The complications come to a head in the play's balcony scene. In the night, below the balcony, stands Aurelio; unknown to him, the Duke of Ferrara watches from behind. Above, on the balcony, Cornelia pretends to be the Duchess; she tells Aurelio not to rely on her favor—"she" plans to marry the Duke. The Duke, of course, is delighted with this, and leaves. The Duchess comes upon this scene, and supplants Cornelia on the balcony; she in turn pretends to be Cornelia, and in this guise asks Aurelio to bless "her" marriage, that is Cornelia's marriage, with Ursini. Aurelio, thinking that he will lose both women, asserts his true identity: he tells "Cornelia" that he is not her brother, and asks her to love him for himself. The false Cornelia, surprised, gives him a little encouragement, but leaves him still in doubt.
Next morning, the Duchess tells Aurelio that she will help him to any Urbinese bride he fancies, even "the proudest, greatest in our duchy, without all limitations." Before they can come to an understanding, Cornelia enters to announce the Duke, who thinks he has the Duchess's agreement to marry him. The Duchess, of course, denies giving any such promise, and Cornelia confesses her part in the masquerade and the misunderstanding. Further misunderstandings ensue, however, with a misdirected love letter; in the end, the Duchess accepts the Duke and Cornelia accepts Ursini, and the befuddled Aurelio leaves Urbino to resume his travels.
The Opportunity also has a comic subplot, which involves Aurelio's servant Pimponio and a page.