The World Tossed at Tennis
Encyclopedia
The World Tossed at Tennis is a Jacobean era masque
composed by Thomas Middleton
and William Rowley
, first published in 1620
. It was likely acted on 4 March 1620 (new style
) at Denmark House
.
Middleton and Rowley conducted one of the most interesting collaborative efforts in English Renaissance drama
; together they produced significant works, The Changeling
and A Fair Quarrel
. Their only masque is one of the stranger and more original literary products of their generation.
on 4 July 1620, and published later that year in a quarto
printed by George Purslowe for the stationer
Edward Wright. The title page assigns authorship to Middleton and Rowley; it states that the work was performed "diverse times" by Rowley's acting company, Prince Charles's Men
.
The first edition bears Middleton's dedication to Charles Howard, Baron of Effingham
and his wife Mary Lady Effingham, the daughter of Sir William Cockayne
, a Lord Mayor of London
. It also includes an address to the reader signed by "Simplicity," a Prologue, and a list of "The Figures and Persons" in the masque.
. The intent of the masque was to influence his father, King James I
, to move away from his pacifistic foreign policy. In 1620, the Thirty Years' War
was in its first phase; James daughter and Charles's sister Princess Elizabeth
and her husband Frederick V, Elector Palatine
had inadvertently started the war when they accepted the crown of Bohemia
in 1618.
Despite his strong familial connection, James was unwilling to take an active part in the Protestant cause, much to the distress of many of his subjects. The masque had no discernible success in swaying James's position.
and Pallas Athena are present, as are Time and Deceit, the nine Muses and the Nine Worthies
. There is a King and a Lawyer, a "Land-Captain" and a "Sea-Captain," and the Devil as well. The second half of the work, Middleton's portion, is dominated by the adventures of Deceit as he interacts with the other characters. Eventually Deceit is defeated by the Lawyer, and the Devil is defeated by the Church.
The masque also contains unusual characters; the Induction is a conversation among three personified English royal palaces, St. James's
, Richmond
, and Denmark House. And the first of the masque's three dances is performed by, of all things, five different-colored Starches. To appropriate music — "a light fantastic air" and "a ridiculous strain" — five figures representing colored starches, white, blue, yellow, green and red, "come dancing in." After their dance, they quarrel; White demands precedence over the others, but they resist. As Yellow puts it, "I am as stiff i' my opinion / As any Starch amongst you."
The Starches are examples of what Jupiter calls the "Deceit and Pride" of the age, characterized by "The frenzy of apparel," "masculine painting," and "Vain-glory, fashion, humour, and such toys."
) provides a good view of the prevailing style. Mrs. Turner was the first person in England to dye these white bands yellow. The fashion became famous and notorious when Turner, an associate of Simon Forman
and a denizen of the Jacobean demimonde, was executed on 15 November 1615 for her role in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury
.
When Lord Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke (in traditional white bands here
) sentenced Turner to death, he specifically instructed that she should die in yellow bands: "as she was the person who had brought yellow starched ruffs into vogue, she should be hanged in that dress, that the same might end in shame and detestation." According to at least one report, the hangman also wore yellow bands as he put Turner to death.
References to yellow bands and yellow starch recur in plays of the 1615–18 era, by Middleton and others — A Fair Quarrel
, The Widow
, More Dissemblers Besides Women
, Albumazar, The Queen of Corinth
, The Devil is an Ass
, and Christmas, His Masque
. (Robert Davenport
's plays of uncertain date, The City Nightcap
and A New Trick to Cheat the Devil
, also contain such references.) The World Tossed at Tennis is unique in that it refers not only to white and yellow starch but to red, green, and blue starch too. Were these other colors worn in ruffs and cuffs in the years around 1620? The text of the masque suggests this was so, though supporting evidence is thin.
(In Davenport's New Trick to Cheat the Devil, Act IV scene 1, The Devil claims that "I was first father for this yellow Sterch, / Which did succeed the blew...." The color sequence, blue then yellow, is the same as given by Rowley in World Tossed at Tennis.)
The fashion for yellow bands lasted in Court circles until the mid-1620s.
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...
composed by Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
and William Rowley
William Rowley
William Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626...
, first published in 1620
1620 in literature
The year 1620 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*The Book of Psalmes: Englished both in Prose and Metre with Annotations by Henry Ainsworth is the only book brought to New England by the pilgrim settlers....
. It was likely acted on 4 March 1620 (new style
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
) at Denmark House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
.
Middleton and Rowley conducted one of the most interesting collaborative efforts in English Renaissance drama
English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
; together they produced significant works, The Changeling
The Changeling (play)
The Changeling is a Jacobean tragedy written by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. Widely regarded as "among the best" tragedies of the English Renaissance, the play has accumulated a significant body of critical commentary....
and A Fair Quarrel
A Fair Quarrel
A Fair Quarrel is a Jacobean tragicomedy, a collaboration between Thomas Middleton and William Rowley that was first published in 1617.-Performance and Publication:...
. Their only masque is one of the stranger and more original literary products of their generation.
Publication
A Courtly Masque; the Device called, the World tost at Tennis 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 4 July 1620, and 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 George Purslowe for the stationer
Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was founded in 1403; it received a Royal Charter in 1557...
Edward Wright. The title page assigns authorship to Middleton and Rowley; it states that the work was performed "diverse times" by Rowley's acting company, Prince Charles's Men
Prince Charles's Men
Prince Charles's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in Jacobean and Caroline England.-The Jacobean era troupe:...
.
The first edition bears Middleton's dedication to Charles Howard, Baron of Effingham
Charles Howard, 2nd Earl of Nottingham
Charles Howard, 2nd Earl of Nottingham was the son of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham. His mother was the former Katherine Carey. From 1596 to 1624 he was styled Lord Howard of Effingham....
and his wife Mary Lady Effingham, the daughter of Sir William Cockayne
William Cockayne
Sir William Cockayne , London, England, was a seventeenth-century London merchant, alderman, and, in 1619, Lord Mayor.-Life:...
, a Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
. It also includes an address to the reader signed by "Simplicity," a Prologue, and a list of "The Figures and Persons" in the masque.
Authorship
In their other collaborations, Middleton takes primary responsibility for the main plot, and Rowley handles subplot materials — usually comic, but also serious, as in A Fair Quarrel. The standard dichotomy of main plot and subplot does not apply to their masque; in this work, Rowley was mainly responsible for the first half of the work, the first 471 lines, and Middleton the second half, 515 lines. The break between the two writers' shares comes just after the masque's oddest and most original feature, the introduction of the personifications of five colored starches.The message
The masque was commissioned by Prince CharlesCharles 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...
. The intent of the masque was to influence his father, King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, to move away from his pacifistic foreign policy. In 1620, the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
was in its first phase; James daughter and Charles's sister Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...
and her husband Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
had inadvertently started the war when they accepted the crown of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in 1618.
Despite his strong familial connection, James was unwilling to take an active part in the Protestant cause, much to the distress of many of his subjects. The masque had no discernible success in swaying James's position.
The masque
The masque features the mythological divinities and personifications that are standard in the masque genre: JupiterJupiter (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 Pallas Athena are present, as are Time and Deceit, the nine Muses and the Nine Worthies
Nine Worthies
The Nine Worthies are nine historical, scriptural and legendary personages who personify the ideals of chivalry as were established in the Middle Ages. All are commonly referred to as 'Princes' in their own right, despite whatever true titles each man may have held...
. There is a King and a Lawyer, a "Land-Captain" and a "Sea-Captain," and the Devil as well. The second half of the work, Middleton's portion, is dominated by the adventures of Deceit as he interacts with the other characters. Eventually Deceit is defeated by the Lawyer, and the Devil is defeated by the Church.
The masque also contains unusual characters; the Induction is a conversation among three personified English royal palaces, St. James's
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
, Richmond
Richmond Palace
Richmond Palace was a Thameside royal residence on the right bank of the river, upstream of the Palace of Westminster, to which it lay 9 miles SW of as the crow flies. It it was erected c. 1501 within the royal manor of Sheen, by Henry VII of England, formerly known by his title Earl of Richmond,...
, and Denmark House. And the first of the masque's three dances is performed by, of all things, five different-colored Starches. To appropriate music — "a light fantastic air" and "a ridiculous strain" — five figures representing colored starches, white, blue, yellow, green and red, "come dancing in." After their dance, they quarrel; White demands precedence over the others, but they resist. As Yellow puts it, "I am as stiff i' my opinion / As any Starch amongst you."
The Starches are examples of what Jupiter calls the "Deceit and Pride" of the age, characterized by "The frenzy of apparel," "masculine painting," and "Vain-glory, fashion, humour, and such toys."
Why five starches?
In the second decade of the seventeenth century, Mistress Anne Turner started a new fashion. It had long been standard in Elizabethan and Jacobean clothing to wear starched white ruffs and cuffs, commonly called "bands." The famous and often-reproduced portrait of actor Edward Alleyn (seen hereEdward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
) provides a good view of the prevailing style. Mrs. Turner was the first person in England to dye these white bands yellow. The fashion became famous and notorious when Turner, an associate of Simon Forman
Simon Forman
Simon Forman was arguably the most popular Elizabethan astrologer, occultist and herbalist active in London during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and James I of England. His reputation, however, was severely tarnished after his death when he was implicated in the plot to kill Sir Thomas Overbury...
and a denizen of the Jacobean demimonde, was executed on 15 November 1615 for her role in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury
Thomas Overbury
Sir Thomas Overbury was an English poet and essayist, and the victim of one of the most sensational crimes in English history...
.
When Lord Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke (in traditional white bands here
Edward Coke
Sir Edward Coke SL PC was an English barrister, judge and politician considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Born into a middle class family, Coke was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge before leaving to study at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the...
) sentenced Turner to death, he specifically instructed that she should die in yellow bands: "as she was the person who had brought yellow starched ruffs into vogue, she should be hanged in that dress, that the same might end in shame and detestation." According to at least one report, the hangman also wore yellow bands as he put Turner to death.
References to yellow bands and yellow starch recur in plays of the 1615–18 era, by Middleton and others — A Fair Quarrel
A Fair Quarrel
A Fair Quarrel is a Jacobean tragicomedy, a collaboration between Thomas Middleton and William Rowley that was first published in 1617.-Performance and Publication:...
, The Widow
The Widow (play)
The Widow is a Jacobean stage play first published in 1652, but written decades earlier.On the limited evidence available, the play is usually dated to c. 1615–17, partially on the basis of a "yellow bands" reference to the execution of Mrs...
, More Dissemblers Besides Women
More Dissemblers Besides Women
More Dissemblers Besides Women is a Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy written by Thomas Middleton, and first published in 1657.The play's date of authorship is uncertain, though it is usually dated c. 1615. It is thought to have been acted in 1619, and was performed at Court on 6 January 1624 by...
, Albumazar, The Queen of Corinth
The Queen of Corinth
The Queen of Corinth is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647.-Date:...
, The Devil is an Ass
The Devil is an Ass
The Devil is an Ass is a Jacobean comedy by Ben Jonson, first performed in 1616 and first published in 1631.The Devil is an Ass followed Bartholomew Fair , one of the author's greatest works, and marks the start of the final phase of his dramatic career...
, and Christmas, His Masque
Christmas, His Masque
Christmas, His Masque, also called Christmas His Show, was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and performed at the English royal court at Christmas of 1616...
. (Robert Davenport
Robert Davenport
Robert Davenport was an English dramatist of the early seventeenth century. Nothing is known of his early life or education; the title pages of two of his plays identify him as a "Gentleman," though there is no record of him at either of the two universities or the Inns of Court. Scholars have...
's plays of uncertain date, The City Nightcap
The City Nightcap
The City Nightcap, or Crede Quod Habes, et Habes is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Robert Davenport. It is one of only three dramatic works by Davenport that survive.-Date:...
and A New Trick to Cheat the Devil
A New Trick to Cheat the Devil
A New Trick to Cheat the Devil is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a comedy written by Robert Davenport that was first printed in 1639. One of only three surviving Davenport plays, it has been called an entertaining and extravagant farce....
, also contain such references.) The World Tossed at Tennis is unique in that it refers not only to white and yellow starch but to red, green, and blue starch too. Were these other colors worn in ruffs and cuffs in the years around 1620? The text of the masque suggests this was so, though supporting evidence is thin.
(In Davenport's New Trick to Cheat the Devil, Act IV scene 1, The Devil claims that "I was first father for this yellow Sterch, / Which did succeed the blew...." The color sequence, blue then yellow, is the same as given by Rowley in World Tossed at Tennis.)
The fashion for yellow bands lasted in Court circles until the mid-1620s.