CHAPTER X

ENGLISH HISTORY

I. The Chronicle Play is a peculiarly English Form-Its Difference

from other Historical Dramas-Supplies the Place of the

Epic Treatment of National Annals by the Playwrights.—

II. Shakspere's Chronicles-Four Groups of non-Shak-

sperian Plays on English History.-III. Legendary Subjects

-Locrine'-" -The History of King Leir.'-IV. Shakspere's

Doubtful Plays-Principles of Criticism-'The Birth of

Merlin.'-V. Chronicle-Plays Proper-Troublesome Reign

of King John'-' True Tragedy of Richard III.'-'Famous

Victories of Henry V.'-'Contention of the Two Famous

Houses.'-VI. Edward III.'-The Problem of its Author-

ship-Based on a Novella and on History-The Superior

Development of Situations-VII. Marlowe's' Edward II.'-

Peele's Edward I.'-Heywood's 'Edward IV.'-Rowley's

Play on Henry VIII.-VIII. The Ground covered by the

Chronicle Plays-Their Utility-Heywood's 'Apology'

quoted.-IX. Biographies of Political Persons and Popular

Heroes Sir Thomas More '-'Lord Cromwell '-'Sir John

Oldcastle'-Schlegel's Opinion criticised-Sir Thomas

Wyatt'-Ford's Perkin Warbeck '-Last Plays of this

Species.-X. English Adventurers- Fair Maid of the

West''The Shirley Brothers '-'Sir Thomas Stukeley '-

His Life-Dramatised in The Famous History' &c.- Battle

of Alcazar.'-XI. Apocryphal Heroes-Fair Em'-' Blind

Beggar of Bethnal Green '-Two Plays on the Robin Hood

Legend-English Partiality for Outlaws--Life in Sherwood

George a Greene '-Jonson's' Sad Shepherd '-Popularity

in England of Princes who have shared the People's Sports

and Pastimes

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288

CHAPTER XI

DOMESTIC TRAGEDY

Induction to 'A Warning for Fair Women '-Peculiar Qualities

of the Domestic Tragedy-Its Realism-Its Early Popularity

-List of Plays of this Description-Their Sources.-II. Five

Plays selected for Examination-Questions of disputed

Authorship-Shakspere's suggested part in Three of these-

The different Aspects of Realism in them.-III. 'A Warning

for Fair Women '-The Story-Use of Dumb Show-Bye-

Scenes-Handling of the Prose-Tale-Critique of the Style

and Character-Drawing of this Play-Its deliberate Moral

Intention.-IV. A Yorkshire Tragedy '-The Crime of

Walter Calverley-His Character in the Drama--Demoniacal

CONTENTS

Possession.-V. 'Arden of Feversham '-Difficulty of deal-

ing with it-Its Unmitigated Horror-Fidelity to Holinshed's

Chronicle-Intense Nature of its Imaginative Realism-

Character of Arden-Character of Mosbie-A Gallery of

Scoundrels-Two Types of Murderers-Michael's Terror-

Alice Arden-Her Relation to some Women of Shakspere-

Development of her Murderous Intention-Quarrel with

Mosbie-The Crescendo of her Passion-Redeeming Points

in her Character-Incidents and Episodes.-VI. 'A Woman

Killed with Kindness '-The Gentleness of this Tragedy-

The Plot-Italian Underplot adapted to English Life-Cha-

racter of Mr. Frankford-The Scene in the Bedchamber-

Character of Mrs. Frankford-Wendoll-Question regarding

the Moral Tone of the Last Act-Religious Sentiment-VII,

Witch of Edmonton '-Its Joint-Authorship-The Story-

Female Parts-Two Plays patched together-Mother Sawyer

-The Realistic Picture of an English Witch-Humane

Treatment of Witchcraft in this Play

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327

CHAPTER XII

TRAGEDY OF BLOOD

The Tough Fibres of a London Audience-Craving for Strong

Sensation-Specific Note of English Melodrama-Its Lyrical

and Pathetic Relief.-II. Thomas Kyd-'Hieronymo' and

"The Spanish Tragedy '-Analysis of the Story-Stock

Ingredients of a Tragedy of Blood-The Ghost-The Villain

The Romantic Lovers-Suicide, Murder, Insanity.—III.

'Soliman and Perseda '-The Induction to this Play- The

Tragedy of Hoffmann.'-IV. Marlowe's Use of this Form-

'The Jew of Malta'-Titus Andronicus '-'Lust's Dominion'

Hamlet' and The

-Points of Resemblance between

Spanish Tragedy '-Use made by Marston, Webster, and

Tourneur of the Species-V. The Additions to 'The Spanish

Tragedy'-Did Jonson make them?-Quotation from the

Scene of Hieronymo in the Garden

387

CHAPTER XIII

JOHN LYLY

I. The Publication of Euphues '-Its Two Parts-Outline of the

Story.-II. It forms a Series of Short Treatises-Love-

Conduct-Education-A Book for Women.-III. Its Popu-

larity-The Spread of Euphuism-What we Mean by that

Word.-IV. Qualities of Medieval Taste - Allegory -

Symbolism-The Bestiaries-Qualities of Early Humanism

--Scholastic Subtleties-Petrarchistic Diction-Bad Taste in

Italy -Influence of Italian Literature-The Affectation of

the Sixteenth Century-Definition of Euphuism-Illustra-

tions.-V. Lyly becomes a Courtier-His Want of Success

--The Simplicity of his Dramatic Prose-The Beauty of the

Lyrics-The Novelty of his Court-Comedies.-VI. Eight

Pieces ascribed to Lyly-Six Played before Elizabeth-The

Allegories of their Classic Fables- Endimion '-Its Critique.

-VII. Midas'-Political Allusions-Sapho and Phao'

- Elizabeth and Leicester '-Details of this Comedy.-VIII.

'Alexander and Campaspe '-Touch upon Greek Story-

Diogenes-A Dialogue on Love- The Lyrics.-IX. 'Galla-

thea-Its Relation to 'As you Like It'-'Love's Meta-

morphosis-Its Relation to Jonson-Mother Bombie'—

'The Woman in the Moon.'-X. Lyly as a Master of his

Age-Influence on Shakspere-His Inventions

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399

CHAPTER XIV

GREENE, PEELE, NASH, AND LODGE

I. Playwrights in Possession of the Stage before Shakspere-

The Scholar-Poets-Jonson's Comparison of Shakspere with

his Peers-The Meaning of those Lines-Analysis of the Six

Scholar-Poets.-II. Men of Fair Birth and Good Education

-The Four Subjects of this Study.-III. The Romance of

Robert Greene's Life-His Autobiographical Novels-His

Miserable Death-The Criticism of his Character-His

Associates.-IV. Greene's Quarrel with Shakspere and the

Playing Companies-His Vicissitudes as a Playwright-His

Jealousy.-V. Greene's transient Popularity-Euphuistic

Novels Specimens of his Lyrics-Facility of Lyric Verse in

England. VI. Greene's Plays betray the Novelist - None

survive from the Period before Marlowe James IV. of

Scotland'-Its Induction-The Character of Ida-' Friar

Bacon and Friar Bungay'-Florid Pedantry a Mark of

Greene's Style.-VII. Peele-Campbell's Criticism-His

Place among Contemporaries' Edward I.'-'Battle_of

Alcazar Old Wives' Tale'-Milton's Comus '. -The

Arraignment of Paris''David and Bethsabe' - Non-

Dramatic Pieces by Peele.-VIII. Thomas Nash-The

Satirist His Quarrel with Harvey-His Description of a

Bohemian Poet's Difficulties-The Isle of Dogs-His Part in

Dido, Queen of Carthage - Will Summer's Testament '—

Nash's Songs.-IX. Thomas Lodge-His Life-His Miscel-

laneous Writings- Wounds of Civil War.-X. The Relative

Value of these Four-Authors.

·

427

I. The Life of Marlowe-Catalogue of his Works.-II. The Father

of English Dramatic Poetry-He Fixes the Romantic Type-

Adopts the Popular Dramatic Form, the Blank Verse Metre

of the Scholars-He Transfigures both Form and Metre-

His Consciousness of his Vocation.-III. The History of

Blank Verse in England-Italian Precedent -Marlowe's

Predecessors-Modern and Classical Metrical Systems—

Quantity and Accent-The Licentiate Iambic-Gascoigne's

Critique-Marlowe's Innovations in Blank Verse-Pause-

Emphasis-Rhetoric a Key to good Blank Verse-The

Variety of Marlowe's Metre.-IV. His Transfiguration of

Tragedy The Immediate Effect of his Improvements-He

marks an Epoch in the Drama.-V. Colossal Scale of

Marlowe's Works-Dramatisation of Ideals-Defect of

Humour-No Female Characters.-VI. Marlowe's Leading

Motive-The Impossible Amour-The Love of the Impossible

portrayed in the Guise-In Tamburlaine-In Faustus-In

Mortimer-Impossible Beauty-What would Marlowe have

made of Tannhäuser '?-Barabas-The Apotheosis of

Avarice.-VII. The Poet and Dramatist inseparable in

Marlowe Character of Tamburlaine.-VIII. The German

Faustiad-Its Northern Character-Psychological Analysis

in Doctor Faustus'-The Teutonic Sceptic-Forbidden

Knowledge and Power-Grim Justice-Faustus and Mephis

tophilis-Last Hour of Faustus-Autobiographical Elements

in Doctor Faustus.'-IX. The Jew of Malta '-Shylock-

Spanish Source of the Story-An Episode of Spanish Humour

-Acting Qualities of Marlowe's Plays.-X. Edward II.'-

Shakspere and Marlowe in the Chronicle-Play-Variety of

Characters-Dialogue-The Opening of this Play-Gaveston

-Edward's Last Hours.-XI. The Massacre at Paris '-Its

Unfinished or Mangled Text-Tragedy of Dido '—Hyper-

bolical Ornament-Romantic and Classic Art.-XII. Marlowe

greater as a Poet than a Dramatist-His Reputation with

Contemporaries

INDEX

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