Theater Reform and the Masque in Marvell's Upon Appleton House

The signature scene shifts, pastoral settings, and perspectival instabilities of Andrew Marvell’s Upon Appleton House squarely align the poem with the theatrical tradition of the court masque, a tradition that was effectively moribund at the at the time of the poem’s composition in 1651.  The influence of the masque on Upon Appleton House (and other Marvell works) has been widely noted, but the significance of his poem in the longer history of English theater––specifically, in the discourse of theatrical reform––has not been fully considered.  In Upon Appleton House, Marvell not only applies the strategies and techniques of the masque, but he also engages with ideas central to the ongoing debate between opponents and defenders of the stage.  As such, his poem anticipates the reforms and innovations attempted by William Davenant, Richard Flecknoe, and others who campaigned to revive theater in Interregnum England.  However, Marvell’s appropriation of masque theatrics is not tethered to the goals of reform.  His poem is distinctly the product of the post-regicide, pre-Protectorate imagination, when the theaters are shuttered, dramatic performance is driven underground, and the fate of the commonwealth is precarious.  Accordingly, his method is not to establish a mode of theater palatable to republican interests, but instead to defamiliarize theatrical representation in a way that responds to the uncertainty of the moment.

influence of the culture of France and Italy on the genre of masque in England

The article discusses the ways of interaction of the French court ballet, the Italian carnival, Italian dance and the English court Masque. The features of royal entertainment in France, known since the reign of Henry II, are revealed. The origin of the French court ballet was determined, its socio-political functions aimed at the hierarchical structuring of the royal court, strengthening the authority of the monarch, the unification of the aristocratic nobility and the removal of hotbeds of tension in society were revealed, which were characteristic features for the functional features of the English court Masque. The stages of the origin, formation, heyday, and decline of the French court ballet are described. A parallel is drawn between the burlesque roles of the king in the court ballet and the birth of an antimasque, the founder of which was was B. Johnson, a poet and playwright. It was established that the Italian style coexisted in England with other European styles during the period of the Stuart reign, and Italian dances, costumes, librettos and stage designs were used in the performances of English Masques.

The Court Masque as a symbol of the king’s power Charles I Stewart

The purpose of the study is to analyze the genre and functional features of the Court Masque, its status, as well as the degree of influence of French culture on the Masque from the time of the era of the English King Charles I Stuart. The methodology assumes the unity of methodological approaches as a cultural historical and comparative method of analysis. The system historical method allows us to trace the evolution of the court genre of Masques of the era of King Charles I. The comparative method used to identify the characteristic specifics of the genre of Masques of the reign of Charles I. The scientific novelty lies in an attempt to comprehend and justify the reasons for the transformation of the genre of Masque in the era of the reign of King Charles I Stuart. Conclusions. It is revealed that the Masque genre of the era of King Charles 1 was built into the absolutist-hierarchical system of England. The functions of the court Masque are designated: assert the authority and concentration of power in the hands of the monarch, political and reconciliation function inside the country. It is determined that the Masque of the reign of King Charles I was influenced by French court ballet and instrumental music. It is indicated that the Court Masques had lost their international status.

ФЕНОМЕН ПРИДВОРНОЇ МАСКИ В КУЛЬТУРІ КОРОЛІВСЬКОГО ДВОРУ ЯКОВА І АНГЛІЙСЬКОГО

Виявлено, що жанр Маски – важливий елемент культури Англії першої половини XVII ст. Розкрито структура королівського двору Якова І, що характеризується фракційністю та існуванням центрів впливу, ворожі відносини яких були здатні запустити процес політичної нестабільності в країні. Встановлено різноманітність традицій культурного простору королівського двору Стюартів, в якому королівський двір Анни Датської був альтернативним напрямом. З’ясовано основний принцип правління Якова І, який розглядається крізь призму задоволення королівських амбіцій шляхом прояви «пишноти і розкоші» у придворній Масці. Розкрито сутність феномену придворної Маски Короля Якова І, який виявився в конструктивно-інтернаціональному, естетично-виховному, культурно-просвітницькому, консультативному та «пацифістсько-змирливому» аспектах, а також у демонстрації країнам Європи фінансової стабільності корони Англії. It was revealed that the Masque is an important element of the culture of England of first half of XVII century. The structure of the royal court of James I is revealed. It is characterized by factionalism and the existence of centers of influence, the hostile relations of which were capable of starting the process of political instability in the country. The diversity of traditions of the cultural space of the royal court of the Stuarts is indicated, in which the royal court of Anne of Denmark was an alternative direction. It has been established that the main principle of the reign of James I is viewed through the prism of satisfying royal ambitions by manifesting «splendour and luxury» in the court Masque. The essence of the phenomenon of the Court Masque of King James I is revealed, which was expressed in constructively-international, aesthetically-educational, cultural and educational, advisory, pacifist-reconciliatory aspects, as well as in demonstrating to Europe the financial stability of the crown of England.

“The Revellers Are Entering”

This chapter addresses Shakespeare’s incorporation of the court masque genre into his plays for the public stage, from the perspective of a dance historian. During Shakespeare’s active work with the company of players, he embraced the Tudor form and the continental mascarade, followed by new developments under the Stuart king, James I, to include the anti-masque. By analyzing the chronological changes in masque and dance entries, it becomes clear that Shakespeare and his company took the lead in an innovation copied by other playwrights. An argument is presented for the role of a choreographer, a dancing master on the court payroll, working as a collaborator with Shakespeare in devising new dances in the expression of character, and the beginnings of a new profession of specialist dancer, separate from that of the player who was competent in elementary social dance forms.