The Massacre at Paris
Encyclopedia
The Massacre at Paris is an Elizabethan play by the English dramatist Christopher Marlowe
. It concerns the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, which took place in Paris
in 1572, and the part played by the Duc de Guise
in those events.
The Lord Strange's Men
acted a play titled The Tragedy of the Guise, thought to be Marlowe's play, on Jan. 26, 1593. The Admiral's Men
performed The Guise or The Massacre ten times between June 21 and Sept. 27, 1594. The Diary of Philip Henslowe
marks the play as "ne," though scholars disagree as to whether this indicates a "new" play or a performance at the Newington Butts
theatre. The Diary also indicates that Henslowe planned a revival of the play in 1602, possibly in a revised version. A possible revision may have something to do with the surprising number of Shakespearean borrowings and paraphrases in the text.
The only surviving text is an undated quarto that is too short to represent the complete original play and in all probability it is a memorial reconstruction
by the actors who performed the work. It preserves a lot of the violence and stabbing jokes but deletes most of whatever social value the play may have had, except for one long soliloquy near the beginning.
One clue to the original substance of the play is a page which survives in manuscript. It is known as the "Collier leaf," after the Shakespearean scholar John Payne Collier
, who is known to have been a notorious forger, although modern scholars think that this particular leaf is probably authentic. Despite including a speech where one of the characters mutters obscene jokes to himself before shooting someone, it supplies a much longer and more interesting version of a blank verse speech than appears in the quarto. This suggests that the more thoughtful parts of the play were precisely the ones that tended to be cut.
A version of the play, with much new material, was written by the leading Australian playwright Tommy Murphy for a production by Australian Theatre for Young People
in 2001.
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
. It concerns the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, which took place in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1572, and the part played by the Duc de Guise
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...
in those events.
The Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange . They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s...
acted a play titled The Tragedy of the Guise, thought to be Marlowe's play, on Jan. 26, 1593. The Admiral's Men
Admiral's Men
The Admiral's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras...
performed The Guise or The Massacre ten times between June 21 and Sept. 27, 1594. The Diary of Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe
Philip Henslowe was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance London...
marks the play as "ne," though scholars disagree as to whether this indicates a "new" play or a performance at the Newington Butts
Newington Butts
Newington Butts is a former village, now an area of the London Borough of Southwark, that gives its name to a segment of the A3 road running south-west from the Elephant and Castle junction...
theatre. The Diary also indicates that Henslowe planned a revival of the play in 1602, possibly in a revised version. A possible revision may have something to do with the surprising number of Shakespearean borrowings and paraphrases in the text.
The only surviving text is an undated quarto that is too short to represent the complete original play and in all probability it is a memorial reconstruction
Memorial reconstruction
The theory of memorial reconstruction refers to the hypotheses concerning the transcription of 17th century plays from memory by actors who had played parts in them, and the subsequent publication of those transcripts...
by the actors who performed the work. It preserves a lot of the violence and stabbing jokes but deletes most of whatever social value the play may have had, except for one long soliloquy near the beginning.
One clue to the original substance of the play is a page which survives in manuscript. It is known as the "Collier leaf," after the Shakespearean scholar John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier
John Payne Collier , English Shakespearian critic and forger, was born in London.-Reporter and solicitor:...
, who is known to have been a notorious forger, although modern scholars think that this particular leaf is probably authentic. Despite including a speech where one of the characters mutters obscene jokes to himself before shooting someone, it supplies a much longer and more interesting version of a blank verse speech than appears in the quarto. This suggests that the more thoughtful parts of the play were precisely the ones that tended to be cut.
Versions
Jeff Dailey directed a version of the play for The Marlowe Project in New York City in 1999. He transposed some scenes to provide better continuity, and used the extended version of the soldier's speech from the Collier leaf.A version of the play, with much new material, was written by the leading Australian playwright Tommy Murphy for a production by Australian Theatre for Young People
Australian Theatre for Young People
The Australian Theatre for Young People is Australia's flagship youth theatre company and the largest youth theatre in the world. Over 6000 young people aged between three and 26 participate in the company's work across Australia....
in 2001.
External links
- The Massacre at Paris eText at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...